Did he have Grilled Pork Veneto? The coating probably had red wine and a sweet Balsamic vinegar, possibly with some rosemary or other herbs. Personally, I do not put much on pork when I cook it, and when I do, I more often make it Chinese style instead of Italian. I'll look in my Italian cookbooks when I get home, however.

Lars

Do you have the name of the dish?

Elery's daughter works at Olive Garden and says everything comes prepared, they don't make it on-site, but she could probably look at ingredient labels if you know the name of it.

Annie

Hard to tell from description if it is a chop, loin or roast, 'pulled' pork.

The most flavorful is a slow roast, boneless shoulder or butt, often called 'fresh ham', (not the salty smoked spiral).

Really good in a slow cooker or in a heavy lidded roaster in the oven.
You could google a few style recipes. For example...
-Marcella Hazan roast pork
-Cuban roast pulled pork
Any of those recipes you could add a whole chopped spanish onion, a cup or two of fruit juice, (i've used apple, pomegranite, cranberry) and a can of tomatoes.
I use fresh-frozen toms from my garden but canned is fine.

A big pork roast is much cheaper than loin and pull apart tender. Great
leftovers. Makes a good southern pulled pork sandwich the next day with your favorite bbq sauce.

The Olive garden website has a menu and recipe section do you know the name of the dish he ordered?

http://www.olivegarden.com/Recipes/Main-Dishes

Thanks Everyone,

Lars, he brought some of it home. It was just um...probably one bite sized for a man and 2 bite sized for a woman.
It was very tender. My son said it was listed on the menu as pork & ravioli.

He said the ravioli was ok, but the pork was AWESOME! i tasted it and I agree! I'll ask him when he gets home if that was the name of it.

Annie, Tell your daughter thanks and if he knows the name of the dish I'll let you know.

Sleevendog, I don't cook pork much. Just chops. Not sure what cut it was, just nice sized tender chunks. Thanks for the suggestion. I'll be googling.

Lisa, Thanks! I'll check that site right now!

Thanks again all,
Betty

The link I posted did not work - this one should link to pork with the description "Tender boneless pork ribs topped with a sweet red wine glaze, served with tomato and mozzarella ravioli topped with roasted garlic tomato sauce and alfredo." It is the only pork I've seen on the OG menu, and it is served with ravioli. Still, it does not give you much information, other than it has a sweet red wine glaze, which I would make with red wine and a sweet balsamic vinegar. For wine, I would use Chianti, as it does not have an overpowering flavor.

Lars

If it was the Pork Venuto as Lars suggests - that is a fairly new item on the menu and most likely no copy cat recipe to be had yet.....

Here is the menu description. Boneless pork ribs would explain the tenderness.

Grilled Pork Veneto
Tender boneless pork ribs topped with a sweet
red wine glaze, served with tomato and mozzarella
ravioli topped with roasted garlic tomato sauce and
alfredo.

Your son thought he tasted a hint of brown sugar? If you Google red wine brown sugar glaze (or reduction) there are quite a few recipes to pick from.

Good luck! I think your son needs to take you to dinner so you can get a better idea of what you are looking to re-create!

Teresa

Thanks Lars. Would Marsala work? I already have that.

Teresa, I thought I tasted a hint of brown sugar. Son only tasted GOOD! lol

This is going to be a fun project!
Betty

Marsala would be tasty - however, I'm not sure if it would be replicating the OG pork dish. I would think the OG menu would say Marsala if it was in the dish because it does have a distinctive taste.

What the heck. Why don't you make two glazes - one with a red wine and one with Marsala! You are right. This could be a fun project! I'm sure your son won't mind "helping" you out with the tasting. :-)

Here is a link to a recipe emailed to me from Cindy - with the note "Lars may be on to something."

It uses red wine and sweet balsamic vinegar. After reading the recipe and this thread I am starting to think I should make this. :-)

Here is a link that might be useful: Veneto Chicken

Annie, I think it is going to be the Grilled Pork Veneto. After some online searching and finding pictures, Lars is spot-on.

sleevendog, I was searching for recipes before I came here for help (should have come straight here!) and was thinking about using a sweet fruit juice with a touch of brown sugar.

Lars, Man! you're good! I'll stop by the store for the chianti on the way home from work in the morning.

Teresa, You're right. I'll stick to the "recipe" the first time, and experiment later.

So... maybe marinate the meat in wine/balsamic vinegar + herbs (we could see bits of finely chopped parsley?) for a couple of hours, grill, then make a reduction for the sauce?

Remember, I'm the one who is allergic to onions & garlic. If I make this - I'M EATING THIS! Gosh, it was good! I didn't have an allergic reaction, so there were no onions/garlic in it.

Thanks, Betty