When GQ magazine called Anchovies and Olives the fifth best new restaurant in the country in 2009, I made it a priority to visit it the first chance I had. Located in a nondescript Capitol Hill building, the vibe has a serious New York feel. It's a little small, the tables are a little too close together, and the chatter is a little too loud. I loved it.
In all, we ordered four dishes, plus dessert. The first dish to arrive was soft boiled eggs topped with anchovies. The eggs were perfectly cooked... just hard enough to keep their form, yet soft enough to run down my chin. The anchovies did what anchovies do best, adding a salty/fishy flavor to the eggs. These were a real treat. Thankfully my friend only ate two of them, leaving me with four.
Our next dish was a simple plate of prosciutto. I'm not going to wax on too much about the prosciutto. It was very good, with ample fat (this is a good thing). Thinly sliced, it was an appetizer.
Our first 'main' course was potato gnocchi with pork and cauliflower. I much prefer ricotta gnocchi to potato, but it was fine. The pork was cooked in a style reminiscent of kalua pork. It was shredded, with a nice smoky/salty flavor, and very tender. Together, the sweetness of the cauliflower and saltiness of the pork mixed well with neutral flavor of the gnocchi.
For dessert, we had a "molten" chocolate cake. It was good, but not great. Would've been nice to end the meal a little better. But, the four dishes that preceded it were excellent. I won't hesitate to eat here again.
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