Bottom line up front: our best specialty dinner so far on this trip
I’ve been waiting to be “wowed” by something culinary this trip. Not sure I can say the whole meal was wow-quality, but there were some standouts. After a steakhouse, Italian is our second go-to for dining out on land or at sea.
Appetizers
Ok, so I cheated. Being an Olive garden loyalist, I ventured out as far as tastes I was familiar with. Add chicken and shrimp, and this is a dish I often have at OG. The La Cucina version is slightly richer, but otherwise very much like my frequent fave. Roxan gave her mozarella a glowing review as well.
Entree
Again, I wasn’t terribly creative, OG Chicken Marsala is one of my faves, and I was Marsala on the mind after the Cream of Mushroom soup last night that looked like it was Marsala sauce.
Roxan was able to finish about half her entree, I was pretty close to that, too. We forgot to take dessert photos, but we had a great dessert quickly, as we were running behind to get to the comedy show.
Observations
While I *was* mostly comparing to a chain fast-casual restaurant, that’s what I have to compare to as Carrabba’s or Bucca di Beppo are all I have to compare to on the high end, and I don’t find wither of them worth the price difference to Olive Garden. That said, this meal was truly enjoyable. We’ll be back Thursday night, and I plan to allow enough time to savor and truly enjoy the meal and experience.
By the Numbers
4.9 out of 5.0 starsA strong experience, one we are already anticipating to repeat. Highly recommended!