It's nice to see that this thread still has legs.

We traded our small town in Alabama for a smaller town in Tennessee. We have a local independent restaurant within walking distance. The owners are ItAms like me and feature some family recipes, but I don't find them any more exciting than my own family recipes.

I still crave OG occasionally, but have discovered Carrabbas and like it better (after one visit). I liked the option of whole wheat pasta and thought there was far more garlic (I like that) in my dish than anything OG offers. I still prefer OG for salad, soup and dessert.

I grew up in a 3rd gen Italian American household, have eaten in loads of independent Italian restaurants in the Northeast as well as places in Rome & Naples, but I still like Olive Garden and will continue to eat there unless it gets much worse.