I guess Italian cuisine ranks among everyone’s (ok, here’s a major generalization!) favourites and all that. At one point, I thought that it was mine too. But that was the time I first tasted Italian food in a tiny eatery in Bangalore and sadly enough, ‘The Only Place’ had disappeared the next time I went to Bangalore. Of course, that was Indian-Italian food! Nicely spiced, not-so-cheesy or creamy either. Funnily enough, I never sampled any Italian food in B’bay even though there were a few nice places around. Most of the times I went out for dinner/lunch, I ended up at places serving Konkani seafood, yum!!!
Olive Garden is a very well-known Italian restaurant chain in USA. I’ve been there twice and something about the food just DOES NOT agree with me. We order the veggie options and inspite of eating the smallest portions, I end up feeling so stuffed and miserable. A new place, Maggiano’s. A hot favourite, judging from the crowd at the place. Same experience! I came home feeling like I didn’t ever want to eat again… Phew! Spent nearly an hour lolling on the sofa and feeling completely incapacitated… Food ever had that effect on you? Imagine paying good money for this *experience*. Guess I better stick to Asian noodle houses like Doc Chey’s and Mama Fu’s and Chinese restaurants like Fung’s. Soft on the wallet, easy on the tummy and not at all overrated.
sthira says:
Sure you’re not allergic to cheese or some kind of herbs that they put very generously in Italian food?
February 8, 2005 — 1:10 pm
Lakshmi says:
Naah… I’ve been pretty lucky in that aspect. No allergies whatsoever.
February 8, 2005 — 1:18 pm
splitpeasoup says:
Olive Garden and Spaghetti Factory are ‘American Italian’ food. Lots of meat and cheese, emphasis on quantity over quality.
Don’t go there.
There are two kinds of good Italian restaurants:
1. Ones that have inventive recipes and use fresh, local ingredients. Portland has some of these, luckily. They tend to be somewhat pricey.
2. Ones that are very traditional and have simple recipes. Boston’s North End has a few like these. These places tend to be cheap as well. Haven’t seen any in Portland.
Did you know the original pizzas made in Italy didn’t have any meat? Meat on pizza is an American invention.
February 8, 2005 — 1:15 pm
Lakshmi says:
Ohh… Olive Garden is pricey, though.
A pal visited Rome recently and found that Italian pizzas were not even close to the American versions when it came to all that cheese!
February 8, 2005 — 1:19 pm
splitpeasoup says:
Olive Garden is pricey, though.
All the more reason not to go there.
February 8, 2005 — 1:25 pm
Lakshmi says:
Never thought I’d find a fellow supporter in this regard…:-)
Most people seem to love the place.
February 8, 2005 — 1:28 pm
sat_chit_anand says:
American Italian food
I think it is over rated too. What would you say otherwise for a cuisine which gives different sounding names for white flour stuff moulded into different shapes and cooked in mainly 3 types of sauces
1) a saturation of tomatoes.
2) a saturation of cheese and cream.
3) a saturation of nuts and herbs.
Ofcourse sometimes the same white flour stuff is further stuffed with cheese/meat/seafood.
I think if you take a single district in any state in India and sample its cuisine it will have more variety than this.
February 8, 2005 — 3:48 pm
Anonymous says:
No! The only place has not disappeared. Shubh shubh bolo! It has relocated to the junction of Rest house road and Rest house crescent road – that’s opp. St. Joseph’s Evening college. Wonder if you liked the cuisine there becoz it’s Indian Italian (on the lines of Indian Chinese).
February 9, 2005 — 2:32 am
Lakshmi says:
🙂
Thanks for the info!
Should check it out my next B’lore visit…
February 11, 2005 — 4:45 am
arunshanbhag says:
While italian was a one time favorite, I have essentially stopped eating it now. All that pasta (read carbs)
The portions at the Olive garden are huge. Our strategy was, go, pig out on their salad and rolls, order one dish and have it packed to go. Then skip dinner. 🙂
I still do make pasta at home with fresh basil (my fav!) only when we have lotsa friends and serve small portions. I also use a lot of fresh vegetables along with the pasta.
