Ovio...oh no!

[lemony]

i've been meaning to eat at ovio bistro on california ave for ages but didn't get around to it until last week. i was a fan of the former restaurant in its place (deux tamales) and have heard nothing but praise about ovio, including some strong recs from some of my favorite foodies and chefs around town. plus, it's right down the street from my home!

unfortunately, the experience was a bummer. three of us scored a nice patio table and settled in for some serious noshing. the two of us drinking lemon drops were pleased - the drinks were expertly made and to our specification (no sugar rim and on the tart side, please). perfectly muddled, these cocktails were fairly priced at $6.75.

our scotch drinker didn't have such good luck - first and second choice were no longer in stock, although still on the menu. he settled for some johnny walker black, which is just fine, really.

we ordered the cheese plate ($9.95), the blue corn-crusted calamari ($6.95), and the taleggio artichoke tart ($7.50). of the three, the cheese plate was the best - a nice selection of soft to semi-hard french cheeses, with a handful of almonds and some delicious, dense fig bread. the artichoke tart is a new addition to the menu and suffered from a dense pastry shell coupled with far too much taleggio cheese. the subtle taste of artichoke was horribly overpowered and the dish had an almost sour taste to it. i felt it was far too rich for a summer menu addition.

our very nice server raved about the calamari and noted that it was the dish they were serving at the bite of seattle this weekend so we gave it a shot. the calamari was of good quality and well-prepared, although the touted blue corn crust was nothing extraordinary. it comes with a house-made tartar sauce (not bad) and a delicious green chili vinaigrette.

one of my favorite chefs in town had raved about ovio's steak preparation so i was eager to order the top sirloin ($19.95). it was served with a potato onion cake and broccolini. i had requested it cooked medium; it arrived medium well to well done. the cut of meat was one of the worst i have received in a long time - tough and fatty with virtually no flavor. one of my dining companions remarked that it tasted like paper, to which i had to sadly agree.

the scotch drinker had the fried chicken ($14.95) which was definitely crispy - in fact, one piece was unacceptably burned. it was served with some delightful mashed potatoes, laced with cheese and copious amounts of butter. chicken makes me nervous so i declined a taste; the final word on the bird: "it's ok. kinda bland."

our third diner must have received all the spices in the kitchen, as she pronounced her salt & pepper scallops and prawns "over-seasoned." they looked beautiful, though, served atop a bed of buckwheat noodles. she abandoned her dish about halfway through, which was lucky for me as i could not stomach the flavorless beef and gladly took her discards. it may have been over-seasoned but tasted delicious after sawing my way through a hunk of overcooked cardboard.

our server couldn't help but notice my uneaten steak and we politely voiced our disappointment. i've worked in the service industry and currently tend bar two nights a week so i have a lot of sympathy for servers when things beyond their control go wrong. she was gracious and kind and returned with dessert menus, telling us the chef would like to buy us a dessert. we declined the offer, having already decided to head down the street to cafe zaffarango for the warm chocolate souffle, in hopes of salvaging the meal.

grand total for three before tip: $143.46. terribly disappointing and i left extremely unsatisfied. although i told our server we would return, i'm not sure i will. anyone have any experiences with ovio that could change my mind?

sheesh, i just realized how long this is....sorry! just had a lot to say, i had really been looking forward a good meal. still craving a good steak so i'm off to metropolitan market for a fine cut of beef to be grilled at home tonight!

lemony

[tsquare]

I ate there not long ago, for the first time. Not my neck of the woods. I had a wonderful evening and supper. Great hosts. Fanciful flavor combinations. I don't recall what I ate now, but I enjoyed it all.

Wondering if they were exhausted by the Bite production? Though that wouldn't explain the steak.

[sequim]

I was sad to see your report of Ovio because, as a place I've heard raved about, and also being just three blocks from my place as well, I've been wanting to go there. I've only been once for wine and appetizers. Maybe you should have been honest with the server, though. Let her know how you were disappointed, don't you think that would have helped them? After all, being in your neighborhood, wouldn't you like it to remain there and be a good place to go?

