Let the Citizens of Spanish Fork Rejoice: Olive Garden is Open!

r Begging for a sit-down restaurant? Olive Garden has always been mentioned as a top choice of everyone’s wish lists. Finally, on Monday, November 20th, the Spanish Fork Olive Garden opened to the public.

Olive Garden has always been a popular favorite. But what makes it so magical? Well, first off, let’s start off with the obvious: the salad and breadsticks. Legendary. The hot breadsticks have just the right amount of butter and seasoning. Addictive. Then you bring out that huge bowl of salad. It makes every other side salad you ever receive seem insignificant. The fresh cut onions, olives, tomatoes, pepperoncini and lettuce. Then, you toss it with their signature Italian dressing and croutons. It couldn’t get any better. Then they offer to grate fresh parmesan on top of it. I could eat their salad all day long with breadsticks.

Appetizers. When I saw lasagna fritta on the menu, I knew that I had to have it. Are you ready for this amazingness? So, they take small portions of lasagna, bread them in parmesan, fry them, and top them with marinara sauce and parmesan and place it on a layer of alfredo. Lasagna has always been my favorite food and this was bite-sized lasagna perfection. These are like pockets of lasagna except creamier and then with that fresh delicious marinara but the creaminess of the alfredo. I could eat this every day and be perfectly happy.

Main dishes. One thing that I adore about Olive Garden is that they are always changing up their menu. They have a variety of specials that they change every few months. So, each time you go, you have your trusty classics like lasagna or chicken alfredo, but you can also try unique new entrees. For my review, I tried a blend of the tried and true classics along with the specials.

My favorite dish was the one that I ordered, which was convenient because I got the biggest portion of it. The 5 Cheese Tortellini al Forno with grilled chicken was creamy, cheesy, with a hint of marinara. It was everything I have ever wanted in a pasta dish. The tortellini had a creamy, rich filling that paired nicely with the fresh, grilled chicken. And the sauce was divine. It was so creamy and rich. I honestly wanted a gallon of it and a huge pile of breadsticks. Combine it all together and it was amazing.

My husband Nick ordered the chicken and shrimp cabonara. The sauce paired nicely with the red peppers and those succulent shrimp. Nick said, “The sauce does not overwhelm the flavor of the chicken and shrimp, which have their own unique and original flavors.” Plus, you can’t go wrong with a sauce that is creamy with bacon in it.

Trevor ordered the steak gorgonzola. The steak medallions were extremely tender and paired nicely with the alfredo sauce. Generally, I wouldn’t think of steak as something to pair with pasta, but the sauce really enhanced the flavor of the steak and the balsamic drizzle had a sweetness that just tied everything together. This was a highly satisfying dish that I would not normally order, but I want to order again. Lauri ordered the chicken alfredo, which had generous portions of chicken and this unreal creamy alfredo sauce. Lauri said, “This is my absolute favorite restaurant. They have the best food ever.”

Brent ordered the classic lasagna and was impressed with the “towering layers of meat and cheese.” It was a nice blend of nicely seasoned sausage, cheeses and pasta with a delicious marinara sauce. It has always been a favorite of mine. Christine ordered the herb-grilled salmon. It was light and flaky. The herbs gave it a nice mild flavor and it paired nicely with the broccoli. Christine said, “It is perfect. Moist and tender. Delicious.”

For dessert, we ordered the black-tie mousse cake. It was decadent and a delightfully rich chocolatey paradise. So, the bottom layer is a chocolate cake, then a dark chocolate cheesecake, then a mousse. The edges are coated in mini chocolate chips. So, you have all these textures and chocolate coming together. It is just sublime. Plus, it is perfect for sharing.

So basically, I’ve decided that I need to live at Olive Garden so I can eat all of my favorite foods daily. I think most of us have been to Olive Garden, but trust me, the time to return is now. Whether you like the classics or want to try something new, Olive Garden has something for your tastes.

Plus, it is a gorgeous restaurant. I love it because it feels intimate while also feeling communal. They have strategically placed walls and dividers to create a feeling of privacy but it still feels open. Trevor Brindley said, “It is busy but it feels quiet. You can easily have a conversation with the people at your table.”

So, there you have it, the Olive Garden has finally arrived and it is everything we were hoping for and more. You get the amazing Olive Garden food, the incomparable customer service, in a beautiful environment. Olive Garden is located at 1092 North Canyon Creek Parkway. They are open 11:00 to 10 pm Sunday to Thursday. Friday and Saturday, they are open from 11:00 am to 11:00 pm.