Vancouver, WA: No Veal, No Deal – Olive Garden Delivers Mediocrity with a Side of Sticker Shock

Olive Garden

16405 SE Mill Plain Blvd 

Vancouver, WA 98683

Phone number: (360) 256-4051

olivegarden.com

Prices $$$$

We came for the all-you-can-eat soup, salad, and breadsticks — the Holy Trinity of corporate Italian cuisine — and yeah, they come free with a lunch special. The catch? Lunch specials are only Monday through Friday until 3pm. We showed up on a Saturday. Oops. Missed it by that much.

My wife ordered the Fettuccine Alfredo — $12.49 on the lunch menu, $17.49 for dinner. I went with the Chicken Parmigiana, which jumped from a manageable $13.49 at lunch to an eyebrow-raising $21.49. So when the bill came out to damn near $55, I nearly spit out my overpriced Diet Coke.

To his credit, the server offered to grab the manager and maybe knock the prices back down to lunch levels. But I declined. I missed the fine print. My bad. That’s called integrity, folks — look it up.

The salad? Fresh, sure. But whoever’s in the back manning the vinegar bottle went full Molotov cocktail. I like tang, but this was a salt-and-acid bomb. The Zuppa Toscana was watery, with a sausage-to-potato ratio so low it might’ve qualified as vegetarian. Not awful, just … meh. Breadsticks? Still the MVP — soft, salty, and piping hot.

The wife liked her Alfredo. My chicken parm and limp spaghetti? It was food. That’s about as glowing as I can get. But hey, it’s Olive Garden — it’s not like we walked in expecting Nonna to come out of the kitchen.

And for the love of God and every Italian who’s ever lived, how in the hell are there so few decent Italian restaurants in Portland? And don’t even get me started on the complete disappearance of veal. No veal marsala, veal parmigiana, or saltimbocca alla romana? What in the Fettuccine Alfredo is going on here folks? Somebody kill me a baby cow already — I need my veal fix, dammit!

CombatCritic Gives Olive Garden 5 Bombs Out Of 10 💣💣💣💣💣 More Bombs Are Better … Unless You’re On The Receiving End … HOOAH!

Five Bombs Equates To:

Translation for Civilians: "Continue Mission"

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Read Chris S.'s review of Olive Garden Italian Restaurant on Yelp

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Title: Vancouver, WA: No Veal, No Deal – Olive Garden Delivers Mediocrity with a Side of Sticker Shock

Key Words: Vancouver, WA, veal, pasta, breadsticks, Olive Garden, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu, business, review, Yelp, Zomato, TripAdvisor, Google, Facebook

Copyright 2025 - 3rd Wave Media Group And CombatCritic ™ - All Rights Reserved

Vancouver, WA: Victoria's Was Victorious In Demosntrating Their Mediocrity

Victoria's Cafe

2626 E Evergreen Blvd Vancouver, WA 98661

(360) 836-8993

VictoriasCafeVancouver.com

Prices: $$$$

There were just a few people scattered throughout the dining room as I stood at the counter waiting to be seated, but the lad behind the counter was busy bussing tables and cleaning in the back. I stood there for close to five minutes.

He was equally as slow bringing me my coffee ($4) and taking my order (Chicken Fried Steak and Eggs ($20), but then things improved a bit.

The chicken fried steak was decent, but instead of being ¨smothered¨ with country gravy, there was only enough to barely cover the top. I was going to ask for more, but I did not want to wait forever and let my breakfast get cold.

It is a cute little place, but the service could have been better, the food was average, and the prices were a tad steep.

CombatCritic Gives Victoria's Cafe 3 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Three Bombs Equates To:

Translation for Civilians: "Situation Normal, All Fucked Up"

Read More Reviews By CombatCritic:

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Title: Vancouver, WA: Victoria's Was Victorious In Demosntrating Their Mediocrity

Key Words: Vancouver, WA, Victoria's Cafe, Victoria, cafe, breakfast, eggs, bacon, biscuits & gravy, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu, business, review, Yelp, TripAdvisor, Google, Facebook

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Camas, WA: Close, But No Cigar ... Good Food, But Price And Corner-Cutting Failed To Impress

Salud Wine Bar & Italian Dining

224 NE 3rd Avenue

Camas, WA 98607

(360) 787-2583

www.Salud.com

Prices: $$$$

Our server, Cooper, was very nice and efficient and the staff were all friendly.

We ordered a bottle of Merlot ($33), which was quite nice as well as the Artichoke Stuffed Mushrooms ($15). The shrooms were delicious, but there were only four of them, coming in at $3.75 a pop. Six mushrooms would have made me feel like I was not getting ripped-off.

I had the Italian Osso Buco ($27), a large shank sat atop a smattering of mashed potatoes, barely enough to make an impression. The osso buco was excellent, literally falling off the bone, with quite a bit of meat, but the lack of potatoes was disheartening. How much would another scoop or two cut into their bottom-line? It came with a nice garden salad. 

My son got the Veal Marsala ($28), a good size piece of meat served on top of a bed of fettuccine. The portion was nice and the veal tasty, but the meat was unlike any veal I have ever had, grey, not white as it should be, and slightly gristley, making me believe that it was cow, not veal. It also came with a nice garden salad. 

We finished with an order of Cannoli ($8), four small tubes instead of two big ones, which were creamy and delicious, likely the best value on the menu, but still not cheap.

