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We came out for a little celebration a couple nights ago and hit the early "Power Hour" for oysters, olives and $2 Peroni beer. The oyster deal is really worth it, at a buck an oyster and completely top quality and delicious. The olives were Sicilian with olive oil drizzled over them and little chili flakes for flavor in a huge bowl, there must have been 40 of them in there, we couldn't finish them.
After the appetizers we chose the Bigoli for a main plate. It was tasty, but much different than I expected. The dish had thick Udon noodles with a heavy anchovy/chili flake puree oil.
I like the kitchen set up being in the open, it is like watching live theater as they prepare your food. The bartender Gavan was outgoing and offered us drink pairings for our different dishes. The other wait staff was friendly and not pesky (like asking you how your food is while you have a mouthful).
I found a Belgian beer that I really enjoyed called Blanche de Bruxelles. It was aromatic and flowery tasting wheat beer that really stood out.
I will definiatly be back, and bringing friends.
Check out their online reservation tool provided by Open Table.
I wrote this review a week ago, and wasn't sure if to go ahead with publishing it or not. But these kind of things have to be said, because Seattleites are very generous when it comes to patronizing restaurants...and we deserve the best service.
Last week, a group of my friends and I experienced what was maybe the worst service I have endured my entire time in Seattle. I still can't believe that this happened at Anchovies & Olives. I just can't.
Anchovies & Olives did something that, in my opinion, is unforgivable. They have phenomenal food. Great food always has to be paired with service that is as good or even better, especially if a restaurant claims to be an active part of the fine dining scene in a city.
Our experience at a glance:
We were four ladies and two gentlemen. We were all were nicely dressed, and were kind and warm to the staff when we came in.
The first thing we saw after entering the place, was a pile of boxes of Mama's Pizza ON the kitchen counter where the food for patrons is cooked. One of the chefs was leaning on the counter, chewing on pizza with his mouth open.
"Hello!" we all said, at unison.
No response from this chef or the others, all eating pizza as well. The looks we got were very questionable. I felt we were bothering them and they wanted us to turn around and leave.
I looked into the eyes of the head chef (some one later told me that he was the head chef). He looked back at me with a "high-and-mighty" attitude, slowly chewing his pizza, mouth open wide. I smiled to him, because I usually apply the principle "if you get thrown soil, throw back roses".
Nothing happened. It was awkward. These people were rude.
If it hadn't been pouring down outside, we would've left.
Our server wasn't exactly a doll either. She was obviously having a rough night. Still, I don't treat my clients with disdain when I'm having a bad day. Why? Because they made a point in choosing ME, and they are paying me for a service that has to be topnotch (especially if you work on a competitive area).
We were told they were out of several kinds of oysters (by 10pm, when their Power Hour begins). We ordered several of those available and an order of Fish & Chips. The server comes back telling us they are out of Fish & Chips, one of the main offers for the Power Hour.
¿¿¿¿????
Then she comes back again saying we were lucky, as we got the last order of Fish & Chips.
¡¡¡¡!!!!
As said before, the food was fantastic. The oysters were fresh, not too briny and silky. I particularly liked the Kumoto, and between the pickled beets, the horseradish and the apple compote/pickled complements that came with the oysters, my favorite was the pickled beets.
I thought the interpretation of Fish & Chips they serve is interesting, but for those that like sardines. Entire sardines come slightly breaded; basket chips are accompanied by a delicate tartar sauce that was excellent.
The place is beautiful; they were playing Marvin Gaye. Everything was in place to make this light dinner a wonderful experience. But it wasn't.
None of these helped us overcome the unpleasant experience of being treated with such disdain, in an unforgivable "look-down-on-us" way.
As soon as we ate and the rain let up, we got our check and left.
I will never return to this place or go to any of this restaurant group's establishments. If we got treated this way at Anchovies & Olives, I have no hopes for its sister restaurants to be better. I am glad this didn't happen with any of my out-of-town guests. It would have been most embarrassing.
I am so looking forward when the era of the "diva-chefs" is over.
¡No más!
Power Hour FTW!!!!
Hey- who doesn't love a dozen oysters for $12???
Well, maybe the people that don't love oysters. But for those of us that do.... I'd much rather pay $12 for them than $36 (at the regular $3 price)!
This place... I was a little surprised when I first arrived. I expected it to be more on the upscale side, but I was thinking more quaint and hidden and less.... modern and visible. That's nothing bad... it just wasn't what I was expecting!
