Following months of delays, the Black Olive, an Italian/Mediterranean restaurant, will open this weekend in downtown Orlando. The restaurant is in the Plaza with an entrance off Pine Street.
The Black Olive has had a Web site presence for months, but construction has been inexplicably slow. The space, which was originally meant to hold a second location for Bolla, an International Drive restaurant that has since closed, has been transformed into a beautifully appointed dining room. We’re definately talking upscale.
The lunch and dinner menus are a tad upscale too, at least as they currently exist on the site. Someone at the restaurant when I popped my head in to get a peek told me the menu won’t be exactly as it is online but could be considered a guide.
The currently posted menu has lunch entrees from $19 to $32; dinner $21 to $35. I’m guessing those were posted pre-recession. I don’t think those will fly in the current economy.
The dinner menu lists such items as wild salmon, fire-grilled bronzini, and langoustine fra diavolo under the fish category, and Chianti-braised osso buco, Aegean-style lamb chops, and veal medallions stewed with tomatoes under the meats. But don’t hold me to any of those.
The Black Olive will open either Thursday or Friday — it’s all a little loose at this point. The address is 22 E. Pine St. There is a phone number listed on the Web site, but it does not answer as The Black Olive, so I’m loathe to give it out.