Olivar Opens in the Loveless Building
Photos By Adriana Grant
This intimate little spot in the gorgeously historic 1930's Loveless Building has housed many restaurants over the years, from the original Russian Samovar, to the most recent, Coco La Ti Da.
The new Spanish-inspired restaurant Olivar (which translates from the Spanish as olive grove,) opened this past Tuesday, with a menu focused on small plates.
The murals, which date to the early 1930's are shown off to great effect in this newly open, sunlit space. Olivar possess a small dining room (and a small kitchen) but with the chef's resume, we can expect tasty things to emerge.
Born and raised in France, and classically trained there, chef Philippe Thomelin grew up with a Catalan grandmother, spent many years in Spain, and possesses a love of Italian food as well. He's worked his way around some of the most respected restaurants in town, including Il Terrazzo Carmine, Cascadia, Rover's, and The Harvest Vine; Thomelin ran a tapas bar in Spain, and this restaurant evolved out of his company, Olive Tree Catering. The menu at Olivar is slanted Spanish, with a clear French influence, and touches of Italy as well.
I stopped by yesterday afternoon for a preview, and tasted succulent lamb meatballs, a richly layered potato omelet topped with caramelized onion (as promised here), and a warm, custardy cherry clafouti. The menu will focus on locally-sourced, organic, seasonal foods, including chorizo with white beans, rabbit with garlicky pasta, and salmon dressed in Bernaise sauce.
At some point, Olivar hopes to offer outdoor seating, but that may be something to look forward to next summer.
Olivar, 806 E. Roy St., Capitol Hill
Open for dinner, Tuesday-Sunday
(206) 322-0409
www.olivarrestaurant.com
7 comment(s)
Woot says:
We have enough restaurants (all, now?) that focus on local, organic, and seasonal. To get attention one must produce stunning dishes from canned, imported, year-round commodities.
Posted On: Saturday, Jul. 26 2008 @ 7:36PM
Ronald Holden says:
Not from the 20s. Built in early 30s, decorated by Vladimir Shkurkin in 1933.
Posted On: Sunday, Jul. 27 2008 @ 7:12PM
d says:
i went to the soft opening last weekend. the food is awesome. great for the price. the rabbit was perfectly cooked. had some delicious croquettes with garlic aioli and a deep-fried pork appetizer stuffed with prosciutto and cheese. oh my god, so rich and yummy.
the space does look great, compared to previous incarnations. i look forward to going back!
Posted On: Monday, Jul. 28 2008 @ 12:06AM
Adriana says:
Thanks Ronald, for the clarification on the dates! The information I was looking at dated the building to 1928-30, though the Department of Neighborhoods offers this date range, in a listing for another historical site. (The entry has been updated.)
Posted On: Monday, Jul. 28 2008 @ 8:03AM
Marilyn Di Blasi says:
Please forward your New Years Eve menu to both addresses:
marilyncharlie@comcast.net
marilyn@salesmakers.net
Posted On: Tuesday, Dec. 9 2008 @ 4:07PM
Katya V Shkurkin says:
The original murals were painted by my grandfather, Vladimir P. Shkurkin, which were copies of Bilibin's art of Tsar Sultan, written by Alexander Pushkin. My grandfather also did the wood carving and the stained glass window for the original Russian Samovar restaurant. He died in 1990, but would have been very pleased that the murals have been restored and continue being enjoyed by the public.
Posted On: Monday, Dec. 15 2008 @ 10:43AM
George V. Shkurkin says:
In more detail: The murals are an adaptation of the illustrations by Ivan Yakovlevich Bilibin (1876-1942)for the 1907 edition of "The tale of Tsar Saltan, of his son, the glorious and mighty knight Duke Gvidon Saltanovich and of the beautiful Princess Swan" by Aleksandr Sergeyevich Pushkin (1799-1837).
Posted On: Thursday, Mar. 26 2009 @ 2:19PM