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"

Read More Reviews By CombatCritic:

Yelp "BLACK" ELITE '14 / '15 / '16 / '17 / '18 / '19 / '20 / '21 / '22/ '23 / '24 ... 12 Years Running ... HOOAH!

• Over 1.4 Million Views A Year

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

Google 'Local Guide' (Level 7) - 677,631 Visitors in August 2023 Alone ... HOOAH!

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

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"

... 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: 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

Olhão (Faro), Portugal: Decent Food and Service, But The 30% Discount Elevated My Rating

Tacho d'Avo

Urbanizacao Village Marina 21A

Olhao 8700-292 Portugal

+351 289 722 249

Prices: €€€€

I wish I had seen the TripAdvisor 30% discount on the ala carte menu before we went last night, but, as it turns out, we received the discount without asking ... HOOAH!

We were the only people in the restaurant at 18:30 when we arrived and had our pick of tables. Unfortunately, they had no air conditioning on this hot summer evening, so we had to switch tables to a shadier place as the sun went down and into my wife's face.

We ordered a 1/2 liter of house red wine and a small Cheese and Sausage Board (€7.50) to get us started. The wine was decent and the board adequate with salami, two cheeses, three types of ham, and some olives.

My better half decided on the Basil and Pine Nut Ravioli in Roquefort Sauce (€18/€12.60 with discount). They were more tortelloni than ravioli, but the dish was very tasty and filling. My Sicilian wife was very happy with her choice.

I ordered the Steak with Roquefort Sauce (€20/€14 with 30% off), coming with fries and rice. The steak was medium in size and the sauce very good, but the meat was quite chewy. I had asked the server about the Large Steak for 2-3 people (€40) because I had seen photos of some great looking T-Bone steaks online, but she could not tell me what kind of steak it was or much else for that matter.

The service was good overall, but nobody bothered checking on us after the food was delivered and I had to go find some salt and pepper for my meal. We waited so long for someone to return that I ended up going up to the cash register to pay.

CombatCritic Gives Tacho d'Avo 7 Bombs Out Of 10 (5 Out Of 10 if we hadn't received the discount)... 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 / '24 ... 11 Years Running ... HOOAH!

• Over 1.4 Million Views A Year!

MENU

Read Chris S.'s review of Tacho d'Avo on Yelp

Google 'Local Guide' (Level 7) - 677,631 Visitors in August 2023 Alone ... HOOAH!

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

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"

... 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: Olhão (Faro), Portugal: Decent Food and Service, But The 30% Discount Elevated My Rating

Key Words: Olhão, Faro, Portugal,  Tacho d'Avo, tacho, avo, steak, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu, business, review, Yelp, Zomato, TripAdvisor, Google, Facebook

Copyright 2024 - 3rd Wave Media Group And CombatCritic ™ - All Rights Reserved

Leroy Merlin - Fraud, Rudeness, Unprofessional Behavior, and a Total Lack of Integrity

Leroy Merlin - Fraud, Rudeness, Unprofessional Behavior, and a Total Lack of Integrity

Here is a video detailing all of the problems I have had getting Leroy Merlin (Loule, Portugal) to honor the 5-year warranties on the €5,000+ awnings we purchased in May 2022 (over 2 years ago

1. We were defrauded by their installation contractor who justified the nearly €800 installation fee by telling me tat the job would take 2-3 days. In actuality, it took him less than 8 hours to install both awnings - an unheard of €100/hour labor charge here in Portugal.

2. One remote control has not worked properly from the very start, but Leroy Merlin refuses to replace the remote even though it is still under warranty. If there is a sudden wind storm we would not be able to close that awning before damage to the awning would occur.

3. The awnings do not close completely, exposing the awnings to inclement weather and possible damage.

4. The tubing that contains the electrical wiring has failed, falling from the brackets meant to retain them.

5. Leroy Merlin never apologized for the extremely rude treatment I received in the store when trying to arrange delivery. A female calling herself ‘manager’ and a female, supposedly in charge of delivery/logistics, by the name of Maria Biato were both extremely rude, condescending, and insulting because I couldn't speak Portuguese, along with many of their other customers. Their behavior was appalling. I know that we are in Portugal and should speak Portuguese when possible, I’m trying, but many expats have told me about how difficult it is for non-Portuguese speakers to navigate the Leroy Merlin website and deal with their employees in the store.

