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Il Buffone - CLOSED
- Good for Groups:
- No
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Quiet
- Has TV:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
39 reviews for Il Buffone
Review Highlights
"...Young's "Olives Cafe and Wine Bar" was a regular stop for..."
(in 8 reviews)
"We're very glad to have Olives nearby."
(in 19 reviews)
"Make sure to try and crab fondue and the baked alaska--both..."
(in 4 reviews)
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39 reviews in English
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Review from Carolyn L.
Edmonds, WA
Updated - 4/11/2011
Is it possible that it's now Even Better??? YES!
Best pizza we've had outside of Italia. No kidding. Had the Pompey, which has creme fraiche, bacon and carmelized onions. Such a wonderful bubbly char from the wood fired oven. Incredible.
Pastas have always been a strong suit, but again, now even better. The Squash Angliotti was sumptous with the squash, sage cream, toasted pine nuts and herbs.
Now that the the former Olives has re-invented itself, there's more new stuff for us to try!2 Previous Reviews: Show all »
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4/5/2009
I never feel compelled to update my review since I eat here at least twice/month....but I must say… Read more »
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Review from Jim P.
Edmonds, WA
4/8/2011 1 Check-in Here
I guess I was expecting this place to be packed but was pleasantly surprised and was seated right away.
We ordered caesar salad, garlic prawns, 2 pizzas, and a bottle of wine.
All in all the meal was very good, service could have been a little swifter (ironically they used the same excuse about the pizza ripping so they had to re-do it) but we certainly enjoyed ourselves and will return. -
Review from Todd C.
Edmonds, WA
4/3/2011
When a Chef opens a restaurant, or even re-opens, as in this case... I just have to go experience it!
Local chef Michael Young's "Olives Cafe and Wine Bar" was a regular stop for light tapas-like dining, and was very successful. The conversion to "Il Buffone", replete with wood-fired oven and a bigger cooking staff, signaled quite a shift.
Opted for a reservation for our group of 7 - table was waiting when we arrived. Which was a good thing. It was Saturday evening, and it filled up quickly! While it's not billed as a family-restaurant, with our well-behaved kids, it was quite appropriate. Some kids enjoy a more challenging menu.
The menu is delightfully short, but the decisions weren't any easier. Mr. Young is an expert at piquing interest in dishes with unique ingredients, such as the rabbit stroganoff, and many varieties of Italian cured meats in the wood-fired pizzas. I had no idea what coppa was, and readily betrayed my ignorance to the wait-staff.
We started with a Mediterranean platter of simple crackers and four different spreads. Perfect way to begin. Only difficulty was that the wine we ordered wasn't in stock... neither was the 2nd... so they substituted a higher quality wine at the same price. (Thanks!)
Three pizzas and one garlic-prawn pasta plate later, we were still smiling. The pizzas were thin-crust, hand-tossed, with a fresh tomato sauce (on two of them), and topped just right: not piled high, and not Spartan. My older son practically inhaled his whole Pompey pizza, which was a creme-freche sauce covered in carmelized onions and bacon.
Pizzas make for a large adult meal - if you don't want to cart home leftovers, and you have your eye on dessert (which you SHOULD), I recommend splitting a main course.... or eat truly Italian and spread courses all over the table to share, so that you get to try out more varieties.
Desserts were also not-to-be-missed. The "ice cream sandwich" was cookie dough ice cream between two soft and delectable macadamia/white chocolate chip cookies. With a side of fresh whipped cream. Children were in heaven. I had to (ahem) help a little.... can't have any of that ice cream going to waste!
We adults opted for the more sober Nutella/banana cannoli. Essentially a large folded crepe filled with hot Nutella/banana goodness. No surprises, but still delicious.
Prices are fair, not cheap. For a place with a solid and attentive staff, flawless execution in the kitchen, and everything absolutely fresh... this is just what it costs. Happily placed Il Buffone on the short list for regular places to go. An excellent addition to downtown Edmonds long list of top-notch venues! -
Review from Sarah M.
1/29/2011
Everything about this experience was fabulous. I came here for my birthday dinner and had made a reservation just an hour before we came in but still managed to snag the cozy, romantic window seat which was perfect.
The ambiance was very warm yet chic. They had a wonderful looking bar area which filled up quickly while we were there. We got there around 6 pm on a Saturday and I would recommend making a reservation because it filled up quickly.
They have small plate options and full entrees and we weren't sure how it worked but decided to order a small plate to split as an appetizer and a main dish each.
