Mark’s Score 9.0
I am always on the lookout for authentic and unique dining experiences. When I dine at an ethnically inspired restaurant, I want the real thing, and not food tailored to American tastes. Over the past year, I have been working my way through the restaurants that line Talbot Street. I started at the Village Market and have been working my way toward Tilghman Island, which finally brought me to Olive Branch last week.
Peter Paris opened Olive Branch a little over a year ago. Peter owns “Our Greek Market,” a gourmet specialty market specializing in food items from Greece. Olive Branch represents the next step in Paris’ efforts to promote Greek cuisine by combining retail, a wine bar, and full-service dining at his St Michaels location. The restaurant focuses on sourcing food items from Greece, and using Greek recipes of simple classic dishes to create an authentic Greek dining experience. His mission is to create a “passport-free taste of Greece.”
It was one of the first warm sunny days of spring the day I visited, and indeed there were several people sitting out on their patio. But the dining room seemed so inviting, I just had to eat inside. The dining area has an airy Mediterranean feel. The light green walls, rough-hewn wood tables, huge windows and potted flowers on the tables just all came together to create a pleasant dining atmosphere.
They position themselves as offering simple and authentic classic Greek dishes, which are meant to be shared. So, I decided to go classically Greek by ordering an eggplant spread to start, followed by an order of beef keftedes. It seemed to me that my order was about as traditionally Greek as you can get, and I am a firm believer that the most difficult test for a restaurant is to order something simple. You know you have found a good restaurant if the chef can make the ordinary, memorable.
The eggplant spread was excellent, I ate far more of it than I had intended, but I am not sure it achieved memorable. But the same is not true for the keftedes, the keftedes were spectacular, starting with the presentation. The waitress set the dish before me and I thought, “this dish is too beautiful to eat, it is a work of art.” Food is the star in a restaurant, so I appreciate it when the chef puts in the effort to create a beautiful presentation. The presentation was simple, but elegant. On their menu they claim that the keftedes are simple but deeply satisfying. They were indeed satisfying, and the combination of presentation, textures, and flavors made the dish truly memorable.
Greek restaurants are far and few between on the peninsula, so it is something to celebrate when you find a restaurant that is authentically Greek. Olive Branch is the whole package, authentic, salubrious atmosphere, and memorable food. Olive Branch achieves its goal of providing an authentic and memorable Greek dining experience.
What else is there to do in St Michaels?
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