Olives
I've given Olives 3 tries on prime-time evenings, ordering from the full breadth of the menu. I fault Todd English not for lack of talent, but for inadequate quality control in both food and service. The food often arrives at inappropriate temperatures, the flavors are unbalanced and usually lacking in subtlety, and the presentation offers more bravura than art. The service was frantic yet not prompt, and the wait staff lacks finish. For example, I was served a glass of wine with a great deal of cork in it. The waitress volunteered that fact and offered to replace it, but she shouldn't have brought the glass to the table in the first place in that condition. A good waiter should seem invisible, yet be there with a fresh fork before a dropped one hits the floor. At Olives, the opposite holds. Waiters rush around yet seldom arrive where they are needed when they are needed. Another time, a crab entree involved an elaborate vertical presentation (quintessential "tall food") stacked on a foundation of fried polenta. When served to one friend of mine, the stack fell over. The waiter did not even hesitate to serve it anyway. I suspect even Todd English would have been mortified. This is not to say it's not worth the $60 or so price tag; it's just that there are some better restaurants in that price range and style. Perhaps it is over-rated because it's expensive and hard to get seated. Olives takes reservations only for groups of 6 or more. Smaller parties should arrive 15 minutes to half an hour before opening (5 or 5:30) to join a queue or expect to wait 2 to 4 hours most nights. The atmosphere is lively and casual -- that is Olives' greatest draw for me. Best dish? The olives (of course) and foccaccia served with your meal. People seem to love the duck l'orange, but as duck l'oranges go, Todd English's rendition neither innovates nor dazzles, in my opinion. Well, yes, it does make you go "Oooh!" at first, but then it doesn't quite deliver with any authority. That sums up Olives for me. (6/98)
Mediterranean
Rating:
***
Price Range:
$$$$
10 City Square
Charlestown
(617) 242-1999
