Hello blog. I've been neglecting you and for that I apologize. I am going to try to continue updating this site on a more regular basis, but lately money has been tight and we haven't been eating out very often. Which if the amount of business my restaurant has been doing in the past 6 months is any indicator, seems to be a similar situation for a lot of people.
Tonight was Kim's grandmother's birthday so we headed off with her brother to meet her family at the Olive Grove Restaurant in Linthicum, MD. My first reaction when I was told where we were going for dinner was "ugh great, another generic Italian place." I'm quite happy to report that my experience was actually anything but generic.
We started off with an order of oysters on the half shell. I'm always interested to see the differences from place to place when it comes to oysters, especially this time of year when they are in peak season. Remember, if the month has an R in it, you're good to go! The Oysters were fat and flavorful. I didn't get a chance to inquire where they were from, but they were good so that's all that really matters. My only complaint with them was that whoever had shucked them didn't bother to run the knife underneath the meat of the oyster to disconnect the muscle that holds the meat to the shell. This made eating them somewhat awkward. There were also only five oysters to an order, which I found odd seeing as they normally come by the half dozen or dozen, but they were good, so who cares.
On to the mains. I ordered the Seafood Orzo Medly which was described as "A teste of Italy! Tender shrimp, mussel meat, calamari, clams and octopus over orzo pasta." What I was served was pretty much exactly what was promised and all of the seafood inside was delicious. There was some crab stick in there too, which I thought was a little strange, but hey I like fake crab meat. As you can see from the picture, this dish could certainly benefit from a little more love in the presentation department, but the great taste is what will leave a lasting impression. I am not a huge fan of Orzo, and I think I would have preferred the dish over pasta, which I'm sure they would do on request. All in all I was very happy with my decision.
Kim ordered the Ravioli a la Oscar which was "Jumbo raviolis stuffed with Prosciutto ham, asparagus and cheeses. Topped with creamy jumbo lump crabmeat sauces." When they say topped with crab sauce, it should really read "we dump a ton of lump meat all over your plate." Wow that is a lot of crab meat! I was also extremely pleased to see that they make their own pasta in house, so many run of the mill Italian restaurants just boil some frozen bag Cysco garbage and throw it on a plate. The texture of the ravioli was perfect and the sharpness of the ham made for an excellent contrast to the creamy crab topping. It was an excellent dish.
If it weren't so out of the way for us I think I would go back to the Olive Grove regularly. One thing that should be mentioned were their crab cakes. I saw when we walked in that they had several awards for best crab cakes hanging on the wall. I thought that had to be impossible considering the famous G&M's is nearly across the street from this place. Well, someone at our table ordered the crab cakes and I wish I was able to take a picture of them. These things were bigger than my fist! I will definitely have to go back to try them.
If you happen to be in the Linthicum area, and are in the mood for above average Italian fare, I would highly recommend giving this place a try!
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