A Cheer for the Old Spaghetti Factory

My deep dark secret is that I truly hate franchised restaurants. Applebee's, Red Robin , Red Lobster and most especially, The Olive Garden are the places I will not eat. I think they give people a false impression of fine dining and what good food should be.
Yet I like The Old Spaghetti Factory. One of the Portland locations is right on the Willamette River and has a wonderful view of the boats and wildlife. I also(gulp) even like the spaghetti with Mizithra Cheese and brown butter, a dish I have not found in any other restaurant. I wonder if any others will admit to such a dark secret.

We had an Old Spaghetti Factory in downtown Cincinnati years ago. (Before the city started the apparent policy of driving out and tearing down any business that appeared remotely successful.) For several years it was the destination of choice for my birthday dinner. (1976 possibly. 1977 for sure.) We stumbled across one on a trip within the last year and I tried to talk to family into dinner there, but I was outvoted. (Louisville? Columbus? Not sure which one.) Next time I'll use the VETO power granted to me as the dad/driver and INSIST!

Is Old Spaghetti Factory still around anywhere? We used to have a good one in Knoxville in the Old City area but it's been closed for probably 10 years. I used to go to one in Cleveland, near The Flats, but not sure if it is still around. That was a good place as well.

Wallyum: the downtown Cincinnati location has reopened at what once was Forest Fair Mall. Wife loves the place...

Mr Chips: OSF is not fast food....so why are you opening this thread in this particular forum?

TJ, i guess I'm making my editorial comment that this forum should be for franchises. I've been reading the posts and I'm not sure which forum should contain this post. I figure it is safer here because I quite honestly do not want a fight about chain vs. Fast food vs. Franchises vs. Roadfood. All I want to do is post about a restaurant I like, a dish I like, and I do not want to hurt anyone's feelings or force anyone to read about something they do not want to read about.

*shrug*

If you let worries of offending people here get to you, you'll probably stop posting altogether....certain posters are quickly offended and quicker to speak harshly to those who give offense. It's almost impossible to avoid completely when one chooses to express an opinion differing from theirs....I liken it to walking through a minefield.

Better to believe in what you write about, and ignore the criticism.

This thread should be in the International forum or in the "where to eat" forum

Thank you ,T.J., for your thoughts.I have posted a lot and have put up with criticism and I am willing to undergo the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune.
AS I interpret Mr. Bilmes and Ms. Boyle, they would like this particuliar forum to be about chains and franchises. I personally believe there will always be a struggle on this issue, Anne Sather"s has multiple locations in Chicago, the Original Pancake House has multiple locations nationally, Rubio"s here in Portland has an article by the Sterns(though it is not a Roadfood review) posted by the counter, not to mention the debates about IN N Out, Waffle House and Howard Johnson's.
I was married to philosophy ph.d who was into language analysis so I grew weary at a fairly early age about language disputes. I just want to post my thoughts, get comment about them, and try to keep my posts about food in the food fora. I appreciate your efforts at clarity and I wish you luck but it is not an issue on which I want to spend a lot of emotional capital. Thanks again for your thoughts.

Understood.

One other matter: I don't think Bruce and Sue are admins of this site, they simply are good friends of the Sterns who have permission to create and post reviews here.

There's still an OSF here in Winnipeg...used to be located right in the middle of what used to be known as "Old Market Square" (now The Exchange District"), now it's located at The Forks, a huge farmer's market/greenspace in the middle of town.

I haven't been since they moved, but I loved the ambience...and the price was always right. Took my no-ex-wife there for one of our first dates. No, I don't think it contributed to the ex-part.

Perhaps the thing I liked most at OSF was that the ambience was nice, the food decent, and the price reasonable. It was a relatively cheap date and it was a nice place. My wife and I still go there on occasion and our son loves the riverfront location(he once saw a beaver swimming in the river while waiting outside for a table) I ate at the one in Seattle and found similiar qualities(this was on another one of my MRDD chaperoning trips).

The Denver OSF is located in a historic building which is quite nice. The spaghetti dishes are terrible. The last time I went there, I ordered the spaghetti with white clam sauce. The consistency and taste were that of a box of Tuna Helper made with cheap, smelly tuna. It was gross. I do, however, love their bread with the garlic butter. Their salads are decent as well. The only reason I foresee going again is the same reason I went last time, and that was to appease our friend's children. It is always a hit with kids.

Ate at an OSF in downtown Nashville last year. It was OK. I did like the burnt butter spaghetti. I like Olive Garden though I don't get anything there w/red sause. I always order their Chicken Marsala. I have never gotten a bad order of this and it comes w/the best crispy pan fried potatoes and I am addicted to their salad.

Mr. Chips - OSF is alive and well in the San Diego area. I've also been to locations in Orange County and northern Calif (but I forget exactly where). I usually order mine 1/2 and 1/2 with the Mizithra and clam sauce. Their creamy pesto dressing is also not found elsewhere (that I've found).
I especially like the "all-in-one" pricing. Makes a big difference when you don't pay extra for drinks and spumoni x4.
We don't go as often as we used to because I've recently been able to get Mizithra cheese in my local grocery stores. So, we now do it at home, too! That's good, cuz I get it more often. Now I just need the creamy pesto dressing.
Of course, at home, we don't get to dine in the old trolley car...

