Desperation and free dessert

The first meal after a long day of traveling is usually satisfying no matter what it is.

That is probably why, I did not mind eating at The Old Spaghetti Factory my first night in Louisville, Ky. Now, the food wasn't bad or anything, but rarely will you find me eating at a chain restaurant. Plus, I was with a group of half-starved journalism students, so I definitely was not about to complain about it.

First, we tried cheese garlic bread and artichoke and spinach "dip". The garlic bread was good, but you can't really mess that up. The "dip", on the other hand, was a big disappointment.

I love artichoke and spinach dip, when it is done right and is gooey and cheesy. This, however, was like soup. Chunks of artichoke, spinach, and, oddly, shrimp drowning in a watery cheese sauce is not exactly appetizing.

The salad was also mediocre. I regretted not getting the Caesar once I saw that it had tomatoes on it and the house salad didn't. This place was getting stranger by the minute.

For my main course I had a sampler of four pasta sauces served with spaghetti called "Pot Pourri": marinara, clam, meat and their signature sauce Mizithra (a Greek take on macaroni and cheese).

All were edible, besides the clam sauce. I love clams and seafood pasta, but the clam sauce was just too fishy tasting. Something really has to be bad if I won't eat it. Like I said, the three other sauces were OK, but nothing special. I, sadly, would have rather eaten pasta at Olive Garden.

The best part of the meal, in typical fashion, was the dessert. And it was free. The complimentary treat was a scoop of Spumoni flavored ice cream, which is a combination of cherry, chocolate and pistachio flavors. I have always liked Spumoni, so I was happy.

All in all, the meal was pretty average, and what one would expect from a chain. I wouldn't recommend The Old Spaghetti Factory to anyone, but I also wouldn't completely dismiss it.