CombatCritic Gives Leroy Merlin 1 Bomb Out Of 10 And A Spot On My WALL OF SHAME ... MORE BOMBS ARE BETTER!

One Bomb Equates To:

Translation for Civilians: "Fucked Up Beyond All Repair"

Read More Reviews By CombatCritic:

Yelp "BLACK" ELITE '14 / '15 / '16 / '17 / '18 / '19 / '20 / '21 / '22/ '23 / '24 ... 11 Years Running ... HOOAH!

• Over 1.4 Million Views A Year

YELP WIDGET

ZOMATO WIDGET

Google 'Local Guide' (Level 7) - 677,631 Visitors in August 2023 Alone ... HOOAH!

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

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"

... 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: Leroy Merlin - Fraud, Rudeness, Unprofessional Behavior, and a Total Lack of Integrity

Key Words: LEROY MERLIN, LEROY, MERLIN, integrity, unprofessional, rude, Loulé, Portugal, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu, hotel, accommodation, destination, product, service, business, review, Yelp, Zomato, TripAdvisor, Google, Facebook

Copyright 2024 - 3rd Wave Media Group And CombatCritic ™ - All Rights Reserved

Faro, Portugal; Great Expectations, Oustanding View, But A Disappointing Breakfast Buffet

Harune Restaurant - AP EVA SENSES HOTEL

Av. da República, 1 

8000-078 Faro, Algarve, Portugal 

Phone: +351 289 540 100

Email: book.eva@ap-hotelsresorts.com

Website: Harune Restaurant

Prices: €€€€

I had heard about this restaurant, its buffet breakfast and lunch, and the amazing view of Faro's boat harbor, Ria Formosa, and the Atlantic Ocean, so we reserved for a Sunday breakfast.

I had reserved for 9:30 am, but when we arrived we were told that our reservation was for lunch. No worries, the hostess took our money (€16 each even though their website says breakfast is €13).

The restaurant is modern with big plate glass windows overlooking the sea and terraces where you can sit when the weather is warm enough. It was a tad chilly that morning so we parked ourselves near the buffet.

They have cheese and ham, a small salad bar, fresh fruit, cereals, and yogurt, but our focus was on the hot breakfast buffet They made omelets, but the choice of ingredients was sparse. The freshly cooked sunnyside-up eggs were very well done and they had a big quiche with egg and potatoes, but it was gobbled up an hour before breakfast ended and they did not bring out a fresh one

.

The bacon looked very strange, some kind of processed meat made to imitate bacon, but it was not very good. How hard can it be to provide real bacon? I can find it in numerous local supermarkets, but we get this processed garbage. Instead of breakfast sausage, they had chorizo and there were no potatoes except for the ones in the disappearing quiche. A breakfast with no potatoes? I don't think so!

 

There was a nice selection of bread, but the toaster was pretty much useless, having to put the bread on the conveyor belt three or four times to get it even lightly toasted.

The coffee machine was extremely popular and the line was very long because the machine was terribly slow. There was another machine at the other end of the room, but it was not working. The coffee situation was the long pole in the tent because everybody wants coffee with their breakfast yet only one slow machine.

The dessert selection was minimal and not all that appetizing so I did not partake.

This place desperately needs REAL bacon, a breakfast potato offering or two, a couple more coffee machines, a few more omelet ingredients, and a price that matches the one on their website.

I doubt we will go back.

CombatCritic Gives Harune Restaurant - AP Eva Senses 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:

Yelp "BLACK" ELITE '14 / '15 / '16 / '17 / '18 / '19 / '20 / '21 / '22/ '23 / '24 ... 11 Years Running ... HOOAH!

• Over 1.4 Million Views A Year!

Read Chris S.'s review of HARUNE RESTAURANT on Yelp

Google 'Local Guide' (Level 7) - 677,631 Visitors in August 2023 Alone ... HOOAH!

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

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"

... 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: Faro, Portugal; Great Expectations, Oustanding View, But A Disappointing Breakfast Buffet

Key Words: Faro, AP Eva Senses, Portugal, breakfast, buffet, Harune, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu, business, review, Yelp, Zomato, TripAdvisor, Google, Facebook

Copyright 2024 - 3rd Wave Media Group And CombatCritic ™ - All Rights Reserved