We had the truffle mac and cheese to start which was wonderful, but very rich. For myself personally, I would order this as a full meal - it's a pretty hearty portion considering the richness. My husband had the grilled prawns with homemade fettucine. I didn't have the prawns but he said they were delicious - but I did try the homemade fettucine and it was incredible. But the best? The red wine braised beef rib. The meat was so scrumptious and tender, it fell apart when you touched it. It came in a red wine sauce along with a cream sauce. They were both great but I preferred the red wine sauce. I would come here again and again just to order this entree.
All in all, the meal came to around $50 for this and a lemonade. The quality of the food was so good, I thought that it was easily worth it. -
Review from Dirk A.
Bothell, WA
4/30/2011
My wife and I decided to try Il Buffone last night (Friday night) and arrived about 8:45 pm. There were a few tables that were occupied, and we were promptly greeted when we walked through the door. Menus and water arrived quickly and we were told our waiter would be right with us. Then we waited...and waited....and waited...after about 15 minutes of no service we decided to leave. As mentioned earlier, there were a handful of occupied tables and what looked like at least 3 servers working.
After reading previous reviews, it seems like the service is really lacking at this restaurant. -
Review from Autumn K.
Everett, WA
10/22/2010
This is a wondfully cozy little restaurant with some truly extraordinary food. I appreciate a restaurant that prepares smaller portions which are superb - not giagantic plates of "filler". I've never understood the worship of vin, so you'll have to take other reviewer's word on their vintages, however, the chef gets my wholehearted praise.
Mom and I love to come here after Third Thursday ArtWalks in Edmonds and catch up with each other over dinner. They've got nice atmospheric music, but at a level where you can enjoy a conversation without shouting across the table. The waitstaff are very experienced - attentive and friendly without hovering.
My absolute favorite dish is their truffled macoroni and cheese. I know it sounds low-brow - but it's practically a religious experience. Very, very rich mixture of multiple cheeses, with a crispy top to offset the velvet cheese texture and some morsels of extremely tender chicken making it that much more satisfying. Comfort food taken to a whole new level. I've also tried a Dungeness Crab bisque here that was fabulous. -
Review from Charlie L.
Seattle, WA
9/30/2010
I just moved to Edmonds and was excited to try all the town has to offer. A woman at the coffee shop randomly offered up Olives as a choice, and having seen it a couple of times on Saturday market, I figured I'd go.
First of all, the interior is fabulous, totally unexpected given the exterior.
The place seemed really short staffed, one of the waitresses who was very pregnant (and probably shouldn't be on her feet) told us she wasn't even suppose to be working, but was pitchin in. We didn't always get service, but when we did, it was fabulous, which saved Olives from the terrible fate of having a 2 star rating.
The food was really mediocre. I had the cobb salad, and at least two other dishes that were so unmemorable that I can not remember what they were for the life of me.
I really want to like it, and might try it again if someone really wants to go, but probably not going to again without some prompting. -
Review from clint w.
8/26/2010
Nice inside, although very unassuming from the outside. I would have walked right past it.
We settled in on a bottle of red, which the staff got incorrect, but we were okay with. I had the hamachi and the medallions of beef. Hamachi was dang good and I did some gulping, but the tenderloins were sort of chewy....not what I expected.
It was quiet, because we were there in the afternoon, but it's a nice little spot. I would come here again if i was in the area.
Pricier than usual, given the location...it's one of the best places there. So I guess they have license to do it. -
Review from Dusty D.
Bothell, WA
Updated - 8/11/2010
***REDEEMED***
After my last review the manager/owner contacted me and offered to bring us back in as his guests. He was very disappointed in our previous experience and wanted to showcase what his restaurant could do.
We ate like KINGS!! We ordered a cheese platter. While it was very tasty, it was very small and only 3 small servings of cheese, a bit of sliced apple and walnuts in this red wine reduction. We also had the spreads. They were delicious. A few more crackers please!!
The Chef (owner/manager) sent out some garlic prawns, which were to die for!!
Then our entrees... we had Miso Chilan Sea Bass, beef tenderloin medalians, and truffle mac & cheese. Yes, we were gluttons.. but we wanted to try their signature dishes.
Well... the Sea Bass was to die for!! This is what will bring us back. The Mac & Cheese was also amazing... I think we contemplated licking the bowl but decided against it. The beef medalions were cooked perfectly and tender...but tasteless. I'm a beef girl, so I was disappointed in those...but as "Meatloaf" says, "two out of three ain't bad".
