December 31, 2016
Lancaster, California – I was in the area and saw that this place was one of the very few restaurants that would be open tonight. So I decided to bring my wife here for a spur-of-the-moment New Year’s Eve dinner.
Olives Mediterranean Café has two locations: Palmdale and Lancaster. The Lancaster site is located on what’s known as “The Blvd”, or Lancaster Blvd. for those not from the area. The speed limit through The Blvd is very low – 15 mph, I think – and it is enforced. Olives sits in a storefront and is easy to miss if you’re driving past, even at that slow speed. You’ll find it if you look on south side of street.
We arrived around 7pm. When we walked in, the hostess greeted us promptly and said, “Sit wherever you’d like.” Inside it was not nearly as crowded as I expected. There was one group of a dozen or so people, and a couple of other diners. The dining area has about 16 tables with chairs. The tables are covered by white tablecloths, which are topped by a sheet of glass. About a half-dozen paintings hang on the wall. One looked like a rendition of a scene from Cinque Terre as viewed from a covered terrace or patio.
Since it is the Christmas season, the place was lightly decorated for holidays, including a tree trimmed in green, white, and gold.
Music is usually featured nightly. Tonight, a lady was playing music on a keyboard. She played several, various tunes in styles ranging from Christmas to Classical to the classics. All the songs she played were instrumental; she did not sing. However, a vocalist did come up later to join her and sing a few songs.
Olives has a low-key atmosphere with very friendly servers. The selections on the menu are fairly wide-ranging. Healthy cooking is the rule here. Most of their dishes, including salads, are prepared using olive oil.
Last time I was here I had the Lamb Gyro. I figured I’d try a different dish this time. This evening’s fare consisted of Beef Lula Kabob ($13.99). I ordered a Merlot ($5.99/glass) to go with the kabob dish but forgot to note the name.
The menu advises diners to allow 20 minutes to prepare your order because it is cooked fresh.
The Beef Lula Kabob plate comes with rice pilaf, salad, hummus, grilled tomato and grilled pepper. That pepper is a jalapeño, just so you’ll know. Joining the meal is Lebanese pita bread, sliced in half, and served in a basket. All you can eat.
The salad was very crunchy. A reassuring characteristic of its freshness. It is topped with a light oil-based dressing that I could not identify. Nice and fluffy rice pilaf was a tad bit salty but otherwise good.
That hummus was delicious! It had some real flavor to it. Maybe it was the proportion of lemon juice and tahini that did it. It is served with olive oil on top and sprinkled with paprika. I can think of several things this hummus would go great with.
I skipped the tomato but ate the pepper. It looked completely charred. You might think that charring the jalapeño pepper might mellow down the heat. And you’d be wrong. The pepper I had retained its full strength. Trust me.
Kabobs bore the evidence of being slid onto a flat blade skewer, then grilled. You can really taste the herbs and spices in the meat. The kabob is cooked to about medium. Two kabobs grace your plate. I cut a portion of one, placed it in the pita bread, then dipped in hummus. I enjoyed the diverse flavors that came from that combination. A squeeze of lemon would take this up a notch. I’ll try that next time.
After sipping the merlot, I realized it did not make an impression on me. When tasting it after a bite of the kabob, it was evident that it was not the best pairing for what I ordered. Not sure what else to say about it other than I will have to try a different wine next time.
For desert I ordered Baklava ($3.99). On my last visit this was highly recommended by my friends. I see now why they suggested it. Freshly made in house, flaky dough, just the right amount of honey… Very, very good!
Their hummus was so good, I had to get a small order to go ($5.99).
If you have a craving for Greek or Mediterranean food at a very reasonable price, look no further. In my opinion, visiting as a couple or as a group makes for a more enjoyable experience. I say that only because you’ll have the opportunity for conversation to pass the time while your meal is being prepared. Dining solo? No problem, but I’d suggest bringing something to read while waiting for your meal.
Olives Mediterranean Café – 4.25 forks. Recommended. Catering and online ordering available.
Kanale Eats 