The all in one price at OSF in Cincinnati does NOT include drinks, but does include salad and spumoni

The OSF in Potland includes coffee, tea or milk with dinner but charges extra for soda.

I think the only drinks the San Marcos OSF charges for are Italian Creme Sodas (and of course, the alcoholic ones).

I have to admit I love the OSF... They had one in Concord, CA when I lived there and then I found one in Phoenix, AZ... I always order the spaghetti with browned butter and mizithra cheese... as I have never seen that anywhere else...

after reading this post yesterday I was craving it but wasn't going to drive 25 minutes away for dinner after a long day... so I cheated :)

I found Myzithra (it's spelled properly that way apparently) cheese at Sprout's (local farmer's market/organic food store), shredded it, and made some noodles and pan melted some butter tossed em all together and VOILA! Dinner in 15 minutes that rivaled OSF ... now I doubt I'll go back there knowing it's not that hard to find (the cheese was pricier then parmesan which may explain why a lot of restaurants don't use it)- as that was the only real reason I would go there...

however, my son did love sitting in the train thing they have there... ::shrugs shoulders::

I thought most, if not all, of the OSF's had closed until I read this thread, and then I drove by one in Atlanta last week.

The OSF in Cincinnati was only recently built, cp, and it is nearly always crowded.

There is one in Duarte, California. The ambieance is great because it's in a victorian 19th century schoolhouse.

The food however is crap (well totally unremarkable) and the portions were measely. If I wanted to waste my money, I would have gone to Olive Garden.

The only chain Italian food I would consider is Macaroni Grill. The name is stupid, but the food is top-notch.

You ever try Buca di Beppo catracks?

Wow, I didn't know that the Old Spaghetti Factory was a chain. I thought that it was just one of Toronto's legendary restaurants.

There's been an Old Spaghetti Factory in Columbus for many years. I've never been there, though.

I'm curious to know about that mizithra cheese--is it like parmesan?

Got trapped into going on a school outing w/ my twelvee year old. Place sucks and even the twelve year olds thought so.

There was a Old Spaghetti Company in Knoxville several years ago. It was located in the old city which is a neat place. It did not make it. I tried it once and I was not pleased. I did not return.

http://www.osf.com/

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

quote:

Originally posted by sugarlander

I'm curious to know about that mizithra cheese--is it like parmesan?

Mizithra cheese is crumbly,a little tangy. It is a type of goat cheese. I believe it is Greek.

quote:

Originally posted by Michael Hoffman

There's been an Old Spaghetti Factory in Columbus for many years. I've never been there, though.

Actually the one in Columbus across from Vets Memorial is a Spaghetti Warehouse. Still a chain but a different one than OSF. I'm sure they are very similar. I've been there a couple of times but not for about 4 or 5 years. It must not have been great becasue I can't even remember what I had.

quote:

Originally posted by hatteras04

quote:

Originally posted by Michael Hoffman

There's been an Old Spaghetti Factory in Columbus for many years. I've never been there, though.

Actually the one in Columbus across from Vets Memorial is a Spaghetti Warehouse. Still a chain but a different one than OSF. I'm sure they are very similar. I've been there a couple of times but not for about 4 or 5 years. It must not have been great becasue I can't even remember what I had.

You are correct. It is, indeed, the Spaghetti Warehouse. A completely different chain. I've never been there. My wife was there once with a group and she said it was pretty terrible. That was at least 20 years ago.

Since I am told by folks Older and Wiser than I, that confession is good for the Soul. Here is the truth.
The Indianapolis Old Spagetti Factory is the only restaurant in the western world that has had the honor to ask me to leave, before serving me...and then escorted me OUT.
The year was1983, we had worked in a closed committee room all day then shared a 2 hour open bar (to let off a bit of steam we were told)before heading downtown to 'enjoy' a meal on the State of Indiana. Well, the 'Happy Hour' made me V E R Y HAPPY! I was quite insistent that I wanted a steak for my dinner. OSF did not offer beef on their menu in a manner that could be loosely described as a Steak. I protested LOUD and LONG while my associates sampled their little "Foo-Foo Appetizers" and ordered their pasta entrees. One other person, in worse condition than I, passed out , face-first into her dish of whatever the hell it was, and I protested that she was not be treated with respect by the help and had been stripped of her utensils. The management decided that I was an undesireable customer at that point and escorted me to the door. The two of us... Me hungry, and angry, and quite VOCAL, and she green around the edges, and covered with marinara sauce from forehead to "chest" took a cab back to the hotel. No one in the group (about 25people) ever mentioned a word about the whole incident after that.
I have never made an attempt to gain entry to another OSF since that time.

Thank You, I do feel better now.