The service... well... it was lacking. I know they put someone in charge of us (and he knew about our previous encounter) and he was just "ok". We waited a very long time to order our appy's and to have our dirty dishes removed from the table. It wasn't bad, just not up to par for the style and prices of this restaurant.
The end result is that... we will be back! The mac & cheese and the sea bass sealed the deal.
Thank you Michael for allowing us to be your guests. You will see us again.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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7/20/2010
I went here for a dinner seminar and I thought the food was great. So when I found myself in… Read more »
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Review from Darin V.
Redmond, WA
2/21/2011
Small, unique menu.
We started off with a wine flight (cheaper than what you'll find at Purple), and the Dungeness Crab Fondue. I'd drive from Redmond up to Edmonds just for this dish!! It was perfectly balanced and delicious!
For our main courses we had the crispy chicken and the rabbit stroganoff. The chicken blended nicely with the sides. The rabbit was good, but a bit to rich and cloying in taste. I do believe this was all about the meat and not a reflection of the preparation.
The menu is quite limited, so you might want to check them out online or call ahead if you are somewhat picky with your dish selection. -
Review from Sean M.
Edmonds, WA
5/21/2007
Food is good but pricey. Don't come here if your hungry as you will either leave poor or still hungry. They have wine flights and a fair selection of wine. They do not take reservations and can get real busy on a week end so if you go on a week end night expect to wait.
Staff is hit and miss. Some are real nice, other seem a little snooty. I guess they figure they are working in a wine bar so they have the right...Listed in: My useful top 10.
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Review from Danicia d.
Austin, TX
5/9/2009
After reading the great reviews and seeing the menu, I was really excited to try this restaurant. It wasn't all that busy last night (Friday) but busy enough to imply that it was going to be a great experience.
Alas, it was not.
Walked in and it wasn't apparent that we were supposed to find our own spot. The bartender, looking distracted, waved us to pick any place we wanted. We picked a small two-top along a wall not far from the kitchen.
We were greeted promptly by the busser, who said our waiter would be with us shortly and filled up the water glasses. He turned out to be the most attentive person on staff (again, staffing not the fault of staff).
We were not greeted promptly by the waiter. I can't fault him too much, as he had many tables and appeared to be the only waiter on staff. (-1 for who handles staff) Once he arrived, he took a drink order. I could tell he was probably a bit swamped. I was only slightly bummed; no recommendations or anything. I did ask about a wine; he described it well and it was spot on. (+1)
My sweetie wasn't excited about the menu choices (not the restaurant's fault. *grin*) but thought that the truffled mac & cheese w/chicken would be a good choice. I took a gamble and ordered the filet.
We waited entirely too long for a medium rare steak and a small serving of mac & cheese. The longest thing to prepare on the meal should have been the steak and a med-rare steak doesn't take that long. All of the sides were easily pre-made and should have been hot & delicious along with the steak.
The food arrived; the presentation for the mac & cheese was okay; served up in a white bowl. The steak was actually served on two plates. One plate for the sides and one for the steak. This surprised me as I didn't order the items à la carte. The side plate had some cold Cauliflower Gratin (not even a gratin, more of breading and a bland cheese sauce), some flavorless mashed potatoes (aka "potato puree") and some awesome sherry & garlic mushrooms.
The steak itself? It was cooked to perfect temperature. It looked gorgeous. It was supposed to be with St. Agur Blue Cheese Sauce. What sauce was there was runny like water. It was on top of spinach, which had a really dirty flavor and was too bitter. (And I love me some vinegary spinach).
The worst part about the steak? IT TASTED LIKE FISH/SEAFOOD. It tasted horrible. It's possible that the mythical blue cheese sauce was simply drowned out by water and FISH.
A note? I absolutely loathe fish. I figured it might just be that I'm overly sensitive to the fact that this steak *completely* was overwhelmed by a seafood taste. I didn't say what the taste was, but gave a bite to my sweetie. He wondered why the steak tasted like fish. I didn't finish it at all, didn't take a second bite of the spinach. Oh, and the onion rings? Good flavor but way too salty.
