What Anthony Bourdain thinks of Olive Garden.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/19/anthony-bourdain-eat-human_n_1530268.html?ref=food

"On Olive Garden, Bourdain said that he would take a "big f*cking can of gasoline" to soak the place and burn it down -- that's how bad they make pasta. He had similar sentiments for the James Beard house. "Why don't they turn the house into something useful like a methadone clinic," he asked."

This guy cracks me up.

Yes he did eat sheep anus at a sheep farm in Vienna. It's ....sphincterriffic!!!!!

[Wait Wut]

1. HAHAHAAHA!!!

He's awesome! I'm curious about the link (can't get to HuffPo from work). It says "anthony-bourdain-eat-human".

Um...has he gone cannibal? Now, that would be an interesting show.

[PoliticAverse]

2. What was in his cup and how many had he consumed already ? n/t

[madinmaryland]

3. Shit! Where am I going to get Italian food in midtown Manhattan!!

[trof]

5. Pizza Hut?

[Manifestor_of_Light]

4. George Carlin was ahead of his time.

In one of his books he has a list of exotic menu items, starting with "Candied Goat Anus".
Anthony Bourdain fulfilled that prophecy!!!

[rocktivity]

7. .

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1018120181


rocktivity

[Raven]

6. I like Olive Garden. I'm in the middle of the

backwoods. I appreciate their "Tour of Italy" dish. It is the closest I'm gonna get. Also, I take home a doggie bag and eat off it for 3 days.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

8. I like soft pasta. I do not like "al dente" pasta.

so call me uncouth. I don't eat strange food.

[Codeine]

17. Al dente pasta is not "strange food."

It's pasta.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

24. I am extremely allergic to tomatoes.

So call me a communist, I can't eat pizza or bell peppers, or red peppers,or yellow peppers, or raw onions.

[kwassa]

31. You communist.

Your allergies wipe out a lot of great eating.

They must be communist allergies.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

33. I inherited them from Dad.

And he was a proud union organizer back before labor laws in the 1930s and we were Democrats.

It ain't great eating when I feel like crap the next day and have to spend two days in bed because I'm exhausted from dealing with the allergens.

i'm also allergic to shellfish. My mom and grandma went crazy arguing with me at the dinner table. I was a picky eater and there were a lot of foods I just cannot stand, especially when boiled to death. Later I found out a lot of it was allergies. Big Clue: In high school I ate pizza with bell peppers and everything but pepperoni. I threw it up an hour later.

They kept telling me I would starve to death. I didn't. I'm still here.

[TheCruces]

34. But that still doesn't make properly cooked pasta "strange food"

[whistler162]

51. So try Joe Dente's Pasta if you don't like Al's....

[TrogL]

20. Cooked food is not supposed to move on its own

All Olive Garden dishes look identical, even steak.

-Mystery meat
-Light coloured sauce that oozes grease
-Red things that move

[YellowRubberDuckie]

25. Not true.

You must not have been to a good one. I worked there for several months in college. I've seen how it is supposed to be, and eaten most of the things on the menu. It's actually really good shit.
But it is perfectly fine you don't like it. More for me.

[KamaAina]

43. But you're in New England

Any town large enough to have an Olive Garden would also have at least one Italian restaurant.

[beknighted]

9. "There's nothing more that we love than going out for an authentic Italian meal...

...but when I get a coupon, we go to the Olive Garden."

|

[Walk away]

10. I have to agree with him 100%.

In Secaucus there is an Olive Garden a mile away from Giovanni's the deli that won the best Mozzarella in New Jersey award. At 11am G's makes incredible home made Italian lunches like your grandmother would make if she came from Italy.
The only people who eat at the Olive Garden are from out of town and driving thru on the highway.

[grasswire]

14. what would my grandma make for lunch if she came from Italy?

Tell me. My mouth is watering already.

