Olive Garden Round Table

I have long known that the best ingredient to any meal is that of happiness and love. Tonight my husband and I went out to Olive Garden with a group of very dear friends, who are truly family to us. While the chef may not know of the enjoyment we all had as we sat around the table, and he (or she) may not have placed into the dishes that special and most time honoured secret ingredient, but the dear men who served us seemed to share in the exuberance of working tonight. Dear AJ (from Guam) and Stu (who's sister lived in Hong Kong for 5 years) helped place a portion of that special ingredient in the delicious foods that consumed our palates, the real added ingredients filtered on to our plates in the energy of love that came from those of us seated around the table.

But all that mushy stuff aside, I want to give you the roundup of the amazing meal we enjoyed tonight. And while that special ingredient may had added a little something to our food, the food itself held its own to begin with.

One of the things I love about Olive Garden is their never ending salad bowls and, of course, their garlic bread sticks. These fresh-made sticks of yummy goodness are as addicting as peanuts, as my dear husband learned the hard way tonight. The only downside to this generosity is that one can easily fill themselves on bread sticks without realising it.

On tonight's menu, I ordered a starter of calamari which is served with a side of marinara sauce and a cream sauce. I am not quite partial to the creamy sauce as it tends to make the calamari too rich, but the marinara sauce is amazing. Dip the breadsticks into the marinara sauce and you've got an absolute winner.

Olive Garden's calamari is so incredibly tender with just enough crispy batter to give it an amazing taste without drowning it in dough. I have had calamari in many different places around the world, and to be honest, the ones at OG's are one of the best I have ever had.


I've been seeing this commercial for the past two weeks advertising Olive Garden's chicken scallopini and it has really been tickling my taste buds to try; so tonight I ordered this as my main course. Let me just say that if you have not tried this dish yet and have been wondering what to order on your next trip out to OG's, you simply must try their Limincello Chicken Scallopini. It comes with cheese stuffed tortellinis.

When they placed the uber hot plate of golden chicken and cheese tortellini with cream sauce topping in front of me, I thought that the heavens had opened and an angel had personally placed this dish in front of me. Eager to tuck in, I had to wait while our dear server AJ unloaded a half a block of Parmesan cheese over the pasta.

The first bite was delectable. It was a perfect marriage of chicken, cream sauce, cheese, with a slight undertone hint of lemon. I was in heaven. Noise around me disappeared as my very being became encompassed in the tastes that were literally exploding in my mouth. My taste buds literally felt like they were doing the "happy dance" and my body wanted to follow suit.

Our good friend, Chandria, works at OG and was working tonight, although we were not seated in her section. Instead we had two lovely young men take care of us, and they truly gave their all when it came down to waiting on us hand and foot. AJ is originally from Guam and is working his way back there to open up his own business, I truly wish him the best of luck and truly hopes that he will achieve his dreams. He referred to me as "the young lady" several times, and when a young man 10 years my junior calls me such, it truly does make my night. And what a chivalrous young man he was also. Definitely worth a trip to be served by AJ again.


Stu was our other server, and when learning that I was from Hong Kong, immediately came to reminisce his memories of trips over during the five-years his sister and brother-in-law lived there. He truly stepped up when, upon cries from all of us for more chocolate at the end of the meal, he came out with the entire bucket and ladled them on the table; what a man!


Olive Garden has long been a favourite of mine since my first visit in 2003 about a year after arriving in America. I have been to several different locations (we actually have one right around the corner from where we live), and tonight's experience was one of the best by far. Was it the exuberance of AJ and Stu, or the meal itself, the company, or that secret ingredient that seemed to filter in to every aspect of our visit tonight? I don't know. But what I do know is that after tonight, I have an even greater renewed love for OG.

The Olive Garden we visited is located at 1261 Southern Avenue Mesa, AZ 85202.

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Best Hong Kong Dining in Review

On a cold and raining night in the Valley of the Sun, what does one do? Head over to Best Hong Kong Dining in Mesa and enjoy a piping hot bowl of chicken congee (porridge).

Best Hong Kong Dining is one of our favourite haunts and the place definitely deserves to have a featured review.