The whole experience reminded me of an episode of Kitchen Nightmares when Gorden Ramsey was taking to task a restaurant that was trying to have two many flavors on one dish; nothing balanced, nothing went together at all. The steak (If it didn't taste like fish) would have been awesome with the blue cheese sauce and mushrooms. Maybe some flavorful potatoes. *sad sigh*
As disappointed as I was in my dish, my sweetie was equally disappointed in the Truffled Macaroni & Cheese. He said it started out okay, but as he dug into it, he found that the chicken was too dry and extremely bland. It was simply overcooked. Most likely, it had all been prepared much earlier (as the dish has chicken in it; you don't get a choice) and was just dried out.
The busser realized we were finished and quickly whisked away our half eaten dishes. We sat there for a really long time and we just asked for the bill.
I can't fault the waiter too much; he had 8 tables to himself AND was making his own drinks for his tables. The bartender was busy serving the bar customers and all the people sitting in the lounge area. In my opinion, they simply needed one more person to help out so service didn't suffer and the staff wasn't stretched.
Oh wait. There was one other employee we saw. The chef. He sat down at the table next to us and proceeded to schmooze with this other folks he knew. He was talking to them while we were waiting on our food, throughout our meal and was still talking to them when he left.
He was loudly bitching about a variety of topics (whilst I agree about the pastry chef & knife bit, it was completely inappropriate to be bad mouthing people while you had unsatisfied customers and an overwhelmed front of the house staff). The table was full of snark and it really put us off our meal.
A shame; the guy at the table had an amazing chicken dish. It seemed very simple and I really wish I had not blown 29 bucks on this crap meal. I feel horrible for dragging along my sweetie.
The wine list, however, is top notch. If I felt anyone at all cared about this restaurant, I'd come back just to have wine. *sigh* -
Review from Jerry L.
5/20/2008
Shhh... don't tell anyone that I'm out in the burbs eating. It will ruin what little street cred I have left.
Honestly, I don't make my way out to downtown Edmonds very often. This is coming from someone who was born and raised and Seattle and makes fun of anything/everything else not in Seattle. Call it my Seattle-snootie-ness. I heard about Olives and how it's the best place in downtown Edmonds to eat. My first impression was that it was cute, cozy and the crowd was senior citizen-ish. (Nice bar counter, dark decor and tables running the length of the restaurant.) I ordered paninni's to go.
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Italian Sub ($7.25) - Salami, Prosciutto & Provolone Cheese, Balsamic Vinegar Grilled on Ciabatta -
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Prosciutto & Gorgonola ($7.25) - Fig Compote Grilled on Ciabatta
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The sandwiches were good, not great. The menu looked yummy and I'd definitely would come back and give this place a try. -
Review from Garret J.
Mukilteo, WA
12/2/2010
Olives is a solid restaurant. As many other reviews have said here, it is expensive for what you actually get. My wife and I went there last weekend (not our first time, which should tell you that the food is good) and with two drinks each, two mains, one appetizer and sharing dessert we ended up at $122 after tip.
The portions are smallish but fair sized. The food is good, but I wouldn't call it great - a solid meal but you can get far better in the greater Seattle area for the same price. I had Sea Bass and it was pretty well done, which is a no-no for fish, but I would not trash Olives for that.
The 5-Star ratings here on Yelp are pretty questionable unless those diners don't get out much - sorry folks, but I have to tell it like it is.
At the end of the day, I would definitely go back once-in-a-while as I live relatively close to Edmonds and with the very limited decent restaurants north of 145th Street in Seattle, this is very good among its competitors. If you want a great meal, you're going to have to head into Seattle. -
Review from Rebecca R.
Seattle, WA
9/1/2010
Edmonds, you have a winner! This place serves up food that is worth the drive from Seattle!
I had the halibut (large portion) and it was cooked to perfection, the seafood bisque with basil oil and the homemade pasta side were perfect compliments to the luscious white fish. The portions were ample and satisfying, I guess that's what happens when you get outside of Seattle, you actually get what you pay for!!!
My friend and I lucked out as we went on Tuesday night and it is their half off select bottles of wine. The wine we selected with dinner was amazing!!! My friend had the Sea Scallops and OMG! can we say morsels of perfection??? Orgasm on a plate?!?! Yea, it was that good.
Dessert... My fave, coffee and donuts... a small bucket of delectable fried dough balls served with a rich coffee ice cream on one side and a luscious Mexican chocolate sauce on the other (tasted like Dilettante chocolate with cinnamon, yum)!
My friend and I rolled back to Seattle, with bellies full and smiles on our faces, looking forward to our next visit to Olives! -
Review from Natalie W.
Raleigh, NC
8/22/2009
Gorgeous interior with wonderful service and happy hour...
