Perhaps I've outgrown the allure of East Side Mario's -- back in my retail days, my friend would meet me here (at the same Heartland location) for calamari and beer on Friday nights -- or I've been eating much tastier (and authentic) Italian food at other restaurants, but I was extremely disappointed with the selection and quality of food...not to mention how overpriced it was given the quality.
It didn't help that I felt ill immediately after I ate -- my stomach literally ached -- and I got the runs ...it was as if my body was purging the food I had just consumed (my apologies for TMI).
The all-you-can-eat garden salad was overdressed with sour dressing and had a bunch of spoiled lettuce bits and dry carrots.
My dessert (doughnuts with tiramisu cream) was so greasy and tasted of old/overused oil + the tiramisu cream didn't taste anything like tiramisu ...it was more of a sweet lard. I ate only one of the three donuts.
My friend ordered the peanut butter stack; it was so sweet and the brownie was so dry that she only had one forkful. I tried a sliver of the peanut butter stack and the only layer that was worth eating was the top layer which consisted of chocolate and peanuts.
I will not eat here again.