Not a fancy restaurant by any means, it is a typical Hong Kong-style noodle house. There are two tell-tale signs of a "good" and authentic Chinese restaurant; the first is that it is packed with Chinese people. Those of us who are Chinese, lived for any extended time in Asia (especially Hong Kong), or are part Asian, have extremely distinct tastes and we know when Chinese food is authentic or what we consider to be "gweilo" (exactly translated "white devil"), therefore when we find a Chinese restaurant that is filled with Chinese, we know that the food is authentic and tasty.

The second tell-tale sign of an authentic Chinese restaurant are the hanging roast ducks and roast chickens in the window.

When I first arrived in Arizona, it was important for me to find a good Chinese restaurant. My dear husband tried his best to take me to the places he had grown to love and the "Chinese" food he felt were authentic. I have no idea what some of the food that went into my mouth was, but it was definitely not Chinese. So began my search...

After several depressing months, one evening we spotted an Asian supermarket tucked far in a corner of a strip-mall. Needing to stock up on ingredients for Chinese food (if I wasn't going to find a restaurant that served the good stuff, I'd have to make it myself), we pulled into the parking lot. Suddenly a familiar scent wafted into my nose and every part of me felt the tug on my heart as memories of Hong Kong flooded my emotions. I had to follow my nose and find the source this delectable memory. I did not have to search far as suddenly a group of very happy Chinese people emerged from what had to be the source. I found myself pulling my husband to the place these very happy people had just emerged from. In a moment that was reminiscent of the heavens opening and a choir of angels singing "Hallelujah", I found an oasis that comprised of, what could only be where the entire population of Chinese in Arizona hang out. This was the place!

As I entered the doors that first time, reveling in the atmosphere of loud Cantonese banter, cutlery clanking on the table, couples spending a typical family meal together where both parents were reading the newspaper while the kids ate noisily, my eyes drifted over to what was the pot at the end of the rainbow, rows of ducks and chickens hanging behind a window.

After that first visit, BHKD became our place. Soon we were considered regulars. Today, we walk in and Mei greets us and asks immediately if we want "diet coke - one with ice, one with out". When we have not been there for a while, we are met with questions of where we have been and why we have not been there "for so long time". It feels like family, and that is what Best Hong Kong Dining truly is, a family restaurant. It is a place where families come to be themselves with no airs or graces of more formal restaurants. Where, when you go often enough, they will remember your name, and your favourite dish. Where you feel comfortable enough to help yourself to more napkins if you need them, and where the servers treat you as a part of their extended family.

And the food, the food is completely authentic with a good mix of food that many local people will enjoy and without it being "too exotic" that may dissuade more delicate palates.

If you have spent any time in Hong Kong, you will surely have had Won Ton soup, or more specific Won Ton Mein (won ton noodle soup). BHKD has, bar none the best, and most authentic, won ton's in the Valley. Although, I can no longer eat it as it contains pork, the flavour is one which I remember from my days when I had no problems eating pork.

Tonight I had one of my other favourite foods, one which is a total comfort food, and that is chicken congee (Chicken Porridge on the menu). I always ask for a little dish of their special-made ginger sauce that is more commonly served with their steamed white chicken. Added to the congee, and it is heaven in a bowl.

For those who do enjoy eating pork, their char siu is truly amazing. It is something I have tried elsewhere in the Valley before, and no place else compares.

Their roast duck and 5-spice chicken (also known in HK circles as "crispy" skin chicken) is amazing.

Their menu is extensive and has something for everyone. Their prices are extremely reasonable - a full meal can be less than what you would pay for several items at a fast food restaurant, and healthier for you too. A large bowl of chicken congee (enough for several smaller bowls) is only $4.25 and a bowl of Hong Kong Won Ton Mein $5.65. They have specials at lunch time that are less than $6 and full family dinners that can run you from $25.99 on up. If you want a meal for yourself, try one of their rice plates which are from $5.65 on up to $8.25. On average, their dishes run from $4.25 (for appetizers) to less than $15 on average with a few exceptions like Peking Duck which is $24.95.

If you have problems with MSG, make sure that you tell them to not add any MSG otherwise, in true HK fashion, they'll enhance the flavour of all dishes with it.

If you are in the Valley, I absolutely recommend you stopping in and enjoying a good meal. Best Hong Kong Dining is located at 1116 S. Dobson Rd #123, Mesa AZ 85202. It's on the NW corner of Dobson and Southern in the strip mall behind Oregano's Pizza Restaurant.