During happy hour there was about 5 white wines and 5 red wines for $5 and the noshes were $2.95. Choices ranged from Angus burger to Mediterranean spread trio to smoked salmon croquet. I also spied mac and cheese on the menu. The house menu had appetizer options, a few salad options, and less than ten entree options. One entree- gnocchi with corn and seasonal ingredients caught my eye- but we ordered a glass of sauvignon blanc, the spread trio, the salmon croquet, and the Salerno salad.
The spread was perfect with quality hummus, finely pureed tapanade, and a tomato feta topping with a few hard crackers. The croquet was two, english muffin sized, pieces of bread encasing a small mound of smoked salmon with a poached egg atop it all. The Salerno salad looked like finely chopped romaine with a few balls of mozzarella in it. The salad dressing was good, but over all it disappointed while the croquet was a small tasty few bites.
I like Olive's- the space and service make we want to come back. There are a few items on the menu I see becoming my stand bys- as it would not be the food that would draw me here but the wine and decor.
FYI's~
* Happy hour is from 4-6
* The lounge section is only separated from the restaurant by a half wall and metal decorative curtain- you do not have to use the separate entrance
* Happy hour wine was a generous pour -
Review from colleen b.
Edmonds, WA
5/7/2011
Great food, great service and great ambience. Michael (owner/chef) is always dropping by the table to say hello and is genuinely interested in your comments. He is a very talented chef and has a great sense of humor as well.
Great food, great prices and an excellent, professional staff. Loved Olives, love this new invention even better. -
Review from Tanya S.
Edmonds, WA
Updated - 5/6/2009
For Edmonds fine dining, this truly is as good as it gets.
Almost a year from my last visit, Olives definitely lived up to the hype that I gave to my sister - ESPECIALLY the crispy skin chicken breast with truffled macaroni and cheese. Stellar service and recommendations from William, as well as duck confit salad and dessert wine. Asking William for a recommendation between two wines, he steered us right to the Zolo Cab Sav and we enjoyed a bottle for two for the rest of the night. Seared Scallops with Bacon (mmm Bacon... I love bacon) and Spaetzel Ragout was DELICIOUS and I'm glad we got the small plate so we could save room for my all-time fav, Crispy Skin Chicken Breast. Needless to say, we walked in starving and left happily satisfied. Split every plate for us without asking (we like to share). On top of that, we licked, literally, every plate clean.
In fact, the waiter recognized me from my previous post on Olives (almost a year ago) and we talked a bit after our meal about the business and the credibility of Yelp reviews and users. It's refreshing to hear about a small business that values their customers' opinions and good customer service. +1!
Downtown Edmonds is definitely up and coming - if you are in the area and looking for delicious, refined dishes and hospitable service, you MUST try Olives before the rest in the area.
Next time - I'm going back for Happy Hour (either 3-6 or 4-6, I'll check next time). $3.95 plates of deliciousness and that makes this teacher-budget-friendly girl a happy camper. (note: closed Sun/Mon)Listed in: It's an Edmonds Kind of Day
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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7/31/2008
I never knew this place was here! I literally live five minutes away and only recently did I… Read more »
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Review from c y.
Seattle, WA
7/27/2008
Seattle had too much going on with Seafair events, so we headed north to Edmonds to a nice little wine bar called Olives. It seems we've been on a wine bar tour lately so why not continue it. This was our 4th visit to Olives, but the 1st since their remodel/expansion. Downtown Edmonds is a pretty cute place, Olives certainly adds to its charm. There's comfortable bar seating on the right side of the place and a number of tables on the left side, very nice ambiance.
As you'd expect a nice selection of wines by the glass or bottle, but not too many to become overwhelming. We enjoyed a delicious Oregon Pinot Noir from Airlie. Their food offerings are small tapas style plates and larger dinner plates. We samples 4 different small plates which made for a nice meal. The haricot vert, asparagus with a pea flan was amazing! Also thoroughly enjoyed their special bruschetta. The 2 pastas we ordered, a beef ravioli and a homemade fettuccine were a bit oversauced but good. The mustard sauce with the ravioli was an unexpected flavor from this dish. The fettuccine sauce a bit too rich for my taste. Other menu items looked great as they passed by. Next time you want a little get away from the Seattle, go to Edmonds and try Olives. Edmonds turns in earlier than Seattle so don't go too late in the evening. -
Review from Ashli B.
Mountlake Terrace, WA
8/9/2007
Awesome, awesome food! Definitely on the expensive side-and don't expect American-sized portions-but there is no where else I would rather eat in Edmonds.
