farrah olivia

Restaurant Series # 1 Farrah Olivia

Attendees: Natalie, Doug, Michael, and me

What is restaurant series? Just another way for me to experience the wonderful array of culinary hot spots this city has to offer. About once a month, a group of my friends and I will pick a restaurant and try them out. Then I'll come back here and talk about it. So without further ado, our first adventure...

I got a flavor of Chef Morou's concoctions a few months back during a Balducci's food demonstration. The tarragon soda and watermelon with wasabi sure did make an impression. And just from browsing through Farrah Olivia's website I knew at least the food would be pretty to look at.

When I decided to start this series, it was right after the restaurant week list was published. Good thing: Farrah Olivia was on the list. Bad thing: Would I be able to get reservations? We got a table for Wednesday evening.

The first thing I thought when I walked in: it's smaller than I'd imagined. The bar is tucked in a dark corner on the left before you get the to the hostesses' podium. The dining area, 25 tables at most, is separated from the rest of the area by a floor to ceiling wine shelf. Once we were seated at our table, I took a look around the restaurant and it felt like sitting in a large fish bowl. Not that I've sat in a fish bowl before. White lines climbing up the brown walls like seaweed, green circles hanging from the ceiling like algae, and large windows for passersby to look inside.

First came the rainbow of butters in a candleholder: tomato, pumpkin, tarragon scent, and bokchoy (tasted really green.) Then the amuse bouche, comment dit-on en anglais, to please the mouth. Somen noodles lightly tossed in aromatics with a raspberry sauce. I wanted to ask for more, but my silky cream of parmesan was on its way. It was like eating spoonfuls of cheesy goodness with a swirl of cinnamon scent skimming the top. The salmon was cut and rolled like a fillet mignon while the yucca couscous, shrimp essence, and a green (parsley?) oil decorated the plate.The boys particularly liked the cured quail which they completely devoured, leaving only a pile of bones. Desserts were absolutely devine. Chocolate, Tart, Spice, and Fruit Essence; simply delicious. As pretty as the dishes were, they tasted even better. Compliments to the Chef!

The food was awesome. The company was great. And my favorite part of the dining experience was when the server came around with a long thin apparatus, brushed away the bread crumbs that had cluttered the table. As we talked about the next restaurant to visit on this series, I looked around to see that we were the last table. One thing's for sure, I will definitely come back to close down the house.