[Walk away]

23. Well to start off....

This lady makes the best rice balls in NJ. (There is a place in Staten Island that makes the best in the U.S.). That's creamy risotto mixed with the best grated imported Parmesan rolled into balls, stuffed with meat, olives, onions then coated with fresh bread crumbs and deep fried. Served with homemade Marinara sauce on the side. Or Bruchette made with back yard Jersey tomatoes, fresh basil, semolina bread from Hoboken and the creamiest, warm, fresh mozzarella ever. They make it fresh every half hour all day long. They make globe artichokes stuffed with cheese, bread crumbs, prosciutto and roasted garlic. They always have beautiful soups, stuffed roasted eggplants, grilled Lemon Chicken with fresh oregano and capers and lots of specials.

The best part is that it is a small storefront attached to their home. The kitchen is always filled with tiny old Italian ladies chopping, mixing and filling cannelloni! Out front is Giovanni and a nephew or grandson slicing prosciutto or filling cannolies.

There are many places like this all over this area. Right now there is a deli in Lodi about ten minutes from my house where they are making homemade roasted eggplant with olives, tomatoes, onion, garlic, capers and a ton of fresh basil to spread on grilled garlic bread. This is the beginning of the season.

If Olive Garden served any of these simple dishes I doubt they would be considered edible by anyone around here with a drop of Italian blood.

The very best deli outside of Brooklyn or Staten Island (there is a big competition between the three) is in Hoboken. It's called Fiores and I know the family who owns it well. (I babysit for their Yorkie Rosie when they go on vacation.) You cannot believe this place. Walking in the door is like stepping in to a beautiful lush painting! It smells like heaven! The people who own it have been there for generations. It would take you a month of eating to sample every dish, cheese and cold cut. They make their own sausage, fresh or dried and their own fresh ricotta, creamy or prima salata! Raviolis filled to order! The best!
This is a big Italian area and we (I am one half) have been foodies for thousands of years! We don't go for pre-fab dining!

[grasswire]

32. sigh

that's all I can do.

[TheCruces]

35. Ugh...I miss the food of NJ

We started carrying fresh mozzarella where I work. People are horrified by it.

[Walk away]

37. You make it fresh? Becauce if it isn't made and served still warm it isn't really fresh!

When you slice incredibly soft, warm mozzarella the cream oozes out of it. On the very best semolina bread with thick, salted slices of Jersey tomatoes and whole, fresh basil leaves it's orgasmic. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and grind on Telecherry black pepper corns and it's a masterpiece!

[TheCruces]

39. I need to start making my own

But I can't get semolina bread or Jersey tomatoes here.

[Walk away]

41. I am guessing that there are fabulous tomatoes everywhere but the bread is irreplaceable.

Just come here for a tasting weekend!

[TheCruces]

44. The local tomatoes here aren't great

They're all from Mexico (which is close enough to be local) or hydroponic.

Yeah, I'll probably be back in NJ for the holidays.

But our Mexican food is way better than anything in NJ, so it kind of evens out.

[Walk away]

46. Ain't it the truth. Mexican food in NJ hasn't evolved since the '70

I'll never forgot my shock when I tasted real Mexican cuisine. There are a few good Mexican restaurants in NYC but nothing neighborhood.

However.....in Jersey City there is a thriving and exciting Indian neighborhood. It has temples. sari shops, many Indian groceries, dozens of restaurants and even a hut where they roll betel palm leaves to order!

I adore Dosas Masala with coconut chutney! There are entire stores devoted to colorful jelly deserts!

[TheCruces]

49. Yeah, Jersey City definitely has a big Indian neighborhood

I also miss Mitsuwa.

[Walk away]

53. How fantastic is that? Their food court and view of NYC alone is worth the trip.

I've been shopping there since it first opened. The produce is amazing and the way that meat and seafood is cut and presented! The last time I was there they had over 40 types of chilled Sake! Crazy!
The big problem is TRAFFIC! Edgewater has changed from a funky little strip along the Hudson filled with artists and kooky cafes into wildly expensive condos and shops. It's a shopping Mecca for the rich and they are bumper to bumper seven days a week.
I used to love that drive from Hoboken to Fort Lee along the water.

[hifiguy]

40. That sounds like Italian food heaven.

All you are missing is the Batali family salumeria from Seattle.

