For A Fancy Seafood Experience, Try This Olive Garden Sister Chain

One secret about Olive Garden restaurants? They belong to a parent company called Darden, which also owns Ruth's Chris Steak House (which makes its steaks melt in your mouth) and several other eateries you've probably heard of ... including an exceptional luxury seafood brand called Eddie V's. Say what you will about chains, but some companies manage to maintain quality and consistency across locations, and it seems that Eddie V's may be one such rara avis.

Eddie V's was founded in 2000 by Guy Villavaso and Larry Foles. It was acquired by Darden in 2011, at which point it had eight locations. As of this writing, there are 31 outlets around the United States. Notably, each location has a unique theme, often with live music in the lounge area.

Many customers can't stop raving about their high-end visits to Eddie V's. From Yelp: "My husband and I visit the Eddie V's in Scottsdale [...] The Ahi dinner was the BEST I ever had and if I could leave ten stars I would. The only thing better than the Ahi was the wonderful service from our bartender Stephen. He made our evening even better and it was already pretty good." 

Great service and sinfully delicious seafood seem to be themes in reviews, as seen on TripAdvisor: "I frequent Eddie Vs all over the country for business and leisure travel and no matter the location, the food never disappoints. Staff is always attentive and welcoming. The Hong Kong style Chilean Sea Bass and Crab Fried rice are my go to all time favorites." Other reviews wrote that locations all have unique feels, but present consistently good food and attentive service.

One thing is for sure: when you're a guest of Eddie V's, the aim is your delight. The restaurant states that it takes in daily deliveries of fresh fish, including high-quality swordfish and yellowfin tuna, as well as hand-cut and aged USDA Prime steaks. Its website even goes so far as to claim that the goal is for you to enjoy the finest meal you've ever had, which is a lofty aspiration indeed!

You might have already gleaned the fact that the Eddie V's menu is long on both beef and seafood specialties. As is the case at many high-end restaurants, entrées and sides are served separately. You can choose from mouthwatering seafood, like ahi tuna, sole crusted in parmesan and breadcrumbs, or Chilean sea bass. On the other hand, you could opt for "turf" options like a buttery filet ... or have the best of both worlds when you top it with a South African lobster tail. 

Choose your accompaniments, like truffle mac and cheese, whipped potatoes (with or without buttery lobster), or the lump crab fried rice that earned a shoutout in the glowing review above. There are some things you should think twice before ordering at seafood restaurants, but, going by the many happy customers, none of those cautions seem to apply at Eddie V's. Reviews mention the choices available for raw oysters, which, anecdotally, may be a dollar cheaper when purchased à la carte during happy hour.