So the bar... the bar had space for about 7-8 people, so our group size (four) worked out perfectly (because we arrived when they had just opened).The bartender kept our water glasses full the entire time and took the time to explain how they work when we got confused about what was whose when it arrived. Turns out that they expect groups to eat family style, and are not expecting people to be ordering for themselves as individuals. So.. basically.. you're likely to end up with your oysters on the same tray as your friends, and they won't know who from the group they belong to (without looking at the orders). That was.... well, it would work in that circumstance. In our circumstance it was a little confusing.
In ANY case... the reason we were there were the oysters. They are served on ice, and while that was fine... I personally prefer that to not be the case. Some of them were a bit too cold for my taste when I got to trying them.
I do like that they put a different garnish on every oyster, however, because that makes it very easy to distinguish which is which. For the most part I thought they were good but not blow-my-mind amazing. Whether I liked the one that came with pickled beets varied depending on which oyster I ate. My favorites were the one with the horseradish and the one with the oil+lemon. I didn't really like the ones with the spicy apple something.
The oysters took a long time to arrive and the hour flew by fast, but I managed to get a second order in.... and that time I went with just my favorites (instead of a few of each). I loved that plate a lot more than the first.
Lesson one: When going to an Oyster Hour, get ONE of each... choose my favorites... and order more of those.
Lesson two: Look into what other oyster deals are happening around Sea-Town. I love oyster deals!!
Notes: The Oyster Power Hour runs 5-6pm and 10-12pm. The deals they offer are $1 oysters, $2 Peroni beer, and $5 glasses of Prosecco. The late-night one also has a special on fish & chips ($7 or $8). The rest of the menu items stay at their regular prices.
Enjoy!!
I went to Oyster Power Hour with some fellow Yelpers today. Yummy.
I tried four different kinds of oysters: kumamoto, shigoku, and 2 other types. Obviously my two favorites were kumamoto and shigoku. And for a buck a piece, what more can you ask for??
Interior was nice, plain and simple. The bar area was kind of small - seating maybe 7 or 8 people.
My only complaints would be that they came out a bit slow. Sure, I'm impatient, but come on these are raw oysters. Their ordering system is a little weird. I guess they expect most people to order family style. And when I ordered 2 orders of oysters for my second round, I got only 2 oysters. I expected 2 orders (1 order = 3 oysters), but that's fine maybe miscommunication.
Would definitely stop by again if I'm in the area.
Culinary art. Especially fine wine menu to accompany.
We had Escolar, Beets, Spaghetti and another fish I don't recall. All were terrific. Two bottles of COS wine, one red- one white. Excellent pairings.
I'll let that sum it up.
Oysters, anyone?
I can't believe I haven't checked this place out, especially since I work only a few blocks away. After hearing about Oyster Power Hour (5pm - 6pm & 10pm - 11pm) on Yelp yesterday, I finally decided to bite the bullet and give it a shot. I mean really... who can pass up $1 oysters?!
Not only were the oysters excellent, but I really liked how each variety was garnished with something different. My faves were the kumamoto and the hama hama oysters.
I will definitely be back, I might even order something from the dinner menu if I don't OD on oysters...
I'm not sure why I hadn't come to Anchovies & Olives before today. Maybe the name, which brings to mind a misperceived saltiness that was not present in the food. Could be the nondescript exterior, which barely hints at the beautiful, open seating arrangement inside. Probably the prices I'd seen on the menu, which seemed a bit on the steep side for a Capitol Hill restaurant.
So thank heavens for the Urban Eats 3 for $30 promotion. It gave me the opportunity to try A&O on a recent rainy Sunday. Plates are generous, and brought to the table as ready, so it felt like one long dining experience with various tastes, even though it was only a 3-course meal.
We started with a generously sized beet and arugula salad, dotted with tasty pistachios. This was followed by perfectly seared sea scallops.
Our next course brought a succulent swordfish over chanterelles. I was in heaven! In the past, my experience with swordfish has been a dry, somewhat tasteless and heavy fish, but A&O's was delicate, moist and perfectly matched with the 'shroom saute. My friend had the pork cheek with cavatappi, and this was the only disappointing part of our evening. The dish had cooled somewhat, and the pork failed to have a defined flavor. It was quite moist and fell apart with a fork, but the lack of flavor left a hole in an otherwise promising dish.