Service has always been excellent and friendly, but be warned the place can get busy and is not very big (seats 20ish total, including the bar space). I have heard that they have bought the place next door and will be expanding, but I do not know when that will be.
Make sure to try and crab fondue and the baked alaska--both are delicious! Also, if you're a fan of the crisp, on-the-sweet-side whites, try the Three Brother's Riesling. -
Review from Amy K.
12/17/2008
DUNGENESS CRAB FONDUE. That's all you need to know. Local crab blended in with delicious cheese and toasty bread to dip to your stomach's content. How can you go wrong with crab, bread and cheese?! You can't and Olives doesn't!
We went to have dinner with some friends who live in Edmonds and decided upon Olives. They had been a couple of times but not since the remodel (it was JP's and my first time there). The place was pretty packed when we arrived after 8PM on a Friday night and were told it would be about a 10 minute wait so we cozied up to the bar. The girls went with wine and the guy checked out the local beers they had which were tasty.
Once seated so many things on the menu looked tempting. We decided as a group to share the fondue to start...great call! Two of us ordered the poached pear salads and the other two ordered the soup (which I don't quite recall what it was...pumpkin perhaps?), both were stellar. For dinner I ordered the sea bass, JP and the other guy went with one of the meat dishes and my friend had the Diver scallops. I LOVE the fact that you can order the entrees in a small or plate size. I wish more restaurants did that. We all ordered the small size and it was the PERFECT amount of food. Every dish was done well and we gobbled up every last bite.
Service was good, although aside from a large party in one of the back rooms the place got pretty quiet after 9:30 or so. Downtown Edmonds is decorated beautifully right now with all the holiday lights, so our dinner at Olives that night was like the star atop the tree...a bright spot in our day.
I would honestly head north again to try more of the menu at Olives. Not disappointed, impressed actually! -
Review from Alice L.
Edmonds, WA
Updated - 9/18/2008 1 photo
I swear this place just keeps getting better! They have expanded the space in here! Man what a fantastic business move! The decor is great, and the food, just when I think I can't be more satisfied, it gets better and impresses me more!:) My boyfriend, is a Steak lover, and he swears this is the best Filet he has ever had, it melts in your mouth, the way it is supposed to!
Rumor has it that they are well on their way to a full bar but more in the "night cap" sense, they are coming up with some culinary ways for their drinks as well! Creative juices flowing all around this place! love it, love it, love it!1 Previous Review: Show all »
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7/25/2008
They have been around for sometime and famous for their gourmet sandwich's which were delectable!… Read more »
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Review from Sam K.
Colton, CA
3/17/2009
Excellent place to be a wine snob at - of course I just ordered Manhanttans all night. It has the atmosphere of fancy restaurant, which I like every ONCE in a while.
Would go there again....
One star decrease b/c of the price. -
Review from Just Y.
Edmonds, WA
12/15/2010 5 Check-ins Here
I'm not a wine drinker - my dining companion loves wine. I've been very bossy for years over where we eat, and wine bars rank low on my list of destinations. I've been here three times in two week! To be fair, it's only been for happy hour - that $3 buck menu is the best deal in town, so be sure to sit in the bar between 4 and 6 (give the full sized burger or the steak bruschetta a go) . Good food, bartenders that are not only super friendly and quick on the pour but have fun letting you try out wines, and an atmosphere that relaxes you the second you walk in. Beer drinkers are somewhat out of luck; 3 taps of somewhat amateur brews from Gallagher's Where U Brew, but it is a wine bar and the selection could be so much worse. Dinner prices are a bit high, averaging $25 a plate, but at least it is tasty (give the Miso Glazed Chilean Sea Bass a whirl).
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Review from Emerald Z.
Seattle, WA
3/18/2011
Each time, the food has been superb. However, the same person, on every occasion, was our server and the service was lacking.
We ordered a pizza (it was delicious) but it took forever to arrive. Our server mentioned a couple times that he didn't know why it was late. Afterward, the chef/owner was speaking with us and said the first attempt had a hole and needed to be remade. That is fine - I get it. But tell us when it happens and apologize for the delay.
I ordered a beer just as the keg blew - no biggie. Our server replaced the keg, filled the glass and said he wanted to allow the foam to settle. Cool. But the glass remained under the tap, waiting to be topped of, far after the foam had settled. Several minutes. Meanwhile, he walked back and forth along the bar numerous times, passing the beer, chatting with other patrons.
