My favorite trade of 2021 was $DRI - Darden Restaurants.

I know it's not the most exciting stock in the world, yet it's given me a great gain and at least on days like today, I'm not crying.

Darden Restaurants is the company that owns the Olive Garden, Longhorn Steakhouse and a few other brands. For what it's worth, I really like the Olive Garden. Basic, good food.

It was the first company I bought in 2021 because I not only liked the brands, but also their potential to do well as a re-opening trade. The stock was trading at around 113-114.

Unfortunately, I'm not sure that the re-opening has really taken place as such. But, all the while DRI has been quietly creeping up. It hit ATH after its last earnings reaching 161. We're back down to 145 today.

I still like the company and while I've thought about selling it a few times, I'm still holding on.