We barely had room for dessert, given the generous and filling portions. But somehow we managed to squeeze in a few bites of panna cotta (less silky than I would have liked), and finish off the salted caramel gelato.
Service was friendly, and our server never made us feel rushed. Even after we finished our meal and continued the girl-gab session, she continued to fill our water glasses. With this wonderful dining experience, I will return to A&O even without the 3 for $30 offer.
Waitress walks up: Welcome, have you been here before?
Me: Not here, but I basically consider myself one of Ethan's (Stowell) old friends.. though we've never meet
Waitress: Oh, yeah, really, he's my husband!
So yeah, I'd say they're into it, and the experience was stunning.
I think the best way to describe Anchovies and Olives is to say it's the only place in town that you can get really fresh, great raw fish preparations and not be in a Sushi house. It's terribly refreshing and it's all so good.
From the pasta's to the simple sashimi style slices of fresh fish. Just so great.
after finding out that the Power hour will start on november 1st i made sure to get out of bed in time to recharge my batteries by eating oyster for 1 buck ...
we got there at 5pm headed to the bar and the place was nice and clean with chill beats loud enough to enjoy but also to hold a conversation.
we started by ordering some proseco to open our appetite only $5,we started digging the menu so oysters oysters it is,the waitress was really nice and helpful :)
our final decision on fave oysters were
#1.totten
#2.kumamoto
we also got the geoduck,hamachi,octopus and foccacia bread.
everything was delicious and fresh.
the place itself gives you that relaxing and laid back experience,no rushing or room for rudeness !!!
i'll definitely come back again !!!
power hour @5-6 and 10-12pm
enjoy
ipb
Good times were had at A&O last night that we went back twice!
Here's why:
Good strong drinks (I had three 1550's)
Tasty food that kept coming
Cool servers and chefs
At first I was a little weary of the "no reservations" thing but after arriving at 7:30pm I put my name down on a Saturday night and we were seated in 15 minutes. The space is really nice with the kitchen in open view. We were seated right across from the grill so we could see all of the food being prepped.
We tried quite a few dishes - soft boiled eggs with sturgeon (a must have!), cubed ceviche type thing with currents, and foccacia with oil. For dinner we ordered the char, risotto, and the spaghetti with anchovies. All were very good.
They only had two options for dessert so we left and went to Tin Table. Walked down a few blocks ordered dessert and a of couple drinks that were not as good so then we walked back up to A&O for one last drink.
I'm definitely going here again. It's a cool spot with good food and drinks. I'm just hoping there won't be a long wait as more and more people start hearing about this place.
A&O has only gotten better with time! The new wall treatments are fantastic, providing the drama that was lacking in earlier visits. My husband and I went for dinner on our anniversary and could not have had a better time. Food was delicious! Service lovely and wines tasty.
Once again I have made it to a new restaurant on its second night, for some reason this is my… Read more »
Last weekend was my second visit - I was not disappointed. Delicious food, excellent service, pleasant ambiance.
The three of us had a late dinner on Saturday evening. After a long day of work and errands, it was so nice to chill out with friends, have some wine and absolutely yummy food.
Don't second guess your decision - park the car in go inside.
2nd visit is still worth 4 stars. Came back to bring a friend to try their Anchovy, Garlic and Chili pasta - as she is a big lover of Achovies.. she was in heaven! The pasta this time round - was cooked more thoroughly and was actually very very good. Also tried the Octopus with Canneloni Beans (very refreshing and light), and then the Daurade (unsure if I spelled this right )- basically a while fish cooked crispy w/skin and paired with a special red cabbage/pomegranite slaw & mash potato-like celery root - Spectacular! I'm still a lover of Ethan Stowell restaurants - Union is still my top fave - but this experience is moving up the ranks. Paired my dinner with a glass of Pinot Bianco (nice & smooth). Eric our server was very knowledgeable on both the vino and menu. Great experience overall. PS - discovered a Happy Hour treat of $1 oysters. (I'm personally allergic to them - but for all those oyster lovers out there - this deal can't be beat!)
Good spot especially if you dig Ethan Stowell's restaurants.. food was great overall. Some dishes,… Read more »
I regret waiting til now to right my review of Anchovies and Olives. Some of the dishes we sampled have faded in my memory. The visit to this restaurant was spontaneous. My hubby was trying to cheer me up after a pretty lousy day (3+ hours on the phone with an airline trying to fix a missed flight and then the possibility of fraudulent charges on my cc) all on top of Seattle's attempt to be death valley.
