Olives brings value-priced Mediterranean fare to Fort Myers

Olives appeared on the landscape overnight. One day, the little restaurant along U.S. 41 was the short-lived Country Harvest; the next, a Mediterranean mural adorned the front wall and a big, illuminated sign announced its presence.

Although this seems a risky time to launch a new restaurant, I'm betting that Olives' comfort fare, modest prices and aim-to-please staff will make it a success.

The building, which once housed a Village Inn and a Clock restaurant, was tired and worn looking, in need of a major update. Whether that happened under the current or previous owner I can't say, but it now boasts a cheery interior with faux brick walls, roomy booths and new tables and chairs with aqua upholstery. Although the oldies radio station playing Donovan, The Police and such seemed a little out of place, it wasn't a major distraction.

We were quickly seated and our server promptly showed up to introduce himself and take our drink orders. (You'd think this is a routine occurrence that's not worthy of note. I'd agree except that my recent experiences seem to indicate otherwise. A couple of weeks ago, we attempted to dine at a new Latin restaurant in South Fort Myers and were left to languish for 15 minutes before an Englishspeaking staff member came to take our beverage and dinner order. She delivered our drinks, then disappeared. We watched as other tables got bread, then food. No one came to our table with anything, including an explanation for the delay. Forty-five minutes later, we left in disgust. Although not quite that extreme, there have been other such incidents of late.)

Olives offers a variety of kabobs, including beef and lamb as well as this shrimp version. But I digress.

Olives' menu is a veritable tour of the Mediterranean. Dishes from the Middle East as well as Italy and Greece are represented. For starters, we tried the Lebanese specialty, kibbeh, and a Greek classic, spanakopita.

I can't recall seeing kibbeh on the menu anywhere locally and it's a shame because it's a terrific dish. Olives does a fine job with it, making a subtlely seasoned ground beef mixture, coating it with bulghur wheat and frying it into a miniature football. Three

arrived on a plate along with slices of fresh lime, a sprinkling of parsley and strips of pink-hued pickled rutabaga. The kibbeh was satisfyingly crisp with a fragrant, finely ground stuffing. I can see why the Lebanese consider it comfort food.

A square of spanakopita, Greek spinach pie, is available as an appetizer or entree at Olives. The spanakopita was a traditional rendition of this Greek dish, with creamy layers of spinach tucked between whisper-thin sheets of phyllo pastry. As an appetizer, it comes with diced tomatoes, onions and cucumbers, a couple of fiery peppers, sprinkles of paprika and parsley and the decorative rutabaga. It was a lovely and lively presentation.

A shrimp kabob entrée featured two skewers of well-grilled spicy shrimp as well as a delicious mix of fresh red and green peppers, zucchini, onions and cabbage in a savory tomato sauce. Thick wedges of roasted potatoes (rice pilaf is the other option) finished the well-filled plate. Warm pita bread was served on the side.

A Greek sampler contained the same vegetables and potatoes framing squares of spanakopita, moussaka and pasticcio. Perhaps because the three were heated together, the spanakopita's phyllo arrived a bit wilted. The moussaka, a layered casserole consisting of eggplant, ground lamb and béchamel sauce had good flavor but the bottom was overcooked. The pasticcio, which is a Greek variation on lasagna, contained macaroni-style pasta topped with ground lamb, cheese and white sauce. It was liberally seasoned with garlic and oregano, which enlivened the milder ingredients.

Kibbeh, fritters made with ground meat and bulghur wheat, are staples of Lebanese cuisine. The roasted potatoes were good, too, except in a couple of spots where the skins had been over roasted.

Olives offers desserts such as Key lime pie and chocolate cake, but we wanted something authentic and made on premises. On this night, the kitchen was out of a couple of items so we agreed on baklava. The triangular wedges our server delivered were large and thick, with layers of phyllo, stuffed with nuts, cinnamon and honey. This was a somewhat dry version, however, that would have benefitted from the customary honeyed syrup with which it's often served. And, by the way, the pieces are large so one serving is likely to satisfy two diners.

The service staff isn't plentiful but those on duty worked hard to make sure everyone was well attended to. I could hear people at other tables remarking on how much they enjoyed their food and the manager inviting them to return and bring friends. The servers even handed out postcards good for discounts and free desserts on return visits.

Granted, there wasn't any wine or beer on the tab — since Olives serves neither — but the bill for two appetizers, two entrees and two desserts with portions large enough that I took home leftovers — was $51.

Olives has a few minor inconsistencies to work out, but it's only been open a few weeks, so that's to be expected. Its management is clearly intent upon giving customers good value at a time when that's more important than ever. This newcomer is off to a promising start.