OLV

A few days ago I broke up with one of my favorite restaurants on this blog. Now I'm just about ready to move in with a new one. I may be in LOV with OLV.

Alright, so the name is kinda ridiculous. And it's in the new SODO shopping center right by Tar-ghay and TJ Maxx. (The fancy Target where you park on top of the building and your cart has it's own escalator. Seriously, the cart escalator is right next to the people one. So you can keep you cart in sight at all times.) But get over it. This place is really, really good.

I stopped by with a friend for a quick dinner last weekend not really knowing what to expect. The website is a little, well, cheeky, telling us readers that OLV is "more than a cafe. It's what you believe it to be". So, officially, here's what I believe it to be:

A Wine Bar that has a small selection of excellent food. Kinda like TRP is a Gastropub. I guess we could call OLV a GastroWineBar? GastroVin?

I started with the Chevre Salad: Greens with Mango, candied Pecans and an Orange Honey Vinaigrette. The Vin was fantastic-a great balance between fruity sweetness and acidity. My salad was perfectly dressed and had the addition of Beets (which I loved! But you know the rule....if it's not listed on the menu, don't add ingredients!).

We also split one of the small plates: Diver Scallops with Manchego Cheese Polenta and a Spanish Olive Tapenade. And I would officially now like to invite our server from Harmoni last week who tried to convince us that Polenta should be served cold to join me at OLV. Seriously lady, meet me. I'll buy. This Polenta was melt in your mouth delicious. Rich from the Manchego and covered in the Tapenade, I was quite happy to eat this. The Scallops were perfectly seared and combined well with the other elements of the plate.

Lastly, we split a Cheese Course. I know what you're thinking..."Whatever, Cheese." but check out this selection: Stilton with dried Apricots (my personal fav), Goat rolled in black and white sesame seeds, Drunken Goat, Manchego, Fresh Mozzerella, Boursin and a smoked Cheddar. It also had a few slices of cold Duck and Prosciutto covered in a Honey Glaze.

We arrived during happy hour and each had a glass of Chenin Blanc/Viognier blend from CA before dinner...and then split a Verdejo during dinner. Bottle prices are listed as retail so there is a $10 corkage fee for wine consumed on premise. Besides that I was quite happy with the overall value on both the food and wine.

I really hope this place does well. If they keep turning out food of this caliber I imagine they will be getting more and more busy as time goes on. But at least if you have to wait for a table you can do a quick run to Target!