Whoa. This came on fast. I mean, first, there was a conversation about some cava and then a tasting, then I got married, then the honeymoon and, well, here it is, damn near the middle of October already and I find myself only a day’s notice to what I think is the most impressive display of grace, character and intensity in about any sparkling wine I’ve ever tasted. Absolute beauty. These cava’s ain’t cheap but a sip will tell you they shouldn’t be. Señor Alex Bautista from Recaredo will be here to pour and thrill you with stories of love, adventure and passion! Well, ok, not sure about the love, adventure and passion part but, hey, you never know… He will, however, most definitely be pouring what I think are the finest cava as well as some of the finest bubbles I’ve ever tasted. And I’ve tasted bucket loads, let me tell you. Oh yeah, he’s got a big ol’ mamma-jamma of a Cabernet for you to put lip to as well!

Look, last-minute notice aside, if there is any way you can make it to this tasting you most definitely should. Seating is limited so rsvp at jerry at olivia-austin.com

Here’s the lineup and the menu:

Wait! There’s More!

Man, the hits just keep right on comin’! First, we get your Spanish all on with the incredible cava tasting one week then we help you get your Brooklyn on with a stoopid lineup of fine beers from the Brooklyn Brewery the next! Not only that, but Mr. Garrett Oliver, brewmaster extraordinaire, will be on hand to regale you with thrilling tales of love, adventure and passion…

Well, again, you never know.

What I do know is that he’s the author of The Brewmaster’s Table, and the foremost authority in the United States on the subject of traditional beer. Really. I read it here in his biography. What I also know is that both Chef Holmes and I, at seperate times, subsisted on Brooklyn Lager when we lived in NYC. For me, not having access to that beer was the only hard thing about leaving New York. And what I also also know is that he’s gonna be here to pour and share his love for beer, food and tales of love, adventure and passion!

Here’s the lowdown as well as the lineup:

Hello.

When was the last newsletter anyway? June? July? It’s been awhile, for sure. And, though I wouldn’t call this a 100% bonafide newsletter, please know that a full-on-all-the-bells-and-whistles-attached-genuine-article Olivia Newsletter will be coming soon. There’s just so darn much to tell you guys about all that’s coming up…like this beer dinner and some wine thingy and, well, lot’s of stuff.

The purpose of this brief, very brief missive is to inform you that Olivia will be closed this Sunday evening, September 13th, for a special event. We will, however, be open from 10:30 to 2:30 that day for the finest brunch on South Lamar between Hether and Oltorf, with everything being back to normal on Monday.

We hope this doesn’t inconvenience anyone and, as always, look forward to seeing you soon.

Thanks,

Olivia

May…? Already!?

And it’s almost over? What happened? I remember when an hour use ta be a full 60 minutes and a day lasted, well, all day. So, here we are with just a hand full of days left in May with this, our second newsletter, and I thought I’d start it off with a photo of the folks responsible for Olivia. Both Olivia’s. That’s Cristina, mom to Olivia the 3-year old as well as the other Olivia, on the left. That would be Little Ms. O there in the middle with a mouthful of some of the best fried chicken ever put to watering lips, and the man, the legend, and all around biggest Willie Nelson fan, Chef James Holmes on the right. Good people. Cute as a button kid. There are many reasons to go, or not go, to a restaurant. These people are some good reasons to come to Olivia.

And then there’s all that fried chicken… Sunday Brunch only, you know.

Got a lot going on with what’s left of this month so let’s get to it…

So, wanna come to a beer dinner?

And not just any beer dinner. Oh no. This one will be hosted by the fine folks, brewers and rascals all, from Blanco, Texas’ very own… Real Ale Brewing Company!

Monday, June 1st, on the patio, from 7pm…
…until the beer’s all gone, the food’s all et and you’re too full to do anything but just sit there and smile like a simpleton.
James & Morgan are whipping up a taaaays-tee beer-friendly menu (Sausages, Mussels, Beer-braised Pork Belly…) incorporating beer as a major ingredient. Real Ale beer, of course.

