Friday night, The CEO wanted to take me out for dinner. So we set out down 3rd avenue in Bay Ridge to find a tasty place to eat. As we were walking, we ran into our friend Ana in the street. Since that seemed like fate and I haven't done a review of this, my FAVE place in Brooklyn, we figured it was time to go in and have some dinner.
Olla Restaurant and Wine Bar in Bay Ridge is a true culinary gem. The restaurant is owned by friends of The CEO and I, Ana and Gianluca. However, we met them only AFTER we became patrons of Olla and we always pay for our own meals. So this review is 100% my opinion.
I love the ambiance at Olla. It is dimly lit and furnished in dark wood. The CEO and I prefer the far corner. We can talk there and I can attest that some of our most wonderful memories as a couple have occured at this table.
We started with an appetizer, the caprese. Olla makes its crema de balsamico in house and it is so good. I haven't this stuff quite like this since wandering through Italy with my mother. So its a pleasure to enjoy. The mozzarella is fresh and the tomatoes and basil always great. Here's a pic. Notice we dove in so fast that some of it is missing. We were hungry.
We followed our appetizer up with some excellent menu items. The CEO almost always orders their hangar steak but he was intrigued by the special, which was duck with a casis sauce, potatoes au gratin and asparagus. The CEO isn't normally into potatoes but he LOVES duck, so he went for it. Here is his dish.
The potatoes weren't what he was expecting. I. having been reading Mastering the Art of French Cooking, was unsurprised. He made me taste them and, I confess, they were awesome. He cleaned his plate so something was obviously right.
I had my old stand by, Handmade papparadelle pasta with mushroom sauce. This is, by far, the best pasta I've ever eaten and I eat it again and again and again. It looks like this:
Not pictured is the tiramisu The CEO had for dessert (one of his favorites).
We love Olla. Honestly, if you ever find yourself in Brooklyn, I enocurage you to go past Williamsburg, Park Slope, and Brooklyn Heights and to Bay Ridge. It doesn't have Brooklyn's restaurant row for no reason. The people who own the eateries are almost always on hand to make sure you enjoy, you'll often have a chance to chat with the chef, and sometimes you even make friends. The CEO and I have made many friends at Olla.
Go there, New Yorkers (and visitors), tell them Erin sent you.
NoM!
~ EK
Next Up: Chance in Carroll Gardens
Olla Restaurant and Wine Bar in Bay Ridge is a true culinary gem. The restaurant is owned by friends of The CEO and I, Ana and Gianluca. However, we met them only AFTER we became patrons of Olla and we always pay for our own meals. So this review is 100% my opinion.
I love the ambiance at Olla. It is dimly lit and furnished in dark wood. The CEO and I prefer the far corner. We can talk there and I can attest that some of our most wonderful memories as a couple have occured at this table.
We started with an appetizer, the caprese. Olla makes its crema de balsamico in house and it is so good. I haven't this stuff quite like this since wandering through Italy with my mother. So its a pleasure to enjoy. The mozzarella is fresh and the tomatoes and basil always great. Here's a pic. Notice we dove in so fast that some of it is missing. We were hungry.
 |
| Notice the aforementioned crema on the plate...that stuff is cash |
 |
| Nom! |
I had my old stand by, Handmade papparadelle pasta with mushroom sauce. This is, by far, the best pasta I've ever eaten and I eat it again and again and again. It looks like this:
 |
| The picture doesn't quite do it justice, this is just a delightful dish. |
Not pictured is the tiramisu The CEO had for dessert (one of his favorites).
We love Olla. Honestly, if you ever find yourself in Brooklyn, I enocurage you to go past Williamsburg, Park Slope, and Brooklyn Heights and to Bay Ridge. It doesn't have Brooklyn's restaurant row for no reason. The people who own the eateries are almost always on hand to make sure you enjoy, you'll often have a chance to chat with the chef, and sometimes you even make friends. The CEO and I have made many friends at Olla.
Go there, New Yorkers (and visitors), tell them Erin sent you.
NoM!
~ EK
Next Up: Chance in Carroll Gardens
I am going to share this post with my friends in NYC... I will bet they go soon! Homemade pasta is a favorite of mine (as you will see this weekend) and I just found a source for crema di balsamica here in the desert. So excited! ~ David
ReplyDelete