I love this place. Lunch time you can get unlimited soup and salad for under $7 how cheap is that.

must be the one at Solomon Pond Mall

yup, Solomon Pond Mall.

here's a little added bonus besides having awesome food.. The waitstaff all have a contest every night on who sells the most wine... So you'll see them all carrying around a bottle. When they come to your table they ask if you want a sample.. so they pour you 1/4 glass, you can chug it down and say you want to try something else.. then they'll pour you glass after glass (w/ absolutely no attitude). of course, I'm sure they're not happy if you go through 10 samples and then be like "nah, I think I'll have a coke".

All these great Italian restaurants in Worcester...Olive Garden?

Where do they serve your favorite steak? Applebees?

hey, dont gnocch it till you try it...

It's nothign I'm proud of (Loving the Olive Garden) but I'm not a fan of any Italian restaurant in Worcester... Especially Shrewsbury Street. That restaurant at the beginning of Shrewsbury street there that's owned by the Sole or the Chop (The Italian Kitchen or Table or Something) sucks the worst.. so does Dino's... wonderbar has alright sauce I guess though.. but red sauce is red `sauce in my book and I make the best so I dont even go out for it..

I guess Rovezzi's is allright, but I've been going there since I was a baby and it was on main street next to the old kangaroo crossing.

You just broke my heart.

Speaking of Chain restaurants....
the ribs at Texas Road House are amazing.

I havent been to Olive Garden in years, generally i don't eat out for Italian but I have been meaning to try Piccolo's because I've heard so many good things about it.
I did try that new Italian place in downtown Millbury- Callabria. Service was great, appetizer was tasty, but I was disappointed in my meal, the side of pasta with meat sauce needed more flavor and the entree wasnt cooked in the sauce that was listed on the menu. they redid it and it was much better.
I would go back and try ordering something else.

Piccolo's is not that good.

Calabria was one of Jennever and my favorite places when it was on Shrewsbury St. We need to try the new location.

Dante's is my favorite place on Shrewsbury St. if you are looking for somewhere to try. Cafe Espresso on Wall St. is one of the best in town (if not the best).

It you really want the best, you can come to my house.

Sauce off!!!!!!!

I've been trying...

pretty much the reason I don't eat out for italian- the red sauce just doest compare to homemade.

my husband applied for a corporate job at bertucci's and we decided that we should probably go eat there so he wouldn't be totally ignorant about the restaurant when it came up in the interview. i went with an open mind, wanting to like the place since the prospective job was a good one and no one wants to whore themselves out at a workplace they know is crap - but olive garden was just another bland chain - like most places, they seem to over-salt and under spice,,,the sauces seemed unnaturally thick, as though there were thickeners in them (particularly noticable and ucky in the alfredo or primavera or whatever the hell it was i ordered), bread was tasteless and card-boardy. nothing to write home about, nothing to drive to marlboro for, nothing worth waiting in line for

however if you must eat at a chain restaurant...

we did go on another "research trip" to another chain just recently - ted's montana grille in westboro - i was prepared to be underwhelmed/unhappy but it was surprisingly good. excellent food carefully prepared with reasonable prices. their schtick is all about how "green" they are, and they seem sincere enough in how they are making that work. and the place is doing a lot right...good looking room too. worth a drive out to the far reaches of westboro? no, but if you're out there anyway, i'd check it out.

gigi, you lost me... are you talking about the olive garden or bertuccis?? cause bertucci's sucks.

We should definitely do a red sauce cook off, I'm totally employing the help of my Dad though....

i got my chains mixed up ----- my eyes saw olive garden, but my brain said betrucci's - sorry for the confusion!

I'm hungry. Please feed me.

That's about right, Alec.

I meant more the reaction to the food, not the "black girlfriend"!

Hey MelleYeah, I used to love White City Pizza but haven't been there in years and years. Do they still cook the pizzas real crunchy on the bottom? I love a crunchy crust.

PS - I think that may be extra oregano in the sauce.

I agree with Wirrlygirl Cafe Espresso is one of my favorites along with Rovizzi's.
O.G. is ok if you have no other place to go when you're at the mall. Those places all serve one purpose, serve the masses with somewhat acceptable food for a price that won't drive them away.

Yes it is sir

Tried Piccolo's last night and enjoyed my meal.
I was particularly impressed that the dressing was made to order. Fresh crushed mint tossed with oil and vinegar- simple and very tasty.
The calamari appetizer was ok and my chicken and lobster entree was really good.

Piccolo's is on Shrewsbury Street across from Consumer Auto Parts
I like calamari - I try it almost everywhere I go. Callabria's Calamari was really good- piccolo's was lacking a little in flavor and not as tender as it could have been.
My favorite salad at BaBa is the Cucumber Squid- the squid is raw and amazingly tender.

Next time go to Rovezzi's, you'll totally get over your OL break-up and fall in love all over again!

Maggiano's is a decent Italian chain. I love their mushroon raviolis, although I remove some of the alfredo sauce its baked in. "Don't drown your food." There's one in Boston near Copley.

I hate the Olive Garden though with all my heart. It all stems back to my first experience where I was made to wait in an over crowded , loud, bar area with a crappy drink for 45 minutes to be served salty food from a sucky server. ("S"'s were cheap so I bought a bunch for that sentence.) I have been forced to go on two other occasion with less of a crappy experience but I still thought the food sucked especially those doughy bread sticks everyone loves.