Think of it, there you sit – a soft June sky fading into evening and a zillion stars blink awake to twinkle and dance above your head while generously-piled plates of fine food and draughts of great beer are placed before you as the brewers of such elixirs extol the virtues of what Benjamin Franklin is oft mistakenly reported to have said about beer being proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy (actually, he was speaking of rain and what it did to the grape which hangs on the vine and in short order becomes wine…).
But he probably said it while drinking a beer. Anyway, is that living or what? 5 courses, $50 per person.

Seating is limited so hurry up and shoot me an email to reserve your spot!

This stuff don’t make itself, y’know…

It takes a whole lotta work to create a thoughtful, inventive and outright mindblowingly-drool-inducing menu every day. But, before this kitchen can even think about what they’re gonna cook, they gotta make the things to cook. Morgan whips out her hand-crank bigolaro (pictured left extruding bigoli pasta for my new favorite pasta dish in the whole world – bigoli pasta with amatriciana sauce) and cranks out all these lovely noodles which she made from simple, pure, quality stuff.

This is a whole kitchen team. Everyone counts and is counted upon to help make magic. James and Morgan and Sarah and Jacob and Rick and Shannon and Tyler and Jeff and Enzo and Esperanza take all these beautiful works of nature and create something to be proud of each & every day. And, even though I am always hounding them to get me the menu before 5 o’clock, I am impressed, always so very impressed with what they come up with.

Here’s what Morgan has to say about what’s going on in the kitchen right now:

“Boggy Creek Farm is supplying us with lots of spring onions, fresh carrots and kale, but spinach and arugula are on their way out! Tomato season is upon us, maybe another couple of weeks until it’s full-on! We are making mozzarella for when they are ready. Our garden is giving us some peppers right now as well as some squash and cucumbers…then our very own tomatoes! Don’t fear the swine!!! The Richardsons have some of the finest pigs in the land and we have the finest of bellies and chops they provide. Want to discuss our new desserts?? Yum! Jacob’s making capacolla and tasso. Sarah’s making crawfish pie and beautiful pates. I’m exploring the endless world of gnocchi. Thunderheart bison!”

Well said, Morgan. I’m hungry…

Dang, it could almost be Italian…!
2004 Domaine Leon Barral Jadis $63

I love Italian wine. So much so that for years I neglected many a lovely wine from any place that wasn’t Italy. This was deliciously brought to my attention a couple of years back when a wine buddy introduced me to Domaine Leon Barral. These beautiful wines hale from Faugères – a beautifully lush, undulating countryside located 50 miles due north of the Mediterranean in the Languedoc/Roussillon region of Southern France. Wine maker Didier Barral seems to be a man possessed with producing some of the finest wines in France and doing so in an area which until recently was considered the redheaded step-child of French wine regions. His wines are rich, robust & fragrant in ways not usually found in the wines of the area.

Produced biodynamically with each wine made from different combinations of native grapes; Syrah, Mourvedre, Grenache, Cinsault & Carignan, Domaine Leon Barral makes only red wine and damn too few of them. And rarer still if any at all make it to Texas. Maddening as hell, I tell you. Anyway, the supple basic Faugères sets the tone for what the wines are about, the glorious Valinière (which we just sold the last of the 3 bottles of the 2001 vintage we were able to get) is just about as sexy as any wine should ever be, and the Jadis which bridges, stylistically speaking, the two.

Made mostly from Carignan (50%) & Syrah (40%) & a dash of Grenache, the 2004 Jadis is one exquisite bottle of juice. Aromas of coffee, asian spices, cocoa, & something darkly sinister with a tight (dare I say lean?) palate. A vigorous decanting opens the wine considerably exposing a roasted meat/bacon thang percolating just below all this blackberry, sweet anise & a delicate whisp of lavender. Confounding my senses, at once dark & brutish yet a delicate floral & feminine quality seems to subdue the wine just enough to prevent it from leaping from your glass, poking you in the eye & making off with your date. Call me what you will but am highly attracted to such Beauty & the Beast wines. A powerful, amazing, athletic wine; more a gymnast than a linebacker, yet with cords of sinewy muscle, this wine is everything I ever loved about Italian wines – but it’s French. In short, this wine ain’t for everybody. Which is good ’cause we don’t have enough for everybody. As I mentioned we only received 3 of the 2001 Valinière (now gone) and we only have about 10 bottles of the ’04 Jadis on hand – with the possibility of maybe another six. Maybe.