This place could be a TravelValue if they lowered their prices a bit, were more generous with the mashed potatoes, and used veal instead of cow. The wine list is quite pricey as well with our Merlot being one of the cheapest options available.

CombatCritic Gives Salud 6 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Six Bombs Equates To:

Translation for Civilians: "Good To Go"

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Title: Camas, WA: Close, But No Cigar ... Good Food, But Price And Corner-Cutting Failed To Impress

Key Words: Camas, WA, Salud Wine Bar & Italian Dining, Salud, Italian, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu, business, review, Yelp, Zomato, TripAdvisor, Google, Facebook

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Washougal, WA: Victoricos - Not Bad, But Not Good, For The Price, Either

Victoricos Washougal

103 C Street

Washougal, WA 98671

(360) 954-5892

Victoricos.com

Prices: $$$$

The food is not bad, but the prices are a bit absurd for the quality/quantity.

We ordered online, so, of course, it was more expensive than going to the restaurant and ordering in-person. I understand that, but I had no idea they jack-up the prices AND charge a fee AND you pay a tip, not to mention tax, again, of course. Food delivery in Portugal, where we live, is much different, paying the in-store menu price, but adding a small fee and tip.

I ordered 3 Rolled Tacos ($6.49 / $4.99), a Two Enchilada Combo ($12.50 / $11.50), a Shredded Beef Taco ($5.29 / $4.29), a Fajitas Plate Combo ($17.99 / $15.49) and a small side of Rice and Beans ($4.99 / $3.99) for my son and me.

The taquitos were very good, crispy with lots of shredded beef and topped with guac and cheddar cheese.

I was actually shocked when I saw the shredded beef taco. It was small, a little bigger than the palm of my hand, coming with a fair amount of shredded beef, lettuce, and cheese. It was more than a tad greasy, but it tasted good, however, for $5.29 I expected something a little special ... bigger? guac? pico de gallo? tomato? 24 carat gold sprinkles? ... Olé! It is the most expensive taco I have ever eaten and I have chowed-down a shitload of tacos.

The enchiladas were decent enough, but the container was too narrow, so there was zero sauce between the first inch and the last. Tjere was little cheese as well. They were difficult to cut into bite-size pieces because the dry beef was clinging together. SNAFU!

At $5, the side of rice and beans was a joke. I kept looking for the other container because I expected that only the rice OR the beans was in the one I found, but, when I opened it up, the rice AND beans were both crammed-in. Surprise! The beans were okay, but the rice was tasteless.

A 15% markup, $7, on a $40.26 bill, a total of $47.26 for everything we ordered, so with tip and service fee, it brought the total to $56.08. Not unheard of I guess, but I was very surprised when I found out the difference in the pricing.

CombatCritic Gives Victoricos Washougal 4 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Four Bombs Equates To:

BOHICA

Translation for Civilians: "Bend Over, Here It Comes Again"

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Tabelog - Official Judge - "Silver"

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Title: Washougal, WA: Victoricos - Not Bad, But Not Good, For The Price, Either

Key Words: Washougal, WA, Victoricos, Mexican, tacos, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu, business, review, Yelp, Zomato, TripAdvisor, Google, Facebook

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Vancouver, WA: Winston's British Fish N Chips - Great Food, Small Portions

Winston's British Fish n Chips

2711 NE Andresen Road

Vancouver, WA 98661

(866) 260-9563

Winston's British Fish n Chips

Open Daily: 11 am - 7 pm

$$$$

There was a 90-minute wait when we stopped by Saturday evening, but the lady gave us a card for a free meal, having now returned to collect our complimentary fish & chips.

The fish was light and crispy, not greasy, and the tartar sauce was a nice compliment. Unfortunately, they were already out of mushy peas by mid-day, so I got the curry sauce, whether I wanted it or not.

The chips were also very good, but like the fish, there were not enough of them and I was still hungry after my meal.

I can honestly say that it was some of the best fish & chips I have had, but the serving sizes were a tad on the light side in my opinion. There could have been more chips, only a smattering received, and the fish could be just a little bit bigger. Raise the price to $16 if you have to, but sell the public the very best fish n chips while, simultaneously, satiating our hunger for the real deal.

CombatCritic Gives Winston's British Fish N Chips 7 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Seven Bombs Equates To

Translation for Civilians: "Shits & Grins"

Read More Reviews By CombatCritic:

Yelp "BLACK" ELITE '14 / '15 / '16 / '17 / '18 / '19 / '20 / '21 / '22/ '23 ... 10 Years Running ... HOOAH!

• Over 1.4 Million Views A Year

Read Chris S.'s review of Winston's British Fish N Chips on Yelp

Zomato - #1 Ranked "VERIFIED" CONNOISSEUR (13) - Over  4 Million Review And Photo Views ... And Counting - #1 Reviewer in Portland, Oregon!

Tabelog - Official Judge - "Silver"

Booking.com - Frequent Traveler "Genius"

Google Maps - "Top Photographer" With Over 3 Million Views!

... And Don't Forget To Subscribe To TravelValue TV on YouTube and our sister channel, CombatCounselor Chronicles, with Over 1,250 Subscribers and 1,000,000 Video Views ... HOOAH!

Title: Vancouver, WA: Winston's British Fish N Chips - Great Food, Small Portions

Key Words: Vancouver, WA, Portland, OR, Winston's British Fish N Chips, fish, chips, british, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu, review, Yelp, Zomato, TripAdvisor, Google, Facebook

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