No, your eyes aren't playing tricks on you. Tonight was my first experience with Kingsport's Olive Garden. I've been to the one in Johnson City several times in the past and the one in Asheville, NC some years ago. I guess they're trying for the rustic dining experience in Kingsport's as I was expecting the armchairs with casters to move around at the table like Johnson City's had/does. Kingsport's is definitely a rustic interior with the straight back chairs that somewhat remind me of what my granddad's house in Pumpkin Valley had. Not uncomfortable but just not what I was expecting. What I was expecting was somewhat traditional Italian cuisine as I remember it.
Our server Austin P. was quite up to the task and did a great job taking care of us. While I had intially wanted Chinese for dinner unlike the rest of my family before we landed here, I didn't end up disappointed. I ended up selecting Chicken Marsala, a fairly benign chicken dish with mushrooms in a Marsala wine sauce which I've had many times before all around the country. The last time I had it was at Amato's which I miss and they did as good a job as anyone with it. Olive Garden's Chicken Marsala comes with either a soup or a salad and I chose the Chicken and Gnocchi soup which was very tasty. I could've easily made it into a meal with a bigger bowl. Server Austin described it as Italian Chicken and Dumplings and he wasn't far off as gnocchi are a type of Italian dumpling about the size of a quarter.
In short order our entrees were served and I immediately noticed that my Chicken Marsala didn't put out the distinctive aroma that I was expecting and didn't see any capers in the sauce. I've been having some issues with my sinuses but food smells usually make it to my brain unimpeded. The dish looked wonderful: three small flattened chicken breasts in a brown sauce topped with mushrooms and what they call Tuscan potatoes (home fried potatoes) with roasted red and green bell peppers that were dusted in some sort of grated cheese. So far, so good. As everyone else dug in, I sliced off a piece of the chicken to savor. Much to my surprise, it tasted like a typical Chinese restaurant's brown sauce complete with hints of ginger! Not quite believing my taste buds, I tried some more of it. My tongue was communicating truthfully with my brain. I even gave a slice of it to my wife that also confirmed my thoughts: Chinese brown sauce. Albeit a bit surprised I tucked into it along with the potatoes and peppers, which were also quite tasty, and it was a goodly portion of each. Server Austin came by pouring drink refills and inquiring if everything was alright and I mentioned my observations about the dish tasting like chicken in a Chinese brown sauce. Surprisingly, he said he'd had other customers say the same thing. He said they have a Stuffed Chicken Marsala on the menu that I'd considered that he said tastes much more traditional while being stuffed with sun-dried tomatoes, topped with mushrooms and covered in a Marsala wine sauce. I suspect I'll try it the next time since there's more Chinese restaurants in this area than Italian.
I guess the sum total of the story is that I managed to have a melange of Italian and Chinese tastes all on the same plate. I really couldn't complain as I left well fed and not really missing the Chinese buffet I initially was looking forward to. Buon appetito!
No comments:
Post a Comment