Olive Garden Review & Giveaway!

Hi all! Today I am posting a review for Olive Garden (make sure to read till the end of the post, there is a special giveaway for Tea Rose Home readers by Olive Garden!)

When I got the offer to do a review for them I squealed with joy! Olive Garden has been one of my favorite restaurants for years. When Mr. TRH and I were newlyweds we didn't have much money to eat out. It was "THE" restaurant to go to for special occasions. After we have been married for so many years with three kids, Olive Garden is still our favorite restaurant.

I love their comfortable and friendly atmosphere. To me, it is a nice restaurant that I want to dress up for a little, but it's not so fancy we can't take our kids. In fact, they offer a great selection & quality on their Kid's Menu, and I love their kiddie cups with lid, and the crayons & paper keep them busy while we wait for the food.

When I received the offer to do the review, the first people that popped in my head to take (besides the whole clan that lives under our roof) were my father and mother-in-law. I have been getting multiple procedures since October last year every three weeks or so, and sometimes it takes a week or more to recover. They have been such a wonderful support to our family during those times, picking up the kids from school the day of the procedure and keeping them for 2-3 days so I can rest better. My kids absolutely LOVE spending time at grandma and grandpa's, and I am so grateful they are so willing to help us. So, all seven of us went out to celebrate our "family". :)

My mother-in-law. Isn't she lovely?

At Olive Garden they are offering a new dinner special for $12.95. It is a 3 Course Italian Dinner. The 1st course is soup or salad...

Everyone's favorite bread sticks

Our favorite soup Zuppa Toscana. Did you know those breadsticks and soup/salad are unlimited?

2nd course is one of 5 new and exciting entrees...I really had a hard time choosing one, but being a seafood lover I had to choose Five Cheese Marinara Penne with Shrimp.

Mmm...I loved the sauce and the baked panko on top adds extra touch of flavor and texture

Wow, Mr. TRH took a picture right after I took a huge bite

3rd course is one of 5 Dolcini desserts. We all ordered different ones so we could taste most of them. What I love about their Dolcini desserts is their portion size. Usually I am too full to order a dessert after eating a dinner. They are just so perfect to end the meal on an even happier note. :)

I must say that my favorite is Dark Chocolate Cake. Are you in the mood for Chocolate mousse and caramel cream?

We enjoyed each other's company and spending time together with yummy food. Oh, wait; there are other happy makers my kids always look forward to. The mint chocolate. :)

So, that was my $12.95 3 Course Italian Dinner experience. Is your mouth watering? The special is running through March 18th so there's still plenty of time to try it! Are you ready to enter a special giveaway?

Olive Garden and BlogHer are giving away a $100 Olive Garden gift card to one of my Tea Rose Home readers!

To be entered for a chance to win, leave me a comment telling me your favorite course-breadsticks and soup, the main entree, or dessert?

Here are the rules:

No duplicate comments.

This sweepstakes runs from 2/21/12 - 3/18/12.

You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:

a) Leave a comment (see question above in bold)

b) Tweet about this promotion and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post

c) Blog about this promotion and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post

d) For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.

This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older.

Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail.

You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.

The Official Rules are available here.

So, make sure to come back to see if you won the gift card. Good luck everyone!

Also, visit the Olive Garden page on BlogHer.com to check out the other blogger reviews and more chances to win!