The Black Olive - UPDATED!

4/17/09
I went back as promised and I'm glad I did. It was so much better this time. I had a Greek side salad which consisted of mixed greens, tomatoes, onions, feta cheese, and their homemade vinaigrette. It was delicious. I love homemade vinaigrettes and theirs was great. I also had the dolmades and a platter of Greek spreads. The dolmades were perfect. They were really tender (I'm not a fan of the really chewy, stalky grape leaves) and served with tatziki. The platter also had tatziki on it in addition to a red pepper/feta spread, humus, and a garlic potato spread. All the spreads are homemade and served with pita points. They were all outstanding. I can't wait to order the platter again. So revisiting The Black Olive has made me a full blown addict. I think I might go for lunch today...


4/11/09
The Black Olive recently opened in Armoury Square on Clinton Street in Syracuse. They feature Mediterranean food in a modern bistro setting. Many of my friends have tried the food and loved it. I unfortunately can not say the same. I had an order of falafel and baba ghanouj. I ordered the falafel despite being forewarned of it not being very good. I decided I had to try it my self to be sure. It was very dry on the inside and not crispy on the out side. It seemed like it was cooked at too low of a temperature. There was also something gritty in them. Every few bites I would get something gritty in there, and I couldn't figure out what it was. I was also really disappointed with the baba ghanouj. Typically I love this stuff. I have made it myself at home several times and it always turned out better than what The Black Olive served. Theirs was really oily and lacking in flavor. The service at The Black Olive was great though. They were very friendly and knowledgeable. The pricing isn't too bad either. For 9 bucks I got an ice tea, the falafel and baba ghanouj and left a tip. I will most likely try this place again as I did not try their grape leaves and those are a favorite of mine, and supposedly they have amazing Greek salads.