Last weekend, as I perused the Wallyhood forums, I read about Golden Olive–the quaint, Greek restaurant that’s tucked away on 45th, next to City Cellars. After being closed for nearly two months for a remodel, Golden Olive re-opened last Thursday. Between the enthusiasm in the forums, a tip from reader Paul B., and Mr. Wallyhood’s review back in August ’09, I was intrigued.
The restaurant’s cozy atmosphere made me feel as though I was sitting in my own dining room, surrounded by family photos on the wall and the smell of dinner cooking in the kitchen.
We were greeted by owner Evyenia Haritos, who made us feel welcome and soon after she took our order, she explained the reason behind the remodel: On Sundays and Mondays, Golden Olive is closed for business, so on a Tuesday morning, when Haritos came in to prepare the soup for lunch and dinner service, she opened the door to find that water had been leaking from the upper level storage area for two days, which essentially flooded the entire restaurant.
Haritos had no choice but to close down and repair the extensive water damage. After waiting one month for the building insurance company to handle the mess, Haritos was finally able to start painting, order new furniture, and redo all surfaces that were damaged. There is now a different shade of color on the wall, new family photos hanging, and a new floor.
We ordered the Saganaki–Kefalotiri fried cheese served with warm pita, which was fried at our table (always entertaining for children and adults). This appetizer was rather simple, but gave the classic comfort of cheese and fried foods. I enjoyed a Spaghetti Myzithra (small plate)–spaghetti tossed in sweet cream butter and topped with freshly grated sheep’s milk myzithra. This dish was only $6 and I could only eat half. The Lamb Gyro served with fries was delicious and only $8. It’s always hard getting my son, who is a picky eater, to actually eat what I order; but he loved his spaghetti too. Golden Olive does not have a kid’s menu, but there was no problem with ordering a small dish of spaghetti.
As always, I made sure to save room for dessert. I’m a huge fan of Baklava, but had to venture out and order something different, and I’m so glad I did! I tried the Galaktoboureko–phyllo dough layered over warm custard, smothered in honey, cinnamon, and orange flavoring. All in all the experience at Golden Olive was welcoming, fast, and pleasant.
Our readers are glad you’re back, Golden Olive, and I will be adding you to my list of favorite Wallingford restaurants.
Golden Olive, 1712 N. 45th St. Phone: 206-547-0397
Hours: Tuesday-Friday 11-9. Saturday 12-9. Closed Sunday and Monday.
Thanks to Wallyhood readers latonajack and Paul B. for the tip!
It is a huge relief that Golden Olive is open again. I was so afraid that they had succumbed to the bad economy. My family loves the food there, but we rarely get past the appetizers. We just make a whole meal of salad and appetizers. The salads are wonderful – and huge. And the ambience is very cozy and homey – you get treated like family. Thanks for reporting on this.
Last Friday, we welcomed back a friend from her world tour with Champagne and appetizers from The Golden Olive. Called them in the morning, gave them a budget, asked them to use their discretion on the the appetizer selection, provided a credit card number and, finally, requested pick-up that afternoon. The order was ready as agreed displaying good taste in the selection and a selection, we soon discovered, that tasted good.
Actually, according to Annie Agostini (owner/operator for 40 years of Seattle’s downtown Crepe de Paris), the appetizers were excellent and she asked for a printout of the Wallyhood article. Seems we’ll be visting the establishment soon.
We knew about The Golden Olive only because my husband had read the Wallyhood article that same Friday morning.
Diane Cooley