Come ‘n git yo’ love…

Tricks with Food…

Well, it’s no trick, really. We just wanted more reasons for folks to pay us a visit; come in, sit down, take in the lovely surroundings and feast upon some seriously good victuals without emptying their wallets…

Here’s what we came up with: A $38 Prix Fixe Menu. Every Sunday, Monday & Tuesday evening we highlight selections from each day’s menu – appetizer, salad, entree – and put together what should be a lovely, yet reasonably-priced three-course menu (four if you count the house made ice cream or sorbet) for 38 bucks.

Trust me, you won’t leave hungry.

This kitchen, just like your momma, simply wants you to eat well & be happy. And perhaps meet a nice girl.

The Olivia Happy Hour…

I believe it could be said that every hour spent at Olivia is a happy hour, but, rather than just say it’s so, might we back up this claim by offering 30% off our bar menu, $1 off all beers and 30% off featured wine?

Every Sunday & Monday – 5-close, and every Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday from 5-7.

Featured Wine:
This week (May 24-28)
*Anything $35 and Under
Next week (June 1-4):
*Grenache
June 7-11:
*French Whites

Have Wine Will Travel…

I believe it’s been mentioned that we like wine. We like odd, not always familiar, sometimes hard to find, rather limited wines (take a peek). We’re not trying to be cooler than anybody else (our next door neighbor is a porno shop for Pete’s sake! hmm…I dunno, maybe that does make us cool) it’s just that we like wines that like food but don’t need food to be loved and we work hard to find them and try to price them pretty darn fairly.

That having been said I know some folks out there have bucket loads of wine back at the house. A wine fridge or closet or full-blown cellar stuffed to the bejeezus with so much wine, most likely Californian, just settin’ there all lonesome and wanting some attention. It’s not our nature to deny folks much and this has been one area where I, as chief wino, have been loathe to explore. Most of you have been somewhat understanding. Yet, there is all that wine setting there at home and I get that, every now & then, you’d like to bring in the occasional bottle of something special, something you know and love.

So, starting Monday, June 1st you will now be able to bring your own wine into Olivia. But, not without us establishing a few ground rules first. Let’s call it The Bringing Your Own Wine to Olivia Policy. This is how it’s gonna go:

1st-Call Ahead. Let us know that you want to bring in something special and if there’s an occasion, i.e. anniversary, birthday, etc. behind it. We like to know these things.

2nd-$40 Corkage Fee. Per bottle. There will be many reasons why we would waive this, most notably if you’ve called ahead and you want to bring that 1962 Haut Brion you’ve been hanging on to because 1962 was the year your daughter was born, or the year you got married. Things like that. Or we might waive it just because you’re a really nice person. Or you could just…

3rd-Bring One/Buy One. I think this is fair, especially since we do work hard to find wines that not only pair up nicely with our menu, but are, all-in-all, pretty reasonably priced. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that this is a business and, as such we’d like to stay in business. While we are not making a killing off the wine we sell, we are trying to make something. Besides, if you buy one we’ll waive the corkage.

4th-Take Care Of Your Server. Tip on the wine you bring. 20% seems fair. Your server is working to make everything go splendidly so take care of them.

5th-No Yellow Tail… I’m certain I don’t even have to say this, but, you never know.

There. That’s not so bad, is it?

Whew! Man, that is one long bit of newslettering. Thanks for taking the time to read it. And, heck, there’s still a bunch more to go over!

We’ll get to it the next time, which, if I can get a handle on this time-racing-by-like-a-rocket thing, should be early June-ish. Click here if you would like to receive our newsletter.

Take care & hope to see you soon!

Howdy.

Thanks for taking the time to read the very first Olivia Newsletter. The idea is to send out one of these a month to keep you in the know about what’s cooking at Olivia. We’ve been planning on doing this since, I don’t know… last August? But, a few things got in the way. Opening the restaurant. Cooking the food. Laundry.

So, we’ve been a little busy. We don’t mind. Our first 8 months have been something of a success and we have you to thank. Thank you for helping us keep doing what we love to do. And we love doing what we do more than you know. There are things to tell you.
Let’s get to it. And, again, thanks.