We ordered the focaccia and olives, mackerel, cauliflower salad, tuna with balsamic and basil oil (?) and the tagliatelle with sea urchin roe. Of all the dishes, I was most excited and then most disappointed by the pasta dish. This dish did not have enough essence of the sea, it needed something else...The other dishes were all very good executed (especially the grilled mackerel) and all the dishes were a good size for sharing. All in all, nice ending to a day that otherwise I would rather forgotten.
The food was tasty, fresh & unique. The plates were artful without being overdone & the restaurant was simple & clean, fabulous w/ the huge windows open on a sunny evening! The music was loud, but I enjoyed the 80's revival.
You basically walk into the kitchen as you enter the restaurant, tables are close. It may not be everyone's idea of cozy, but we loved it!
I felt it was an atmosphere similar to How to Cook a Wolf, a little less "warm" - but fitting for Cap Hill.
Definitely want to go back! I hope it does well...
Sorry...I know a lot of people like this place, and it's not that I don't, it's that I tried it, it wasn't my style of food and I probably won't go back.
Our server was super nice, very friendly, knew a lot about some great wines and he was right, but I'm not a huge fish person and for the money, it was overpriced for what we did have. I would go back for a glass of wine and the almonds (which were great!) but that's about it. It's worth trying for yourself...make up your own minds :)
I often find myself on the receiving end of mediocre service in this great city of Seattle. Luckily, my trip to Anchovies & Olives was nothing but a delight, for both the palette and the service. I was seated right away at 7pm on a Sunday, with a aperitif prepared for my enjoyment in a flash.
The menu hosts a very fresh and interesting crudo menu (I had scallops with peppers and grapefruit, an extremely interesting and origional combination).
I loved the open kitchen design. It displays an honesty and restraint found in plate after plate of food ordered. The ham and anchovies, a plate of only these two elements drizzled with olive oil, meet in a divine and complimentary way due t the full flavors brought out by simplicity.
The pastas are to die for, and a large delicious serving. With an open ended menu, you can spend between $25-$80 per person depending on your mood and level of extravagance, making this place appropriate for all different types of evenings out.
What's not to love here? With a small group it's easy just to ignore the menu and let the staff take over, treating everyone to the entire tour of small and medium sized plating. Watch out for some of these new chefs; they will be big factors in the game over the next few years.
Particularly festive were fin fish dishes finished with strawberry, watermelon broths, and incredibly delicate seasonings. Fresh means fresh here.
Affordable wine list too.
Food overrated. Vibe isn't. Great views of the city especially if you sit out on the patio on a warm night.
We had a very, very odd experience at A&O. First off, I will say that the food was very good, and I liked that I was able to step out of my comfort zone and try types of seafood that I don't usually partake. Case in point, geoduck. I had never had it before, and it looks... so, well, obscene! Nonetheless, I was up for trying the geoduck gnocchi, which I had heard was very good. Just to be sure though, I asked the server what geoduck tastes like, and he said "like the ocean." Good. We ordered it. It came. We ate. But there was no ocean on our plate, there were mushrooms. Confused, we asked the server which bits of the dish were the geoduck. He pointed out garlic, then went back to the kitchen. When he returned he said they had accidentally FORGOTTEN to put the GEODUCK on our plate. Of course, they gave us another plate with amply geoduck, and it was delicious and it did taste like the ocean, but this time there were no mushrooms. We couldn't help but wonder: Did they try to cheat us out of our geoduck?
After a two hour wait (when people say to get your name on the list and just come back, they aren't kidding), we finally got into the hot new place in our neighborhood. The space is very pleasing to the eye, and they have done a great job of placement of the tables near the large storefront windows. We started with the scallops, oysters and cherrystone clams. The scallops were amazing--highly recommend them to share (2 large per order). I was not personally a fan of the raw clams, but I loved the chilies and basil on top. The scallops were definitely the highlight. The other outstanding dish was the monkfish. Dining companions had the crab linguine and the lobster gnocchi--both were pleased. I had the Brambino--the mushrooms were the showstopper of the dish.
With the exception of the crab linguine, the portion sizes of the entrees really require you to nosh beforehand and try several courses. I think the two hour wait, however, curbed my enthusiasm for this new dining experience. I suggest going on a weeknight, and on the early side.
