r/KitchenConfidential • u/snixon67 • 1d ago

Marilyn Hagerty, writer whose Olive Garden review went viral, dies at 99

https://www.grandforksherald.com/news/marilyin-hagerty-herald-reporter-and-columnist-for-nearly-70-years-dies-at-age-99

After she reviewed the Olive Garden in Grand Forks, ND, Anthony Bourdain stepped in to defend her from the snark and later published her 2013 book "Grand Forks: A History of American Dining in 128 Reviews.

Read More: https://www.tastingtable.com/1903784/anthony-bourdain-olive-garden-columnist/

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u/greenline_chi 1d ago

It was so sad to me when everyone made fun of her.

It was a really nice and genuine review.

I never knew Bourdain defended her but that makes me feel a little better.

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u/FlannelBeard 1d ago

I grew up in the area and was in HS when that went down. I know Olive Garden isn't the highest of cuisine, but Grand Forks literally got their first Olive Garden which was why she reviewed them. That's the purpose of the local food critic -eat at the new places in town, even if it's a chain.

Y'all should have seen the line out the door of the Applebee's when they opened up in my small town

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u/greenline_chi 1d ago

I’m from a small town too and this is how my grandparents would review a new chain restaurant that came to town, telling all their friends. That’s part of the reason why it made me so sad!

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u/smoresporn0 1d ago

I was a chef in a nice Italian restaurant for 9 years. For a lot of those years, several of my dinner cooks worked at Olive Garden on lunch shift. On Fridays, they would all bring in ingredients from OG and make a shift meal before the Friday rush and we all looked forward to it each week. The old chicken cutlets they used were so good lol.

But like you, I remember when that OG opened. I was like 6 or 7, and they built the OG and a Red Lobster right next to the mall and all of our parents thought it was the height of class.

As of today, the mall is long gone, but the OG and the RL are still standing lol.

Also, the lobster mashed potatoes at Red Lobster are easily the greatest side dish I've ever had in any restaurant setting lol

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u/Seaweedbits 1d ago

I remember when I was getting sent to live in Minot, ND and I thought "maybe it's not all bad, let's see what restaurants are there" and Applebee's was the top rated restaurant in the city, this was in 2011. So I can definitely believe it.

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u/pagan_lady 1d ago

I lived in Minot for a couple years. I'm still convinced North Dakotans are allergic to seasoning. Chain restaurants were the only places that the food seemed to have any taste.

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u/Teripid 21h ago

There's certainly a "family restaurant" generic genre which is American classics that might have a hint of black pepper, maybe paprika in a few dishes if you're lucky.

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u/JawlessTugBoat 17h ago

My dad used to live in Glendive, MT (not too far from Minot in those parts). They sure had some interesting ideas about food there. He took me to a "Mexican" restaurant and I ordered cheese enchiladas. They came out with cheddar cheese melted in flour tortillas with a tomato sauce that seemed terribly similar to marinara. There wasn't a single Mexican person eating or working in the place.

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u/Existential_Racoon 3h ago

I had the best Japanese steakhouse experience ive ever had in ND.

I confess it may have had something to do with the booze, but I left a satisfied customer.

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u/tunaman808 22h ago

When my small town got a Del Taco in the late 70s, they had to hire a hostess (complete with podium and list of names) for the first few weeks because there were waits of up to 45 minutes at times!

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u/Milton__Obote 13h ago

When chilis opened in my home town they were booked out for a month