Black Olive
Baltimore, MD 21231-3346
Phone: (410) 276-7141
- Price:
- $
- Cross Street:
- Shakespeare Street
- Hours:
- Mon-Sat 11:30am-2pm, 5:30pm-10pm , Sun 1pm-10pm
Editorial Review for Black Olive – by Rachele Lawton
The Scene
Housed in a small building on a quiet historic street in Fells Point, the Black Olive is almost obscured. Once inside, however, you'll experience authentic Mediterranean atmosphere and cuisine.
The Food
The menu is simple, with a variety of well-prepared entrees to make your mouth water. It'll be hard to save room after you've sampled the hot, fresh-baked bread brought to your table, but it's worth the effort. Whole fish are perfectly done, veal chops are large and juicy, and the octopus salad appetizer is absolutely superb. If you're looking for a light lunch, try the brochettes; perfect, tender cubes of meat skewered with sweet and tangy peppers. For dessert, Black Olive's carrot cake is delicious. Seasoned with Greek spices and topped with yogurt-coconut icing, it's a delightful revision of a longtime favorite.
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Insider Tips
The ExtrasYour server will fillet whole fish for you at the table and can even show you how to do it yourself for next time.
What to DrinkIf you're able to bypass the wine list, try the light, refreshing ice tea. Herbs imported from Greece put a unique, tasty spin on the classic beverage.
User Reviews for Black Olive
11/03/2008 Posted by meteeter
Nothing to write home about. Not sure why everyone raves about this place...mediocre at best. Nice atmosphere inside. Quaint Fells location.
07/12/2008 Posted by jcu111
I attended college in Philadelphia and then worked in New York so when it comes to food culture and fine dining I know my restaurants. I have been living in Baltimore for about a year now and go out regularly to the town's cream of the crop places to eat... I am a fan of Tony Foreman and Cindy Wolf's places due to the tremendous wine lists and the always perfectly executed food and of course Baltimore fine dining would not be complete without Spike Gjerde's Woodberry Kitchen and even the little known hot spot The Wine Market, all places deliver astounding cuisine and of course expert and friendly service with a crowd and an atmosphere that make the experience truly memorable, however The Black Olive is probably the worst place I have ever been too. The remarkable setting and the quaint dining rooms make for a wonderful first impression, and the fresh fish and produce set up, of course, adds to the first remarks. On the other hand, the service is less then accommodating and the assistance and the overall interaction is quite stale. The wine list is lacking in serious luster and shows no signs of being on Food and Wine's top ratings for the last 6 years, the staff is also pretty terrible at assisting in selections. The fish is mostly over-cooked to the point of being pretty awful and although I will never be able to eat a Dover Sole again in my life I am fine with that I would rather go to Kali's Court and order a properly filleted Bronzini with a wine list and an experience to put the Black Olive next to Wendy's on York Road. In conclusion, overpriced (coming from a guy who loves lavish food), out-dated and sincerely out-classed by more then 4 restaurants in walking distance. Save yourself a waist of money and spend it on a place that delivers great food, not an out-dated and pretentious place living off of its reputation.
Pros: Very exclusive and rare fish menu
Cons: wine list, service, over-cooked food, over-priced
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