Sometimes, the best part of eating at a restaurant is figuring out what's off-menu. There's something invigorating (and, of course, delicious) about finding In-N-Out's secret "wish burger," for example — some secrets only travel through word of mouth, and in order to truly enjoy them, you simply have to be in-the-know. At Olive Garden, the menu is designed to take you on a tour through some tasty Italian classics (even if it's sauce-on-top serving style is a no-no in Italy ).
Still, there's some wiggle room you may not have discovered yet. Terrence Tookes, executive chef for Olive Garden, recommends taking advantage of two never-ending sections on the menu: Create Your Own Pasta (which also happens to be never-ending if you're eating at the restaurant) and unlimited dipping sauce options. You can create the bowl of your choice by selecting a pasta (rigatoni, cavatappi, angel hair, spaghetti, or gluten-free rotini), a freshly prepared sauce (traditional marinara, five cheese marinara, meat sauce, or creamy mushroom), and toppings (meatballs, Italian sausage, grilled chicken, crispy chicken fritta, or sautéed shrimp).
Here's where the hack comes in for that creamy, meaty sauce. Order a side of unlimited creamy Alfredo dipping sauce and add it to your pasta bowl. "Keep ordering your dipping sauce, and use that as your pasta sauce," Tookes told Daily Meal.
"You can take sauce from one item and put it with something else, and you've created a whole other menu item." Craveabili.