I'm interested in their special wine/food pairing dinners and have wanted to start going to these (especially the September one with the K vintner ) and I do know someone who goes to these and thinks they're wonderful.

So maybe as Tsquare mentioned, they were having an off-night.... since you live near by, maybe you should try them again, go by yourself and just have a couple things.

[reesek]

i'm a big fan of ovio. i think they can suffer from over-ambition - and especially at the price point they're at, it's probably not ok - but i cut them some slack and order accordingly for a couple of reasons.

1) the staff and bartender are wonderful - i've never had bad service and that's so important to be able to count on.

1.5) wine mark-up is very reasonable

2) in west seattle, there are exactly 2 high end dining places - and zaffarano (where i had a good meal last week) doesn't do it for me...it feels cold and corporate in comparison to ovio. i think the kitchen can be uneven - and i've had better meals during the week than on busy weekends - i bet the bite had a lot to do with kitchen fatigue.

they can overreach sometimes - certain sauces/preparations overshadowing the main ingredient...but they can elevate average to sublime enough that it keeps me going back. give it another shot lemony!

[sequim]

Have you been to La Rustica, reesek? Just wondering what you thought of the place. Aren't they considered high-end food? I've been there just once, but I love their location! And the food was good too although we only had steak.

[reesek]

i have been to la rustica - i'd totally forgotten about it...but i guess it misses my mark for 2 reasons - no reservations except for large parties and the complimentary salad. i know it's silly, but the salad thing bugs me. i usually get something different and tell them i don't want it... it feels so olive garden to me....a $15 plate of pasta is going to push the value envelope for people who have a small envelope - a plate of iceberg doesn't really change that imo. the reservation thing has burned me in the past so i can't think of rustica as a definite "go-to" - when my parents are in town or for a special occasion.

all that said - i think the food, in particular, the pastas, are excellent. the wine list is interesting and the courtyard is lovely.

it's a pretty, warm-feeling place and if my bf wasn't so dead-set against it i might have enough good experiences there to bump it up a notch in my ratings. (burned reservation issue was valentine's day a couple of years ago...someone took a reservation over the phone from rob but they don't actually take reservations so we had to wait for 2 1/2 hours in their tiny cramped adjunct space in february with no staff in there to ply us with wine. then they seated us at a tiny makeshift table next to the women's room and the food (predictably on v-day) was mediocre. it didn't matter, i didn't care, and it didn't totally ruin the night, but he'll never forgive them)

[sequim]

But you're asking Lemony to forgive and give Ovio another shot...

Do you live in West Seattle? I think it's the obligation of us west seattle-ites to help our neighborhood places to improve and perhaps some constructive criticism could have helped in both these cases. If you give them your criticism and they blow you off, well then, I can see why you wouldn't want to ever go back as they don't care enough to improve things....

[reesek]

sorry - maybe i wasn't clear - i do go to rustica - just not with rob (who i live with) because he's holding a grudge. since i can't get him to go (and he's really a very good guy - this is one blind spot) i don't go often enough to give them the opportunity to charm me into overlooking the flaws and adding it to my rotation. i have been without him - and continue to try to cajole him into going again.

i do live in WS and absolutely 100% agree with the need to support local business. i forget about rustica...and do think rob would like it if he gave it another chance in a less stressful setting. i'll make it a point. :)

[Ye-Ye Girl]

I've never really had anything at Ovio that I didn't like. Then again, I've only been there a total of three times, and I've always visited by myself, usually fairly late on a weeknight. That means I haven't gotten to try a really wide variety of entrees (no one else's plate to sample from), but also means I've gotten great service, as any crowds have dissipated by then.

[lemony]

thanks for the feedback. i totally agree with all the praise for the service because it was very good. sequim, maybe you missed it in my admittedly long original post but we did voice our disappointment and were completely honest with our server, who was very gracious and apologetic. based on other opinions, it sounds like we just had an off night. could be that they were still working out the kinks of the new menu.

i will give ovio another shot, as i agree that west seattle needs good spots and i do find ovio to be quite charming, despite our lackluster meal.

again, thanks all for the commentary!

lemony