Description: It was Easter Sunday and we were just wandering about trying to see what was open. As All'Olivo was, we went in.
It was not yet 7:30pm and we were the first people in the door. While we were unfashionably early, it meant we could get a table without a reservation. Later in the evening, they were turning people away.
The interior, which had polished dark wood, linen covered tables and light coloured walls, consisted of two rooms, but I didn’t really inspect it as we opted for the outside area which was enclosed in a tent as the air was fairly cool. (A few days later, we saw that the sides of the tent had all been pulled back.) The top of the tent has billowing fabric which gives it a more exotic and luxurious ambience than the word tent might convey. The tables are set with linen and the service is more formal restaurant style, although, we noticed a young woman who must have been the owners’ daughter getting pressed into helping although she was wearing a hoodie and not the black vests or blazers that everyone else was wearing. The diners were a mix of tourists and locals. While the staff looks rather formal, the place has a comfortable feel and dressed in our casual clothes, we did not feel out of place.
The menu is traditional Tuscan cuisine with a large number of choices. The day we went, there was also a special Easter menu. We ordered a bottle of Brunello di Montalcino from the good wine list. Because we hadn’t eaten much that day, I ordered Tortelli Lucchese as a primo and roast lamb leg for secondo. This is an insane thing to do unless you have a huge appetite. The traditional tortelli in Lucca is a circle shaped piece of pasta filled with meat, chard, and ricotta topped with a meat ragu which is more meat than tomato. Unbelievably rich, unbelievably delicious. I gave my husband two of the tortelli but ate all of the rest and finished off the sauce with the bread. The lamb was two fist sized chunks of lamb leg stuffed with whole garlic accompanied by roasted potato. I managed to eat most of that as well.
My husband had the thick Tuscan vegetable and bean soup followed by a roast loin of pork with roast potatoes and a puree of beans. Very filling and tasty. For dolci, My husband had panna cotta with strawberries and lemon custard, I had a charlotte gianduia, which is like a chocolate and hazelnut gelato. A nice twist on a traditional Italian treat.
The food at All'Olivo was so good, not expensive, and I kept thinking about the tortelli for a long time.
The restaurant is closed on Wednesday and for the month of February. The restaurant's website is at http://ristoranteolivo.virtuale.org/indexita.html where you can see photos of the restaurant.
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