We'll order pizza again, but it will be to go. -
Review from scott b.
Edmonds, WA
8/31/2009
My wife and I recently moved to the area and have been looking for a local place just like this*. We're very glad to have Olives nearby. It's a naturally hip and friendly place with an incredible wine selection and small or large plates of Mediterranean-inspired soul food -- not sure that's how the owners would describe it, but its what comes to mind. My wife requested the gnocchi for one of our shared plates and it was a pile of pillowy goodness. I'm always gun-shy of ordering gnocchi due to its hit or miss nature, but Olives nailed it. That's always a good sign.
* "...just like this" definition as it pertains to my wife and me: a moderately priced, casual but classy place where we can enjoy good wine and share a variety of thoughtfully prepared small plates. -
Review from Chuck W.
Edmonds, WA
3/13/2011
Olives changed its menu very recently. I thought the place was pretty good before. Not now. The menu is more limited -- personal-sized pizzas and a few pasta dishes. But it's a weird menu -- the food is reasonable but the wine relatively expensive. The overall experience when I visited last night was terrible. Waited 10 minutes for a waiter and then were mostly ignored all evening. Menus were slapped on the table and then left there until we left. Beet salad was tiny and seemingly glued to the plate. Pizza was soggy and unremarkable. Spent wine glasses were left on table after a new glass arrived. And stingy portions on the wine. This place has a very warm and pleasant decor and the guy who seated us was personable and helpful. After that, all downhill. I was very disappointed, will never return, and cannot recommend this place.
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Review from betsy b.
Lynnwood, WA
3/5/2011
Yes, it's a little pricey based on portion size, but everything i've tried at Olives, (now il Buffont?) has been delicious. Happily, they have a nice selection of salads and entrees for vegetarians. The wait staff is friendly, efficient but not hovering. Pleasant atmosphere, but i will say, last time i was there, it seems they were having a lot more fun in the bar.
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Review from David O.
Edmonds, WA
10/2/2010
Olive's Cafe & Wine Bar is a staple of the Edmonds waterfront. Our recent visit was overall excellent, with only some rough patches from our service.
We sat the wine bar on a Friday night. We started with a cheese course, and the cheeses are sourced from a local Edmond's store. The three cheeses we ordered were excellent, served with some flavorful, dense crackers, sliced green apples and walnuts in a port wine reduction. The cheeses were flavorful, the Camembert was delightfully stinky and full of flavor. The Tomme de Savoie has always been a personal favorite.
We split a large plate of Crispy Chicken breast. It was served with spetzel, red pepper and baby cabbage with browned butter. Perfection. That is the best way to describe the preparation of the chicken. Sheer perfection. If the chicken has been cooked 30 seconds shorter it would have been under cooked, it was perfect. Flavorful, seasoned nicely, the skin crispy as described, the chicken itself juicy, flavorful, and a gigantic portion (this was a large plate). My mouth is watering as I type this just thinking about it. The house made spetzel was well prepared and light. It could have used a little more seasoning but more of a nit than a problem. The baby cabbage leaves were flavorful and sauteed to al dente perfection.
I had a flight of Italian wines that was reasonably priced, my dinnermate had a single glass of dessert wine that she enjoyed.
There are very few negatives but the negatives that exist relate to service. Our server didn't make us feel very welcome. We had to ask for our "olives," a staple of sitting at the wine bar and there was this attitude of, "ugh, you're asking for olives."
We spent long periods waiting to either ask questions or take orders, even as the evening dinner crowd wound down. We don't feel this was the way Olive's is run, as other staff members would warmly smile at us as they raced by; I just think we ended up sitting in the wrong place.
If you've read this far don't let this deter you, Olive's is excellent and it is a high value for the quality you get. I would go back again, and I must know how they cooked that chicken! -
Review from P K.
Lynnwood, WA
8/22/2006
We were taking the inlaws on the town and needed a place with some decent wine and found a great place in Edmonds. Most of the wines are domestic and you can take a flight where you sample four wines from a region. When you sit down they bring olives from the crock to prepare your palate. The food was very good and we all sampled from each others small plates, (tapas). The place is a little small but comfortable and a line was forming as we left. They have happy hour and half price bottles of wine on Mondays.
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Review from Socheata T.
Seattle, WA
9/6/2009
When they say small plates, they mean small plates as in tiny, itsy bitsy small. You feel me? Ok, you probably don't but I paid almost $15 for two baby size tacos. And the quality factor? It was ok. The service was slow and that was because there was only 1 guy serving the whole restaurant who also was playing bartender too. It's doubtful I'll come back again :(
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Review from Linda S.