[Walk away]

42. I may have to make a pilgrimage! nt

[GoCubsGo]

22. Around here, Olive Garden often wins the "Best Italian Restaurant" in town.

I would suggest that the people who vote that way are the ones that patronize the one in your town while passing through. But, the vast majority of them rarely travel beyond Atlanta and Charlotte, if they make it that far. That's even sadder than the fact that there are some halfway-decent, independent Italian restaurants in the area. Hell, one could have a better meal if they made some fresh store-bought pasta, such as Buitoni, and got a jar of Newman's Own pasta sauce and some frozen meatballs.

[Walk away]

28. Make that Rao's jarred sauce and DeCecce pasta and I agree with you 100%...nt

[LynneSin]

11. Sometimes he IS a sheep's anus

just saying

[YellowRubberDuckie]

26. Bourdain is an asshat.

And his asshattery in his Press Releases continue to turn me off of him. So you don't like the Olive Garden, Anthony? Why do we care again? You have a shitty show that no one watches on some random network.

[OriginalGeek]

30. I watch his show every chance I get

sometimes I re-watch episodes.

I think he's pretty funny and knows his shit.

[whistler162]

50. Or at least sheep shit!

given his choice of food's.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

12. I refuse to listen to a food critic ...

... who eats sheep anus.

"Oh, but it was VERY GOOD sheep anus!"

I don't care.

sphincterriffic my ass!

[Beer Snob-50]

13. depending on how the sheep anus was prepared

i would probably try it. anything with some onions and lots of other spices would probably be alright.

[grasswire]

15. I wonder how many sheep it takes to make a filling meal of anus? n/t

[Beer Snob-50]

16. maybe it should be stuffed with sausage

or maybe rice..

[Amerigo Vespucci]

56. Next to "Aqualung" & "Thick As A Brick," I'd say "A Filling Meal Of Anus" is Jethro Tull's GREATEST.

That Ian Anderson sure knows how to write 'em.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

18. It would really depend on how the diner was prepared

In Vienna? I'd get prepared with half a dozen shots of schnapps. Then, yeah, sheep anus with brown mustard and curry powder, Mmmmm.

Could it be any worse than eating the worm from a bottle of mezcal? It's all in the mind. Right?

[Beer Snob-50]

19. brown mustard and curry could make it so that you would not even realize your were eating sheep butt

the worm in a bottle of mezcal is not a bad little treat either.

[littlewolf]

21. Olive Garden ...

the only thing I like there is the soup and salad ....
If I want Italian I will find an Italian restaurant
or make it myself ...

[YellowRubberDuckie]

27. I live in Oklahoma.

The only real Italian restaurant here is afraid of freaking Garlic. I don't know if they're doing it ironically or if they just don't understand that garlic is an ingredient that is supposed to be tasted in Italian food.
I happen to like the Olive Garden's Alfredo Sauce and their lasagna is really good.

[Honeycombe8]

29. Olive Garden is one of the unhealthiest places to eat, so I've read.

You can look up fat content and calories for dishes at various places. Olive Garden dishes are usu. at the top of the unhealthiest.

Don't know how Bourdain stays so slim. He eats some really fattening things.

[cali]

36. Never been to an olive garden. don't even know where one is

within an hour's drive. I live in the sticks, fortunately it's the Vermont sticks and even the local diner does the locavore thing. the closest decent Italian food though is far away.

[yellowcanine]

38. "Why don't they turn the house into something useful like a methadone clinic,"

I gotta remember that one for future usage.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

47. Bourdain admitted he used to be a heroin addict.

Which gives that extra comedic punch!!!

[cynatnite]

45. Hmm...my son and I always split a pizza there. n/t

[whistler162]

48. Hint.....

if you don't like it don't go there!

[era veteran]

52. All chain restaurants/stores suck.

Everyone

[JCMach1]

55. +1

these days especially...

[JCMach1]

54. You know what sucks worse: Jamie Oliver's restaurant...

Ate at the one in Dubai... utter, tasteless rubbish...

http://www.timeoutdubai.com/restaurants/reviews/21768-jamies-italian

As usual, Time Out gets the review wrong. Pretty much you can always do the opposite of what they say.

I still haven't met British food (of British Chef inspired Italian food) that didn't suck.

Apparently these restaurants are all over the UK now too.