There's a wonderful and robust culture of Italian-American restaurants in the U.S., and every state has its own great hole-in-the-wall Italian restaurant. Be that as it may, most Americans' regular interactions with Italian food occur at a mega-chain restaurant.
Some of those nostalgic Italian restaurant chains have faded away, and while the Olive Garden experience continues to delight many who may also be fans of Romano's Macaroni Grill and Buca di Beppo, it hardly provides an authentic, classically Italian dining experience.