Seattle, WA
4/14/2009
Phenomenal experience! We enjoyed the fun drink menu and tried new and exciting cocktails. Also really enjoyed the food. Crispy chicken breast and the slow braised beef short ribs. Can't rave enough! Great setting and super service.
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Review from Mira H.
Edmonds, WA
7/8/2007
We just happened to end up in here on half price wine night, or our bill would have been enormous! The crab fondue is a must have. We kept order and loved every item. It's pricey but what do you expect from a wine bar. It's not 3 buck chuck. We are anxious to go in with a group of people. They only seat about 20 people so it'd be awesome to just rent out the place for a small party. It was a little slow when we went in so they were extra nice and paid us a lot of attention. I would go back in a heart beat!
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Review from SANDRA M.
Edmonds, WA
2/15/2010
Best food in Snohomish County. No contest.
When we moved to Edmonds we were skeptical as to whether we could find food as good as in Seattle, We did.
We have been there several times and the food and presentation is always spectacular. The small plates are a fun way to sample several things. Every fish dish we have had there has been cooked perfectly;. Seriously, the food is so good you may be tempted to lick your plate. Highly recommend the Miso Sea Bass, which they have a sustainable source for.
The servers could stand a bit of education of the food and work a bit on etiquette, but I'm afraid that is just the America way of service. (I have pet peeves about rushing to clear plates when others are still eating, etc)
The wine is always great but a little pricey, of course.
The food is well worth the price.
They make good use of the space while maintaining good ambience.
They do have a private dining room if you have a larger group. -
Review from David G.
Riverview, FL
8/30/2009
Among all of the tasty small plates is a macaroni and cheese dish. This dish doesn't have that iridescent yellow/orange Velveta but instead has Parmesan Reggiano, Gruyere cheeses with Braised Chicken. This some comfort food that you don't normally expect at a small plates/tapas restaurant.
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Review from Sara H.
Issaquah, WA
2/21/2010
I've tried this place a couple of times now and it's just ok. A dear friend *loves* it so we make the treck from the east side to edmonds so she can endulge her truffle mac & cheese fantasies from time to time.
Last night, we had a larger group than normal (9) and they were kind enough to give us the small private room.
This was great except, completley inexplicably, our waiter was, wait for it, the bartender. Really? They thought this was a good idea why?
We were seated at 7pm and finally got out by 11. That's right, this was a 4 hour dinner. Most of that time spent waiting. *sigh*
Any bright spots on the menu (very few, the food is just ok accross the board, except for dessert- where all three offerings I tried fell completley flat) was completely overshadowed by the sad service. -
Review from shelley l.
Edmonds, WA
1/3/2010
over priced and very little food. limited menu had gnocchi there was maybe 3 gnocchi all the rest was potatoes. Chilean sea bass was the size of a baby's fist. We loved it when it was small with small plates
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Review from John T.
Seattle, WA
11/4/2010
Great food, great service. Definitey a great place to try dinner sometime. Wine list is lacking but still a great variety. Will, great job
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Review from Sam R.
Monroe, WA
10/23/2009
Went to Olives last night for the first time, and I'll definitely be coming back in the future. Can't quite give them 5 stars (portion size vs. price), but the food was incredible! I've been told that they've expanded recently, so what used to be a small, rather cramped wine bar is now a much larger restaurant (with a full bar to go along with the beer and wine)!
Wasn't sure what I wanted for wine, so the server brought over a decent sized sample of an Argentinian red that was excellent, so I bought a glass. Then, we had two small dishes - a pasta and the garlic prawns - and one large dish - the Chilean Sea Bass (which is prominently labeled on the menu as coming from a sustainable fishery).
I've had plenty of good fish before, but that 6 oz. cube of sea bass was one of the tastiest things I've eaten in a long time. Perfectly baked so that the miso glaze was slightly caramelized on the exterior. I actually hate that I liked it so much, because it means that I'll have to order it the next time I visit, instead of trying some of the other great sounding items on the menu!
For a Thursday night, the place was about 2/3 full, so service and seating wasn't any problem.
Overall, a great meal, a great venue, and someplace I'll be taking friends and family when the come to visit.
One thing to note - they don't have any large signs out front, so you if you're not familiar with the area you'll have to look carefully for their storefront or you may drive past it.
