Meaghan Posted October 25, 2005 Share Posted October 25, 2005 (edited) Olives. Because it's fucking horrible. I went there tonight to get out of the rain... I couldn't get a cab and my umbrella was turning inside out. Big mistake. Even the minstrone soup (which oddly had meatballs in it), made the thought of clam chowder at McCormick & Schmick's seem priceless. And for a place that advertises as Mediterranean and has $30 entrees, can't they source bread that has a little less in common with Bounty (The Quilted Quicker Picker-Upper) and some decent OLIVE oil instead of industrial-tasting tapenade? This is very disturbing to me. I spend $50 bucks on rubbish and still couldn't get a fucking cab. (Drinking there is nearly impossible if you're in the mood for something nice, so it's not like I didn't leave sober) Dang! Edited November 28, 2008 by DonRocks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mame11 Posted October 25, 2005 Share Posted October 25, 2005 Olives.Because it's fucking horrible. I went there tonight to get out of the rain... I couldn't get a cab and my umbrella was turning inside out. Big mistake. Even the minstrone soup (which oddly had meatballs in it), made the thought of clam chowder at McCormick & Schmick's seem priceless. I spend $50 bucks on ribbish and still couldn't get a fucking cab. And I'm sober. Dang! I feel your pain. I don't understand this place. The scary thing is that it is John Kerry's favorite place (at least other than Cafe Milano). Hmmm.. Not a fan of Bush but at least he and I share a hankering for good Tex-Mex! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clayrae Posted October 25, 2005 Share Posted October 25, 2005 I haven’t been to Olives in ages, but I remember this being really good: "Little dumplings of goat cheese wrapped in black olive pasta dough with goat cheese cream and roasted yellow tomato ragout" Slightly off topic question. When do "multiple locations" become a "chain"? Not to compare Thomas Keller and Todd English, but Keller has four restaurants. And then there is Jose Andres. Is it a chain if they have the same name? Or does it depend on number of locations? Or? (apologies if this topic has already been discussed elsewhere...) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLK Posted October 25, 2005 Share Posted October 25, 2005 I remember enjoying my two or three meals at the Union Square/NYC location when it first opened - maybe 1999? 2000? - but the one meal I had at the DC spot late this winter or early this spring was really awful, and that the date I was on decended into madness shortly thereafter. The bad kind of madness, I mean. I remember mushy ravioli and a cluttered (rather than crowded) bar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B.A.R. Posted October 25, 2005 Share Posted October 25, 2005 I went once. It blew. If it didn't already have a reputation in other cities it wouldn't ever earn one here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oliveDC Posted October 25, 2005 Share Posted October 25, 2005 Had an unmemorable meal at the DC location a few years back, and a memorably bad meal at the Vegas location last year (for lack of available reservations elsewhere). I remember watching a guy standing at the bar toss his cigarette on the floor and stub it out with his foot. My mouth was hanging open in disbelief. Oh, and the food was mediocre at best. Dry flatbread pizzas and oversauced entrees... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonRocks Posted November 29, 2008 Share Posted November 29, 2008 Like nearly every other restaurant in town, Olives was empty tonight, probably serving less than twenty covers after the happy-hour crowd dimmed away. Kale Soup ($9) was in direct contrast to the techno-drivel of Olive's lounge area: a homey, vegetable-based broth with a few crumbles of lamb merguez and sliced boiled potato. Riding the bowl was a "crouton" that was fully eight-inches in length - it was a giant bruschetta with shaved parmesan on top, and needed to be mashed up into the soup, the broth thickened by the bread and salted by the cheese. This soup, which is something I'd expect to see at C F Folks, went well with a Bittburger German Ale ($6). A half portion of Butternut Squash Tortelli ($10) was four large bow-ties of fresh, barely al dente pasta sheets, the center button containing the squash. Served with brown butter, sage, and shaved parmesan, I wanted to match it with the 2002 Trimbach 'Reserve' Pinot Gris ($12), but they were out of the wine, so I settled for a 2007 Ruffino 'Lumina' Pinot Grigio ($9, on the list as 2006), an inoffensive, dilute, industrial wine that did no harm. Midway through the entree, the basket of bread arrived, with a few pieces of a foccacia-based loaf that were fresh out of the oven, and served with the restaurant's namesake - a trio of black olive paste, green olive paste, and a few fresh olives in the middle. The green olive paste in particular took my attention away from the tortelli, and I wish I'd had this with the kale soup course although the 'crouton' more than served its purpose. I know it would make for better copy if I trashed Olives, but I fairly enjoyed the two dishes I had this evening, and the bartender was friendly and professional. Cheers, Rocks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpschust Posted November 29, 2008 Share Posted November 29, 2008 You're right- it's easy to trash olives, and I'll even say it's fun, but they have a nice wine list and it's good business dinner entertaining. My only issue with it is how darned expensive it tends to be to eat there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Posted November 29, 2008 Share Posted November 29, 2008 Midway through the entree, the basket of bread arrived, with a few pieces of a foccacia-based loaf that were fresh out of the oven, and served with the restaurant's namesake - a trio of black olive paste, green olive paste, and a few fresh olives in the middle. The green olive paste in particular took my attention away from the tortelli, and I wish I'd had this with the kale soup course although the 'crouton' more than served its purpose.I know it would make for better copy if I trashed Olives, but I fairly enjoyed the two dishes I had this evening, and the bartender was friendly and professional. Didn't even realize this thread existed. We've had a few decent meals at Olives when in that area around dinnertime. I especially like the olive pastes with the bread. I had thought this location was closing? Maybe that was bad information. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
synaesthesia Posted November 29, 2008 Share Posted November 29, 2008 Having been there a number of times at the insistence of coworkers, I'D RATHER EAT AT BERTUCCI'S. My strategy of late is to stick to appetizers. I had some sort of sweet pea pasta with mint where the peas seemed a little undercooked. I had a very fishy tasting, prosciutto, fig and some cheese that really didn't go flatbread that I felt guilty about not finishing but ended up throwing away when I took it home. I do like the bread basket though. And I just think there are a few slightly better options around there. And I've heard from coworkers who don't like the DC one that the Boston one is significantly better. Even excellent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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