Unless you are a long-distance runner, avoid pasta; it will end up in your hips :))
February 9, 2005 — 7:57 am
Lakshmi says:
Frankly, I don’t care for pasta. I’ve tried different variations at different places but I just can’t seem to develop a taste for it. Also I can never get it out of my head that what I’m eating is all enriched flour…
February 11, 2005 — 4:46 am
sat_chit_anand says:
Re: Some things that can be learnt from them for sure?!!
“Many a time, our(indian) cusines are so chock full of spices that we can’t appreciate any one of them.” Completely disagree. When I talk about Indian cuisine I am not talking about that buffet place in downtown which is so prevelant in US. Secondly there are definitely about 40 different varieties of Indian cuisine let alone 40 varieties of rice within the same cuisines. Secondly I dont think Italy has that kind of geographical diversity to even spawn that kind of variety of spices and veggies that you need to create distinct tastes.
February 9, 2005 — 10:45 am
tomlinsonian says:
Re: Some things that can be learnt from them for sure?!!
a question: Which part of india are you from? I can talk about that particular region.I am a very good cook, I know my food. I never go to the “downtown buffet place”
distinct tastes?? Subtle tastes?? The fact that a bruchetta has just one ingredient that lends it flavor? Balsamic vinegar is used as a dressing all by itself. Risotto is almost entirely mushroom/main ingredient based flavor.
February 9, 2005 — 10:54 am
sat_chit_anand says:
Re: Some things that can be learnt from them for sure?!!
Kathiawar. I am sorry if I irked you in anyway. The sole point I am trying to make is that Italian American food is kinda over rated. I am not saying it doesnt have any value in terms of taste. All I am saying is that in my opinion and experience (not that I have ever dined in Italy..would love to though) I havent found that much diversity in tastes. Ofcourse if you know of good Italian restaurants please let me know cause everytime someone has made recommendation of a ‘good Italian restaurant’ and I have been to that place I ended up having this feeling after dining “So what was so remarkable about this food ?”
February 9, 2005 — 12:37 pm
tomlinsonian says:
Re: Some things that can be learnt from them for sure?!!
OH NO….
If you could irk me so easily, I’d be ashamed of myself.
But I can’t help but wonder if you ought to be parochial about culinary issues
My room-mate is Katchhi, and initially, many of his friends would tease him, “kya yaar, tera haal rasam-chawal huan hain kya?”
Now, he admits that he likes South Indian food
“Many a time, our(indian) cusines are so chock full of spices that we can’t appreciate any one of them.” Completely disagree.
Quite your right to. For myself, I never say completely – life teaches you otherwise rather harshly.I still stick to what I said. A garam masala has more spices than any food I’ve eaten.
Secondly there are definitely about 40 different varieties of Indian cuisine let alone 40 varieties of rice within the same cuisines.
And you happen to think that the 20 dishes you have eaten in italian restaurants defines italian cusine?? Thats like me saying, “Oh, you must eat theplas and kadi thrice a day ! “
Secondly I dont think Italy has that kind of geographical diversity to even spawn that kind of variety of spices and veggies that you need to create distinct tastes.
Huh???? Distinct tastes need variety? Tell me that coconut oil tastes the same as olive oil? Or that blanching a dish gives you the same taste as simmering it?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Have you considered the fact that a person’s culinary preferances are deeply rooted in his cultural upbringing?? That to an Italian, Indian food might be as disgusting as Italian to you?
I think if you take a single district in any state in India and sample its cuisine it will have more variety than this.
You are a vegetarian, if I remember right. If you have not tasted meat( a presumption , I admit), would you consider the possibility that you might be missing a taste? That no one ever explain what chicken tastes like? A carnivore I know once told me, ah, when I get a succulent piece of meat, I share it with my friends. For you, a brinjal is the same, back or front.
Sorry this got too long, but my point was, perhaps we dont know enough to be judgemental. That bliss you are looking for may be in one of those things you let slip by that way.