Drinks were superb! Try the 1550. Food was delightful- eggs, char, risotto- all great picks! Some food items came out smaller portions, and others bigger. So, it can be a bit pricey. The service was great!
YUM!!! Anchovies and Olives delivers the goods! We knew there would be a wait so we wandered over there around 6:45 last night, got our name on the list (were told it would be an hour and a 1/2 and it was exactly that) and then headed over to Poco for some wine.
We ordered the prosciutto and anchovies and foccacia to start. The anchovies added such a nice salty flavor to the prosciutto. We also ordered the gnocchi, the fluke (a subtle white fish which is currently served with brussel sprouts and mussels) and the conchiglie, which was the highlight of the dinner. JP also ordered three different oysters and enjoyed them.
Service was incredible. Our server knew the menu and made great recommendations. The decor is subtle (I liked the screens on the ceiling) and the space allows for easy conversation at the table. This very possibly could become a new favorite! We are so glad this is in our neighborhood.
Great place with good food. I had dinner at the bar and the bartender looked after us very well and made great recommendations. This place is worth checking out again.
I'm baaaackk....
After going through Yelp celibacy for awhile (not nearly as hard as real celibacy, but Yelpers tend to be less horny), I have returned to illuminate the inner workings of an eatery in the Center of Passive-Aggressiveness that is our fair city of Seattle.
K...first of all, all pasta at the Stowell joints is made either in-house or at its sister joint, Tavolata (hear that Charles D? Don't make "factual" statements you can't substantiate...or have you been watching Fox News lately?).
Second, the room is simplistic in decor and design...I think a little too much so. Some artwork on the back wall of the bar wouldn't kill anyone (depending on said artwork), and window shades will certainly be needed come summer, unless they intend to cook all dishes tableside.
Third, the menu is very well priced, inventive, and well executed. The service is prompt and efficient, though with 40 seats it should really be. Add the fact that the servers are friendly (no small challenge in this town), and you have a nice experience that deserves several return trips.
This kind of restaurant is what Seattle needs more of: one that strays VERY far from a run-of-the-mill pesto/salmon/clam chowder/steak/some sort of braised meat/etc place that is all too common even at trendy places in town. Lots of people think Seattle's dining scene is like SF's. Not even close. This kind of place, however, is starting to move Seattle in that direction...but it'll have to reach Portland level first.
Cap Hill (Poppy, Olivar, A&O, Spinasse) is starting to look damn good these days.
I went at 6:30 on Saturday and got a table right away, but around 7, the place started to fill up.
Fresh and so clean. The oysters were great. I liked the contrast of the sweetness of the beets with the oyster because it's often topped with acid or something spicy.
Geoduck and cucumber - also excellent. Both pastas were hot and fresh.
It's in a great space, with great food. Ideally it's best as a good meal before your night out. There's only sorbet and espresso on the desert menu so there's not much of a reason to linger.
I would like to give this place 5 stars- but the wait is AWFUL. They refuse to take reservations (why?).
It takes a lot of balls to not take reservations....... I have no idea why they wouldn't take reservations- or call ahead seating at least.
We (4 ppl) arrived at 7:20ish on Friday and were told it would be 30 minutes. We ended up waiting an hour and a quarter for a table for 4. Got seated just after 8:30- I was starving by this point.
The food is great and the wine list is nice- although almost exclusively Italian (other origins would've been nice- France, Australia?).
I had one of each oyster and they were all excellent. I ordered the striped bass and it was a great- but small- plate of food. The Crab Pasta was by far the best plate of food on the table. All dinners are about $15-18. But you're going to need more food than just a main course since they are small portions.
Go to this place- the food is very good.......- but don't go on a Friday or Saturday. You're going to have to wait- and if they tell you 30 minutes- count on it being at least an hour.
A & O- if you're reading this- START TAKING RESERVATIONS.
The food here is really fantastic, and they have helpfully listed the menu in decreasing order of goodness! The crudos come first, and the pastas come last. That's what you need to know. My wife is pregnant and taking the possibly too-conservative precaution of not eating raw seafood, which is too bad for her, but it means that when I order dishes with innovative flavor combinations that are pretty well executed (strawberry and tuna, mmm!), I get it all.
