Olivero — Restaurant in Wilmington

The service and ambiance are lovely. The drinks were fine. To put it mildly, the food was very disappointing, especially given the hype. Truthfully, the chef is innovative enough to conceive of a really interesting menu, but not skilled enough to execute on it. Here is the run down of what we ordered:

Fig with sea salt and olive oil- the dish was good. The sea salt and olive oil balanced nicely with the warm fig and slightly spicy sausage. It was the best thing we ordered, which is, in itself, an indictment of the place.

Beneight w mortadella, fontina, hot honey- this was bland and poorly composed. I see what they were trying to do- salt, fat, acid, heat but none of them fully came through, which left us with a bland goopy mess and a leftover pile of deli meat.

Toast point with strattiatella- the dish was served deconstructed, with toast points topped with the daintiest of dollops of tomato, and a ramekin with melty cheese. Unfortunately, the cheese separated and curdled, so while the bread was nicely charred, we were forced to choose between eating plain toast or lumpy toast.

Beet salad- I love beets paired with a salty cheese. This particular dish included zaatar, which I also love. Problem is, zaatar is also salty and when you pour a quarter cup of it over 5 thinly sliced beets and a generous helping of feta, the result is a total salt bomb. It was only edible because we had a fantastic server who diligently refilled my water as I guzzled it down.

Tortelloni- the sauce was fine, the pasta was fresh, but the braised beef filling was too salty. They served about 8-10 tortellinis, typical for a restaurant at this alleged caliber, but we didn’t finish it because it was just too much salt.

Musakkhan- this was by far the saltiest dish, to the point of being inedible. It was also slightly burned. Aside from a spoonful of salt, it is hard to imagine eating something saltier. We didn’t finish it. As an aside, mussakhan is a sumac-centric dish and there was no sumac flavor whatsoever.

After leaving we had to stop and buy Twix bars to get the salt taste out of our mouths. We definitely will not be returning.The hype and the rating are confusing, but unfortunately, the restaurant scene in Wilmington is so lacking, that we are all desperate, even if it’s lackluster, overpriced food, as long as it has a good vibe, good drinks, and good service - we still will not...

Update-Wow, we don't usually go out for New Year's eve dinner. @olivero_ilm did not disappoint. The pre-fixe menu was fantastic and we tried one of everything. It was so nice to taste everything and they had a drink pairing that was so worth the price. We had 2 cocktails and 3 wines to pair. I was so lucky as a foodie to sit at the kitchen counter and watch all of the action. The pasta course were amazing with the tortelloni and butternut squash being plate licking. The beef cheek stracciatella was creamy and fall apart delicious. The salad was light and fresh with a lemon vinaigrette and crispy little cheese nuggets. The entrees were amazing. The NC fish was grilled over an open fire as we watched, served with a wonderful bean and parsley sauce. The duck confit was so perfectly crispy with blended flavors from the cabbage and tahini. The dessert was amazing. Watching the marshmallow being toasted by a piece of firewood was so cool and it was so crispy with a pool of videri chocolate surrounding it. The beignet was crisp with a light pistachio cream and a lovely orange flavor. It was a wonderful experience and I'm so grateful we did it.

Enjoyed dinner last evening at this recently opened restaurant. Very vibrant decor with a bustling atmosphere. A lot of tables with plenty of room between and even kitchen bar seating to watch the cooking. The drink Moonstone was bright and citrusy, paired well with all of the food. The pickled shrimp was light and briny with the olive and anchovies. The Beignet with mortadella and chili honey was wonderful. The beignet was light and fluffy and the spicy honey paired perfectly with the creamy fontina cheese. One of the best and most unique thing on the menu is the lasagna with octopus bolognese sauce. So perfectly cooked with great octopus flavor along with chorizo and a light whipped ricotta. Highly recommended. The Mafaldine with crab and corn was cooked al dente and had a lemony sauce that made me want to lick the plate if no one was looking. Perfect portions to be able to enjoy all of this food. Can't wait to enjoy more and new dishes that...

There’s nothing like an impromptu dinner that makes you commit to coming back for more! Such was my experience during my first visit to Oliver! It was an ordinary Thursday, just after a light rain and I was hungry. I had been on a walk and spotted Olivero after passing by dozens of times.

Upon walking in, I immediately felt a bit odd as I was severely under dressed. The place was quaint, jazzy, with an elegance appeal. I decided to dine at the bar but ended up at the grill area. I appreciated the enthusiasm of the waitress and greeters. It was genuine with a southern flair of ready to serve. My first, and only, drink was a cocktail! Before sipping, I eyed it suspiciously because of the huge ice chunks. However, I was pleasantly surprised because it was strong as ever and remained that way until I finished it.

I can’t say enough about my waitress. She was attentive, thoughtful, and very professional.

I ordered a 4-course meal including dessert! I was very joyful after the first bite of the crab appetizer. Oh my! These light weight balls filled with crab and cheese made my toes curl. I was dining alone and was happy I didn’t have to share.

Next was the beets salad. It looked too pretty to eat. I was so full from the drink and appetizer at this point that I could only taste a few bites and let me just say “Wow”!!! My waitress noticed I was struggling to finish, and graciously packaged it to go.

Next up, the fish entree! Man it melted in my mouth. I gobbled down this dish as the fusion of flavors tantalized my tongue. I was already full at the first bite but decided I must have dessert. So after a few bites, it too was packaged to go.

My last course was a peach cream cheese dessert. Yes, two bites and it too was packaged to go. All I can say about this is YUMMY, Yummy, YUMMY!!!!

So as I finish up this review, a day after my Olivero encounter, I am heading to those packages! So happy to have visited this establishment! Everything was on point and...