Its happend to me, thats how I learnt.
http://www.livejournal.com/users/tomlinsonian/12935.html
February 9, 2005 — 8:59 pm
sat_chit_anand says:
Re: Some things that can be learnt from them for sure?!!
Thats why I said to my experience Italian food hasnt provided any diversity. Besides I am vegeterian by choice but have eaten all possible kinds of meat before I gave it up including a whole lot of italian meat dishes. I agree that I am being judgemental as a result of my experience but I am not unwilling to give it up if I come across good Italian food to overturn my experience.
“Have you considered the fact that a person’s culinary preferances are deeply rooted in his cultural upbringing?? That to an Italian, Indian food might be as disgusting as Italian to you?” I think you are making a mountain out of a mole hill here. I never said Italian food is disgusting. I merely said that to my experience I havent found sufficient diversity in it and thereby feel its over rated.
“Secondly there are definitely about 40 different varieties of Indian cuisine let alone 40 varieties of rice within the same cuisines.
And you happen to think that the 20 dishes you have eaten in italian restaurants defines italian cusine?? Thats like me saying, “Oh, you must eat theplas and kadi thrice a day ! “
Thats the reason why I asked recommendations from you regarding a good Italian place cause whereever I go from east coast to west coast, in whichever city in an upscale or local eatery I find the same fare. So I havent been able to find more than 20 or so dishes that I could orders. So pray please tell me where are the other mysterious 40+ dishes.
“That bliss you are looking for may be in one of those things you let slip by that way”. I agree. Thank You for the eye(mind) opener. Had it not slipped I would already be blissed out and not caring to obtain it from sense perceptions like taste.
“OH NO….
If you could irk me so easily, I’d be ashamed of myself.”
I know you would not get irked so easily but I wanted to apologize in case I came across too strongly.
February 10, 2005 — 9:46 am
tomlinsonian says:
Re: Some things that can be learnt from them for sure?!!
you’re right , I overreacted.
I apologize myself.
If your remarks came out of your experiences, then I have no issues with them. You are a seeker, as much as I am.
February 10, 2005 — 10:05 am
sat_chit_anand says:
Re: Some things that can be learnt from them for sure?!!
Hope both of us find what we seek and maybe it will turn out to be the same universal truth.
February 10, 2005 — 5:53 pm
murthys_r_us says:
Hi there! I’ve been reading your journal and hope you don’t mind my adding you as a friend. 🙂
I’ve also felt stuffed after eating at Olive Garden. The breadsticks, soup/salad and the entree is just too much, so a couple of visits later, we decided to leave the breadsticks alone, take one serving each of minestrone and split an entree – this strategy helped. But it’s been a while since we went there. Off late for Italian food, we prefer to go to Romano’s Macaroni Grill. I am not sure if this chain has a presence where you live. We like the food much better. You get to make your own pasta and they are much less liberal with cheese and oil.
Cheers,
Maya
February 9, 2005 — 6:39 pm
Lakshmi says:
Thanks!
Dunno if I have the stomach for yet another Italian food trial.. thanks anyway!
Adding you too…:-)
February 11, 2005 — 4:47 am
99kanitas says:
There’s this place near campus – Ray’s (intersection of 10th and Spring St.) – their “deluxe”‘s the best pizza I’ve ever eaten – thin crust, no overload of cheese, all the right things 🙂
Another place near Emory – Everybody’s Pizza – heaven! (and servings big enough to fill 10 ppl atleast).
Bamboo Garden in Duluth – best Indian-Chinese. Heard Hot Wok was good, but no thoughts from desis.
February 11, 2005 — 11:13 pm
Lakshmi says:
Bamboo Garden is too spicy, yaar… I was in trouble after eating it once. Hot Wok is nearly the same kinda fare. Nice if you’re in the mood for some gaadi-waala Chinese, know what I mean?
February 13, 2005 — 8:43 am
99kanitas says:
🙂
February 13, 2005 — 12:20 pm