There is a particular hour — just after the lamps go down and before the room fills — when Olive & Ash is at its best. Candles lit, glasses polished, the kitchen humming behind the pass. We built the place for that hour.
We have always believed a restaurant is as much about the room as the food. The tall windows on the corner catch the last of the light; after that the candles take over, and the square outside turns into something you watch rather than walk through.
Behind the bar we keep things small and seasonal too — a short list of low-intervention wines, a couple of cocktails that change with the fruit, and whatever our bartender is excited about that week. Tell them what you like and trust them a little.
How to Spend an Evening Here
There is no right way to do it. But if you asked us, this is how we would.
- Start at the bar. Order a glass before your table is ready and watch the room settle into the evening.
- Order to share. Our plates are small and meant for the middle of the table. Get more than you think you need and pass everything around.
- Stay for one more. The last hour of service is the quietest and, we think, the loveliest. There is never any rush to turn your table.
A good evening works the same way every night and never quite the same twice. The room is fixed; the people are not. We light the candles, open the doors, and see who walks in.
Dining is and always was a great artistic opportunity. Study and love nature, it will never fail you.”
– Frank Lloyd Wright, 1959
Whatever the occasion — a first date, a long-overdue catch-up, a quiet dinner for one at the bar — there is a seat here with your name on it. We will keep the candles lit.