Speaking of brunch (weren’t we?)…

…if…
…for whatever reason, you have not been to Olivia for Sunday Brunch… what, may I ask, are you waiting for? A ride? Let me tell you something, this is, and I’m not saying this ’cause I work here, this is the best brunch in town. Period.

So, seriously, if you haven’t, you should. Those of you who have, you know.
Sunday’s from 10:30 – 2:30

See you soon!

Doing Olivia on the cheap!

Here we see Morgan as she wheels in more pots & pans to get ready for our new $38 prix fixe menu we’re starting this Sunday. Yep, every Sunday thru Tuesday we will offer a 3-course prix fixe selection which you simply choose from that evenings menu. Appetizer, salad, and entree and we wrap it all up with one of Sarah Jordan’s stoopid-good ice creams for a mere 38 bucks! And won’t be no sparrow-sized portions neither. Nuh-hunh.

James & the kitchen are jazzed about this & you should be too. Value never, ever tasted so good!

O’s wine o’ the week

We like pink wine.
A lot.
Not only does it suit our weather & our food, it’s also so dang tasty! If you don’t, or rather think you don’t, like pink wine you gotta stop in soon to wrap your lips around some of the lushest, most juicy, delicately spice-kissed & deliciously dry pinks you never knew existed.
“Oh, reaaally?”, you ask. Really.

We have always had a nice selection of pink juice on our wine list but, over the next few weeks, our cup will truly runneth over with so many new copper, salmon, ruby & rose-colored jewels. Such as the gem pictured above:

Cantine Salento’s Rosa del Golfo.
Made from Negroamaro & a pinch of Malvasia Nera Leccese, this wine hales from the craggy-shaped heel of Italy’s boot – Puglia. I have loved this wine in the past but a few years back it just vanished. When I heard a limited quantity was made available I was tickled, uh, pink.

This 2007 showing is, I think, my new favorite wine – aromas of fresh rose petals & crushed raspberries, dusted with cinnamon & a gush of lush red fruit floods your mouth while tiny tongues of soft spice dart all across your tongue. All this at such a highly reasonable price is almost too good to be true!

$5 a glass & $20 a bottle for as long as it lasts!
Needless to say, we bought all there was which was 5 cases.
At this price you can afford to see for yourself that there’s a lot to like about pink wine.

links to more Puglia:
Food
Travel

The Olivia Happy Hour…

The bargains keep right on coming! We’ve expanded our happy hour from every Sunday & Monday 5-close, to include every Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday from 5-7. If you don’t know, the way it works is we knock 30% off our bar menu, $1 off all beers and, AND, 30% off whatever wine we choose to feature that week!

And, this week is all about the white wine. Sparkling. Sweet. Still. Spain. Italy. France. Cali. Washington state. It matter’s not as long as it’s a white wine!
Now, what’choo think about dat?

Next week (4/12-4/16): The Reds of España!

You should know that oodles (a wine term meaning lots) of delicious new wines from some of the dandiest producers from the world over are just pouring in! Being surrounded by so much good juice has us all singing the glory of the grape! Great Golly! There’s joy in that there wine!
Here, take a peek…

Ya’gots’ta grows it before you can cooks it!

If you’ve paid a visit lately, perhaps you’ve noticed something of a change taking place to the lovely green space out back. We’ve planted a garden (that’s Sarah there tending to some basil or possibly planting some serrano’s while, Tasso, the flightless, winged garden pig, keeps a metal washer eye on things). Now, this is a full-on, 100% working garden which, in addition to the aforementioned basil & serrano’s, should soon provide a bounty of thyme, oregano, peppers of many persuasions, tomatoes (beefsteak & better boy), radishes & mesclun. All of which will find their way one day to your dish.

In the meantime, now that we have enjoyed a bit of rain, Chef Morgan returns, most mornings, bags overflowing with a host of seasonal greens from Boggy Creek and the luscious lambs from Loncito’s Ranch has Chef Holmes in a near state of giddiness. All is well here. Tasso thinks we’re in hog heaven.

Well, that’s about it for now. Thanks again for taking the time to read our newsletter. Apparently, you have some time on your hands. That’s nice. But get all your work done so you can come on down tonight and treat yourself like royalty. And, it won’t cost a king’s ransom neither.

Hope to see you soon.

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