Let's get one thing straight: Talking about things like food, wine, and restaurants is by nature a very opinionated and biased subject. The things you like are not going to be the same as the things I like. And that is a really good thing. We don't judge, unlike Legend who judges everyone. Not only that, but it is an area of discussion which can make anyone look pompous. But sometimes the pompous judge in us (me really, Peter is a sweetheart like Sammi) rears its ugly head. It happened last night.
While at Cork & Bottle's 7th Birthday Blowout, I had the opportunity to taste several Italian wines from the Palm Bay Portfolio. All of the wines were from Tuscanny, but they ran the price gamut. After the first Sangiovesse, the rep grabs a bottle and says, "This is a wine that the Olive Garden folks had made solely for their stores."
My first reaction was a sneer, others at the table refused to even try it. But I did and the wine was delicious. Sassy is a blend of sangiovesse and syrah. The wine will likely sell at $12 a bottle and is an absolute pleasure to drink. It would go perfect with short ribs and polenta or a meaty lasagna.
But what bothered me was not only my initial reaction, but the refusal of others to even try it. And solely because of the stigma attached to Olive Garden. I hate food snobbery, but yet there I was apprehensive to drink something that was designed to appeal to everyone.
Thinking about it more, it makes perfect sense that Olive Garden would know what goes into a great wine. Christ, they have that cooking school in Tuscany (doing it again). Olive Garden has almost four MILLION visitors daily. The food is not expensive, so I imagine a large percentage of their business plan must rely on wine and alcohol sales. Selling good wine is in the company's best interest.
Now let's say you are a higher up at Olive Garden. Further this by assuming you like wine. Would you not convince the company, "Hey you should send me to Tuscany, and while I am there, I'll work with some winemakers to make a special Olive Garden red wine"? And if the scheme paid off, wouldn't you be stoked? Then you get to Italy, meet some dedicated wine makers who relish the opportunity to sell to a huge American company, and the two of you decide to make a very good simple red wine secretly knowing there is so much more to the wine than a sassy name.
Thank you Olive Garden.
Friday, December 11, 2009
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
11 comments:
I think in New Orleans it is so easy to avoid chain restaurants (which is a wonderful thing) but I remember longing for an Olive Garden when I went to college in Hattiesburg,MS (of course, they got one after I left). Olive Garden (and Red Lobster) are definitely my secret guilty pleasure chain restaurants (because I think that chains are not created equal, some are definitely better than others!) and if I'm ever unfortunate enough to live somewhere with few non-chain dining options, I certainly hope there is an Olive Garden there.
That being said, I would have been snotty about the wine too. It's so easy to be anti-chain down here b/c we have so many good options!
Shelly great point re guilty pleasures.
I have a few number one is Reese's Peanut butter cups, McDonalds fries, General Tso's chicken from 5 Happiness (double points if its at lunch with the egg drop soup), Chili Cheese Fritos...
What are your guilty pleasures readers?
Thanks! I'd say my other guilty pleasures are jalapeno poppers from Sonic and and the frozen white castle type burgers you can get in bulk at the Sam's club.
When I lived in NYC there were a plethora of really good, non-chain restaurants to chose from. But, from time to time, I got homesick for New Orleans (usually around Mardi Gras and Jazz Fest) and really wanted something that was the same in both areas so I could pretend I was closer to New Orleans. The quick solution: Go to a mall in Jersey and eat at Outback Steakhouse. It became my guilty pleasure. It wasn't about the food; it was about the fact that the "ambiance" was the same in NJ and it was in NOLA. Plus, the menu credits Russell's Marina Grill for the Bloomin Onion which helped.
I later discovered Two Boots Pizza in NYC and Brooklyn, the two boots being Italy and Louisiana, which served pizza with crawfish and andouille and other Louisiana toppings. Thankfully, I was able to get my NOLA fix there before I at too much fake Australian food.
String cheese, Popeye's, and every now and again -- a Starbuck's latte.
I'm no Olive Garden fan, but every time I get off the plane in Rome & exit the airport, there are always several drivers waiting for passengers, holding "Olive Garden" signs....so clearly somebody's going to the motherland. Dunno why the food has to be so gloppy/cheesy/saucy, though. I dig inexpensive sangioveses, too.
I've never been to Olive Garden, but those biscuits and all you can eat shrimp scampi at Red Lobster were great when I was in college. And also last week.
Other than that, Rotel/Velveeta/Hormel no bean chili dip is the first thing I think of when I hear the words "guilty pleasure."
I'm so guilty about Velveeta dip that I can't even comment under my real name.
Slice deli Ham and Water.
Pappa Johns pizza eaten cold from the fridge the next day.
Good for you buddy. Pour me a glass!
Post a Comment