Olives

My mom offered to take Kay and I out to dinner this weekend. We headed to some Italian joint and were told it would be about a 45 minute wait. So I told the hostess that my friend Ulysses S. Grant was hungry and it appeared that there was an empty table that he could sit at. (Insert Kay: For anyone who trying to figure out what the hell Jay is talking about, he meant that he tried to slip the hostess a $50. This is so entirely untrue because Jay is way cheap and totally NOT that slick) OK, that's the conversation that took place in my head, what actually was said was "okay, maybe next time". So, Kay suggested that we head over to Olives instead. 

When we entered, the first thing I noticed was the artwork painted on the walls. I must say, I didn't really admire the art, and was afraid our meals would be equally unappealing. (Insert Kay: I don't mind the art. Except the art in the women's bathroom. There is a mural of rose petals, and some of the petals look disturbing close to certain female body part. Seriously. Take a look when you go there and tell me if I'm wrong.) We were quickly seated (I think the hostess heard my conversation mentioned earlier with Grant) (Insert Kay: Lame. So lame.) as the restaurant was not quite full. Upon being seated, I thought to myself that this place should serve olives instead of bread at the start of the meal. And sure as shit, 2 minutes later a plate of 4 olives hits the table. Bam.

Kay ordered Sacchetti al Formaggio al… some shit I can't pronounce (Insert Kay: Sacchetti al Formaggio e Pere…pasta stuffed with pear, ricotta, taleggio sauce, and walnuts…um, YUM!) and I ordered Chicken Marsala. While waiting for our meals, we enjoyed some bread and a few olives. Unfortunately, our meals took a while to arrive........a while to arrive......a while to arrive. At least my water was constantly refilled without having to ask. When our meals finally arrived, I must say I was pleased...at least the wait was worth it. My Marsala was a rich sweet sauce that I enjoyed. Kay lost focus and I grabbed one of her whatever you call them (gnocchi?) and found it to be enjoyable as well.  Both our meals were $15-$16 and for the amount of food and flavor we got, I would say it was worth it (better than the bullshit you get at Carrabba's). On a side note, for those of you who go to Carrabba's, you are missing out on local restaurant's that offer much better food. Carrabba's is for pods (what's a pod? An asshole). 

Back to our meal. Kay was so pleased with her meal that she ordered a cannoli for dessert. I've never been a fan of cannoli's but they were on par with others I've had. I held out for a double scoop at Frederick Fudge & Ice Cream Company. Check them out if you get a chance. The ice cream is awesome even though they don't make it (Hershey's). (Insert Kay: And best old fashioned hot fudge sundae in Frederick...holy crap. mouth watering now.)

So what is our rating of Olives? I'd say that considering we took my mom there, I'd give it a "Good enough to take your parents to". Since my mom picked up the check, I would definitely go back as long as my mom goes. The only complaint that I would give is the amount of time we waited for our meals to arrive and for our check to arrive. The restaurant wasn't packed and they should have been quicker with the service. Kay wasn't able to finish her meal so she brought it home. Her dumbass went out of town for the remainder of the weekend and made the mistake of leaving the leftovers in our fridge. She doesn't know it yet but I destroyed it today for lunch.....bitches. (Insert Kay: Busted. You suck, Jay.)

(Insert Kay: On a side note, while this was my first time there for dinner,  I've been to Olives several times for lunch. I highly recommend getting their pear & walnut panini. It. is. so. good. I've actually had dreams about eating it! Also, their pizzas are pretty good too!)

il Porto

I gave Kay the night off so I'll give the report on il Porto.  My gift of gab is not quite as versed as Kay so bear with me (she'll be making edits anyway). A few days prior to our actual visit, we drove by the restaurant, as we often have, and Kay said we should try it one night. Well, after discussing several choices of dining establishments, (by "discuss" I mean "argue") I tossed out the idea of il Porto. (Insert Kay: Um, I actually think it was I who tossed out the name, just sayin') We looked up their menu online and it seemed reasonable so we figured we'd give it a shot. 

We headed to downtown Frederick on a seemingly normal Friday night. Finding a spot to park took no time, what did take time was having to wait for Kay to change her purse over. We were just going to eat then go home so I don't get the idea of changing over your purse but I digress. (Insert Kay: Ladies, I know you understand...wanted to change to an "evening purse") We entered il Porto and were instantly greeted and seated by the host. The restaurant was about 50% full and had a nice vibe. We both liked the tall ceilings and got a good seat by the window.

The waiter came over within minutes to take our drink order. Kay went with an amaretto sour (high roller!) and I went with a trusty water.  The menu was straight forward, Italian.  I had a tough time deciding between Chicken Marsala and Manicotti.  Traditional Italian fare (what I classify as any noodle with sauce) is always too small of a portion for me. I'm not a large fella but I have a large appetite. Chicken Marsala is a favorite of Kay's and I knew it would be a tough feat talking her out of ordering it.  So I went with the Chicken Marsala along with a side house salad and after a lot of quick talking (I had to offer up a few bites), Kay went with Roasted Chicken. 

Dinner came out in a timely fashion along with refills (note: without having to ask!). The Roasted Chicken was enough food for two adults and a fat baby. (Insert Kay: It was literally the size of my head!)  The Marsala was served with a side of linguine with marinara sauce. I dropped the ball here when ordering, I should have asked the waiter to put the marsala sauce on the linguine and skip the marinara.  I did make a good choice by adding the salad though as the Chicken Marsala would not have been a large enough portion for me. Kay's roasted chicken came with some potatoes, but she wished there had been some type of green veggie to accompany it. 

All in all, this was a good choice for dinner.  The wait staff was on point with refills and checking in on us. We weren't blown away with the food but for the price it was a good deal.  Our waiter was very polite and knowledgeable.  We'd give it a "Good Enough to Take Your Parents To" rating and we'll most likely go back. The only complaint was the tacky neon "open" sign on the window directly at our table. This joint is too classy for a neon sign but I understand the need as they are in a low foot traffic area.  I'd put it higher on the window out of sight for patrons.