Bleu Olive — Restaurant in Durham

I attended an evening birthday party at Bleu Olive on Sat 4/2.

My meal: Moussaka - 5 stars Caesar salad - 3.5 stars Greek Mojito - 5 stars

Consistency of two friends' orders - 0 stars

Two friends sitting next to each other received drastically different calamari. One friend received hot, perfectly cooked calamari order. The other got COLD, overcooked calamari. How do inconsistent orders wind up on the same table? Did Blue Olive cooks and servers think we wouldn't notice or care?

Server's Customer service - (-5 stars)

We addressed the inconsistent food with the server.

First, he contested that the calamari was cold saying it had just been cooked.

My friend insisted that it was cold and sent it back.

It was refried and returned to her hot and more OVERCOOKED.

During our dessert order the server tersely talked over us to communicate that the kitchen was closing.

Our server also had an attitude when my friend requested the removal of the overcooked calamari from our bill.

He agreed to remove the charge....and he snatched the bill from my friend's hand.

My friend asked him if he was okay because he snatched the bill.

He offered a couple of EXCUSES including that he was in a hurry...and then ended his EXCUSES with a very disingenuous apology.

Manager's Customer Service - 0 stars

Next, I speak with a male manager who only offers robotic, performative replies to my concerns about the inconsistent food and rude service.

The manager says NOTHING that implies remorse or a desire to make the evening better for our birthday party of eleven guests so that we might return to patronage Bleu Olive.

Mind you, we paid 20% gratuity on top of the menu costs for subpar service and inconsistent food for a birthday celebration.

I won't be back.

Further, I encourage you to spend your time and money at a place that will care for you and your loved ones with excellence and integrity.

Final...

I didn’t even get to eat here, but I will say the food looks delicious and the reviews don’t seem to negate food quality, so I gave it 4 stars. We attempted to eat here yesterday afternoon, after being on a road trip for hours, and it didn’t go well. We walk in, on a Friday night at around 6-630, so I understand being a little busy, but there were tables both inside and outside that were available. Me(26), my sister(23), and my son(2) walk up to the front in our comfy road tripping clothes, see about 6 tables open(just in the main area) and we’re a 3 top so thought it wouldn’t be that bad. I am a bartender and my restaurant is a high volume, high speed restaurant, so I know how the seating and everything works. We were told that, after waiting 15-20 mins already, it would be at least 45 mins before they could seat us inside bc they had reservations coming in. I could count on one hand how many people came in that restaurant while we were waiting the 15-20 mins prior to being given a wait time. So after waiting a few more minutes and no more parties coming in, we left and went to the best little hole in the wall Italian restaurant right next door and was sat immediately. (Highly recommend them!!)

I’m not here to talk junk on a place that I didn’t get to eat at, but I am here to let people know to that they either don’t accept small children or they have a dress code of some sort. One of the two, is the reason we were not accepted into their restaurant, and it’s no big deal if that’s the case, but it should be posted somewhere and not just give B.S. excuses as to why you can’t sit someone. Be less judge mental against your patrons, it goes a long ways. Trust me. There’s also no changing table in...

Have had several dishes here so far -- lunch and dinner. The sandwiches were almost all superb, and the one I didn't care for was just a matter of taste -- as in it didn't fit my tastes but did others. Lunch items are all flavorful and I look forward to sampling the complete menu in the upcoming months.

We were going to order sandwiches for dinner and realized that the menu is different. Okay, lots of stuff that we were interested in. Everything that we ordered was extremely well prepared. Every dish we ordered was exceptionally well flavored. Why then the -1 star?

While the lunch dishes didn't seem to be over salted the dinner dishes were to a one, over salted. We will see if we can change this with a "no additional salt" request in the future. We would have been amazed with 1/3rd the salt so I am hoping that we can find that happy balance. This is probably a matter of local tastes -- the dishes would have held up on their own without the salt -- they were amazing.

Going to talk to the pork chop. Who roasts dates? Was that a wine reduction with the dates? I don't know but it was spectacular, juicy, and cooked to perfection. The underbed of rice (or was that risotto?) was moist and flavorful -- if not too salted -- but the chop itself was divine.

The calamari was bland at first, until you tried one of the two sauces and realized that they were meant to be paired. Regardless, they were cooked perfectly, not undercooked but certainly not rubbery from overcooking. A difficult thing for me to do so I know they know what they are doing. The white sauce was smokey and exquisite, the red sauce just spicy enough to say hello. The combination was sublime. Use...