I've heard the charge that Ethan Stowell can't keep his previous (still operating) restaurants executing consistently so my solution was to go to his newest restaurant. Stowell's 4th joint I think... (Union, Tavolata, How to cook a wolf) is pretty darn good if a little expensive like his other places.
I was particularly impressed with his use of ingredients traditionally seen in Japanese cooking (Sea Urchin, Geoduck, Hamachi, etc.) but now applied in a western way. The Geoduck crudo and Cod in Uni sauce were great. I'm kind of a slut for seared sea scallops and the ones here are very good.
The girlfriend and I decided to try Anchovies & Olives on Friday night (day after opening day). I had heard about the restaurant on some local blogs and decided to give it a try. I had no expectations, had no clue if it was expensive/cheap or even what was on the menu.
The restaurant is small- a rough estimate would around 30 seats. The kitchen is absolutely amazing and brings a whole new meaning to "open kitchen". The kitchen is literally in the restaurant and you can see the chef and sous-chef preparing all the dishes on the large wood-topped island.
The menu is divided into 4 sections Crudo (raw items), Appetizers, Pastas (all with fish or shellfish) and Entrees (or main courses, I don't remember what it was named). Overall the menu is small in terms of the number of items, but I actually like this. There were enough options and I prefer a smaller menu where the chef can perfect each item rather than an overwhelmingly large menu. The dishes are intended to be served family style.
Bread is not included- they have a Columbia City bakery focaccia with olives and olive oil for $2 on the appetizer menu. At other establishments paying for bread would bother me- but here it did not bother me one bit given the price and how the whole menu is constructed. The olives and olive oil were top notch and the focaccia was kick ass (Columbia City, of course). This $2 bread plate is definitely enough for 4 people.
I started with 3 different oysters from the Crudo menu. (I forget what they were called). All the oysters were served in the half shell and had different sauces or seasonings directly in the shell (I loved this). They were all fresh, delicious and served ready-to-slurp. One of the oysters was served with meyer lemon ice shavings- a cool idea in theory but a guaranteed brain freeze in practice.
For our appetizers we shared the Octopus and Squid dishes. Both were awesome and could not have been prepared any better. The octopus had a brilliant charred taste and was not over-seasoned. The squid (calamari but not deep fried and breaded, yay!) was served with chickpeas and was scrumptious.
For our main courses we shared the kampachi. I've never had this type of fish before but our very helpful waiter told us that kampachi is a sustainably raised Hawaiian yellowtail. It was beautifully seared; nice and undercooked at the very center, but crispy and browned on the outside. We also had the linguini with dungeness crab. This pasta actually had a lot of kick, was delightfully herbed and was very yummy. There was a lot of crab (mostly, smaller pieces, but expected for Dungeness) and the dish just had the most amazing and intense crab aroma.
Our waiter was extremely attentive and knowledgeable. This was the second night the restaurant was open and the hostess came by a few times to make sure we were enjoying (and we were!).
We were very stuffed at the end of the meal but split a serving of pink grapefruit sorbet which was made fresh at Tavolata in Belltown (another Ethan Stowell resto). It was perfect pallet cleanser to end our wonderful experience at Anchovies & Olives.
All in with a martini, a glass of prosecco and tax and tip the bill was $125- not cheap, but very well worth it.
A few suggestions (hopefully Ethan is reading this review!)
The background music did not match the atmosphere of the restaurant at all. Jack Johnson, John Mayer, Dispatch, etc... do better please!
I love the minimalistic décor, etc... But, I do think a really big painting behind the bar would really lively up the vibe. Hopefully one is on the way.
It felt as if the restaurant had been open for a while and we experienced none of the expected just-opened-restaurant issues. We will definitely be back soon
I just went to Anchovies & Olives tonight. It's underneath the new apartment building on 15th and Pine called The Pearl. It was quite lovely and there were a ton of people! Apparently they've only been open just two days.
As you walk in it's not quite obvious what the vibe is but it's a clean, modern place with a lot of space and great lighting.
Turns out - they serve seafood! YUM.
I sat at the table and my friend and I ordered an appetizer (fresh oysters), a pasta (crab linguini) and an entree (sea bass with braised oxtail and turnips). Most of their food pairs well with their extensive white wine list but there's also a bar where you can order beer or spirits.
Here is the rating on the food:
1) Oysters - WOW. Super, SUPER fresh and delicious
2) Crab Linguine - Al dente, well garnished and the crab was to die for.
