This month, the Ladies of Lunch took on the Olympic Cafe in Bradenton. Kim picked me up so we could carpool and together we waved to The Hungry Parrot, the scene of our first lunch review, and soon arrived at the Greek-style restaurant.
We got there before Rachel so we took a seat in the booth the waitress directed us towards. As we waited, Kim made a comment about something she noticed right away.
"There seems to be a lot of locals in here. I really like seeing how the staff and the customers interact--with a lot of warmth and recognition."
I saw immediately what she meant. The restaurant was already buzzing with people that waved when they entered and shouted greetings to their favorite waitress. It brought a level of warmth and familiarity to the atmosphere, even though it was our first time being there. We also looked around at the decor and were impressed by the small details of pictures and knick-knacks on the walls and shelves. I especially liked the faux stained glass ceiling in the dining room that brought some visual interest and drama to the room.
Soon Rachel joined us. She had been here before so we immediately began asking her what was good. In no time she quickly replied, "the coleslaw," but after we placed our orders and got our food, we all discovered a few other hidden gems.
To start, Kim ordered some stuffed grape leaves for us to share. I have had stuffed grape leaves at other Greek restaurants in the past and found them to be just ok. But these were surprisingly delicious. Stuffed with a mixture of pork and rice and then covered in a rich buttery lemon sauce, we all agreed on the tastiness of them. "They taste authentic," Rachel said.
The friendly waitress also dropped off some pita bread for us to share, which was airy and chewy. "Not bad," we said.
For our entrees, Kim ordered Greek chicken with rice pilaf and peas. She mentioned how the chicken was a little dry and after we all took a bite, we knew she was right. However, we also all tried her rice and peas.
"Wow, I think I like these sides more than the actual chicken," Kim said. She passed it around for us to sample and we agreed. The rice and peas were tender and moist, not processed or flavorless.
Rachel ordered a BLT with fries and the cole slaw, which again, she deemed "yummy." As for the rest of her sandwich, Rachel said, "I was glad that they had so many bread options, such as marble rye or pita. But the BLT as it was tasted good; the tomatoes were fresh and the fries were perfection."
As for me, I asked the waitress what their best or most requested dish was. "Probably any of our Greek specialties, like the moussaka or the gyros." I've had both of these dishes before so I really wanted to try something different. I caught my eye on a dish called pastichio, which is supposed to resemble moussaka in that its a baked dish with meat sauce and pasta, covered in a béchamel sauce.
When it arrived, I took a bite and then offered tastes to the girls. I enjoyed the spices in the meat and tomato sauce and the tubular pasta was nicely dense and toothsome. My only critique was the heavy béchamel sauce, which sat in a thick layer over the pasta and sauce. I wished it had been a smaller amount and with a toastier quality. Still, it was very good and if I had had the appetite of a lumberjack, I might've been able to polish it off. The girls tried it and enjoyed it as well, though they agreed on the heavy-handedness of the sauce.
Because we were also celebrating Rachel's birthday, we opted for a little dessert as well. She looked over the selections turning slowly in the cylindrical display case and chose the chocolate mousse cake. Her opinion? "More please!"
As we continued to pick at our leftovers and sip our drinks, we had a quick decision about changing our rating procedure from a 1 to 5 rating to a 1 to 10, so let's see how the Olympic Cafe measured up:
MENU OPTIONS:
8
TASTE:
7.3
LOCATION:
6
PRESENTATION:
5
CLEANLINESS:
5
SERVICE:
7.6
DECOR:
7.3
ATMOSPHERE:
7.6
Delivery? No
Carry-Out? Yes (including a Drive-Thru)
Outdoor Seating? No
Wifi? Yes
Pet-Friendly? No
Refer a Friend? Kim- No, Rachel- Yes, Kris- Maybe.
Final Thoughts-
Kim: I really liked watching the waitstaff and patrons greet each other. There really seems to be a hometown feel to this place, like the people that come here have been coming for years. As for the food, I loved the stuffed grape leaves and the rice pilaf and peas were really good. I just wished the chicken wasn't so dry.
Rachel: This is a real diner-style Greek cafe. It's the kind of place where everyone knows your name. I've been here before and in addition to their coleslaw, I would recommend the chicken parmesan. It's amazing. But I was happy to discover the grape leaves. They were excellent and tasted fresh.
Kris: I have tried Greek food and it never really grabbed me before. But I enjoyed the grape leaves so much, I would order them again. As for my main dish, although it was a little on the rich and heavy side, it was still pretty good. If I find myself over this way again, I'd like to try their other popular Greek dishes.