3) Sea Bass/Oxtail/Turnips - well cooked, the sauce was amazing and the oxtail was so tender I wish there were more of it!
I also really liked that the actual chef himself brought over the entree. Classy!
To top it off we tried the orange/chocolate gelatto and the grapefruit sorbet. I would have liked more tang to the orange gelatto but the serving size was insane (3 scoops of each dessert in a bowl). The sorbet was one of the best I've ever had and I wish I had more room in my stomach to finish it all.
All in all it was a great little spot and I can't wait to go back and sample more of the menu. The service was great and the location is nice because there's not much else to choose from other than Zaw and Piecora's.
My wife and I went early tonight to try this new place. We have enjoyed both Union and How to Cook a Wolf before, which are from the same chef/owners. We were very pleased.
We started with fresh oysters. I had recently read about Shigoku oysters, which I understand to be new and fairly hard to find. They were on the menu, so we tried them along with kumomotos, and enjoyed both. The mignonette was a nice compliment, though in retrospect I wish I had tried one without anything on top since it was a new flavor.
The linguine with crab aglio olio was nicely al dente and flavorful. The crab was fresh. The only complaint is that it could have been cleaned a little better as we found small bits of shell.
My wife enjoyed the bream and I had the scallops. They were cooked beautifully. The scallops were served on fregola with currants and basil.
The service was excellent. We were happily surprised to find that one of our favorite staff members, Sidonie, had moved from How to Cook a Wolf to open Anchovies & Olives.
We are very happy to have a new place of this caliber closer to our home. We will certainly be back.
Anchovies & Olives is neither a fish restaurant nor an Italian restaurant.
The first thing we noticed when sampling the Artic Char was that it was too salty. It is served with an arugula pesto, which by itself is an incredible blend of flavors. Each element of the dish hits your tongue: nutty, sweet, delicately herby. And then you taste the fish. It's like a shot of Eurasian black salt to the mouth. It's unpalatable. This is not how you prepare smoked char.
We made a point to also try their homemade bigoti pasta. But you can't taste the pasta; it is encrusted in bread crumbs and somehow saltier than the char. Anchovies contribute strong notes that must be used in moderation. This was a dish that I couldn't finish.
If you want fish, walk a block up to Madison Market and get some black cod or sockeye. Rub both sides of the fish with a pinch of salt and pepper. Melt a tablespoon of butter in olive oil at medium heat, and cook both sides at medium-high (3-6 min. per side) to desired consistency. I promise you'll actually taste the fish.
Not only was the food mismatched with the price point; the ambiance also seemed immature. The evening was accompanied by loud diners and the soundtrack to Guitar Hero. Imagine what it would feel like to sit down to that delicious all-Italian wine list and hear "Free Bird". At one point, the music cut out, the drunks moaned, and the bar-tender shouted "we've all been to prom."
Anchovies and olives are salty snacks you buy in jars. The restaurant does not depart significantly from its name.
Yeah, I will be back soon!
Fun and delicious crudos, really well balanced. The Beans and clam in a broth was sooooooooo good.
We love all of his other restaurants, but this may be my favorite of all.
nice peek-a-view of downtown, very friendly staff. Very comfortable space.
Great little spot in Capitol Hill. I love restaurants that have an open kitchen. It feels much more inviting. At Anchovies & Olives, that's the first thing you see. You can see the chefs plating their dishes right there.
We found some space at the end of the bar. Sidonie was our bartender last night and she was really friendly and pleasant. We had fun chatting with her.
We ordered the cauliflower salad. Just think of cesar salad, but replace romaine with cauliflower. A couple of anchovies sat on top of the dish, and voilé! Cauliflower salad. First, I love cauliflower. Second, it was delicious. Yeah, gotta get it again next time I'm there.
We also had an assortment of Kumamoto oysters. Between the two of us, we put down a dozen but we could've easily had more. Kumamoto is probably my favorite commonly found oyster. They've got just the perfect balance of flavors. But instead of just grabbing the dozen off the menu, we had it split 4 plain, 4 with the meyer lemon, and 4 off the menu. It's a great way to sample the way that they present oysters. I think my favorite was the one off the menu. The lemon one was a bit too strong in citrus for me.
I think what I like about this place is the simplicity in what they do. For example, we had the grilled calamari as well, and it was grilled perfectly. It was just the right tenderness. It fell apart easily and wasn't over chewy. Combined with the pine nuts, it was a simple and delicious plate. I think that's what they are shooting for here: simplicity. With the simple decor and straight forward dishes, they make simple food for simple people like me. And that makes me happy.
I guess it comes as no surprise to anyone that Yelp removed my previous review of Anchovies & Olives. Yelp has no sense of humor, and clearly when it comes to their "business" practices they are particularly touchy.
So is the mob. Which brings me to A&O.
It has been since opening, mobbed.
And why not? it is indeed another delightful restaurant within the Stowell idiom.
I have enjoyed many splendid evenings so drunk out of my mind I thought I was tripping. Drunk on seafood and tripping over superlatives to describe it.
I have never been. Never been so excited to write a nifty Yelp review. Hang on while I check the review guidelines. I am, according to my own legal counsel, fine so far.
Note to Charles D, Elite Reviewer (whose reviews are delightful and highly recommended): the "commercial extruded pasta" you refer to is in fact made fresh daily at Tavolata and driven over on an Italian manufactured scooter or in an Audi. i saw this happen when i was there to pick up some food to go.
Went there on the recommendation of a friend. Stunningly arrogant and disdainful server. Were we annoying him by asking questiions about the food? Or what beers they were serving ? I would think he would be providing good customer service. He certainly had time to, as there were fewer customers than there were serving staff. With a decent server this might be a 2 or 3 star place.
We've been looking forward to eating at this place for some time now and decided a warm Tuesday night would work perfectly. Were we ever right! The place was half full (everyone seated was on the north/sunny end) yet seemed very busy. The music was awesome sans one Eagle's song (I love 70's rock but can't stand the Eagles) and the murmur from other diners was soothing as-well-as comforting (I hate dining in silence). The ambiance was perfect as the sun set right next to us between 7 and 8.
But I digress - you go to a restaurant to eat and that's what this review is about. The food is delightful - we had the hamachi crudo (raw), the fluke and the topper was definitely the Tagliarini with Uni! The hamachi was cold, served with a semi-spicy mustard sauce and grapefruit - odd combination to say the least but appetizing nonetheless. We're from NY so seeing fluke on the menu was very comforting - it was equally delicious, we had the entree portion (not crudo). Lastly, what can we say about the Tagliarini with Uni?? It was amazing - light cheese of some sort (similar to a gormet mac & cheese but much lighter), sprinkled with bits of crunch Uni. Now I have to admit there was some trepidation with this order seeing that neither of us enjoy Uni but the very knowledgeable waiter informed us that the taste wasn't too strong and we both agreed. Additionally, I ordered a nice bottle of nebbiolo from a decent wine list (the Barolo I really wanted was a bit pricey) and it went amazingly well with each dish (personally, I think Italian wines go better with food). We will most definitely be returning, probably with the in-laws.
Nice work Ethan, sucks that I can never get into How to Cook A Wolf - but this place is no slouch!
A quick word of advice: Carefully consider who you are dining out with prior to setting sail on a gastronomic adventure here. Not everyone enjoys partaking in sushi or sea urchin.
That said, during my recent visit, I thoroughly enjoyed my skate fish entrée prefaced by a surprisingly light cauliflower salad splashed in an anchovy-based dressing. I will return when I find a fish-loving friend who's game.
This place just opened a week ago and I've wanted to go try it. Luckily my mom's birthday was on Sunday, which was a perfect excuse to check it out.
We got there right at 5 when it opened and we were easily able to grab a table for six. It did however fill up pretty fast for a Sunday evening.
The service was prompt and everyone was very helpful in choosing our drinks. Since A&O is pretty much exclusively seafood, most of the wine recommended was a white varietal. We tried many different pairings, which were all unique and tasty.
For started we all shared various fresh raw seafood (Crudo) like hamachi and yellow tail that were lightly seasoned with various items like blood oranges & beets. The oysters were also well prepared, chosen and fresh.
All of the pastas and entrees were in sizes that were meant to be shared, so we ordered a bunch of different pastas, the crab linguini, lobster gnocchi, and clams with guianicale - all which were magnificent. The main entree, which I shared was a lightly seared albacore with hen of the woods mushrooms, which was cooked perfectly.
For desert I had a Makers Manhattan and some freshly made pear sorbet. There were not too many dessert options, but by that point I was already stuffed.
Another fine addition to Ethan Stowell's arsenal of Seattle restaurants.
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