The Penguin’s black-ops ninja crew did some deep undercover work for this review. Thankfully, taste testing in complete darkness was one of the crew’s many combat skills.
The unrelenting darkness came courtesy of Olazzo (8235 Georgia Ave), a narrow cave of an Italian restaurant. The place was a study in contrasts. The dark (and I mean dark) bar and dining room, and their cool ambient grooves, suggested something daring, dangerous and alluring.
Compare that with Olazzo’s menu of chicken parmigiana, pasta primavera and lasagna. It was demure, safe, even unimaginative. That’s not to say the food wasn’t good — just not ballsy enough to match its setting.
For example, the mozzarella garlic bread ($6) was neither garlicky nor buttery, nor mozzarella-y for that matter. While the toasted bread loaf was crisp, its flavor came from subdued garlic powder diluted in melted margarine. The cheese on the loaf, while stringy, lacked any creamy flavor.
It was Texas toast, straight out of the freezer case.
Thankfully, the fried calamari appetizer ($8) saved the evening in a big way. The generous serving of tender squid rings had a light, crisp coating and arrived in an absurdly oversized martini glass.
The marinara sauce that accompanied the calamari was straight out of a jar but not offensive in taste. Dip if habit dictates, or enjoy the squid straight up.
Also pulled safely off the supermarket shelf was the house salad’s tart vinaigrette, which lacked any hint of lush, fruity olive oil; and the parmesan cheese condiment courtesy of Kraft Foods. It had parmesan’s salty kick but none of its bold, buttery flavor.
The Penguin’s black-ops ninja crew did most of its work dissecting Olazzo’s entrees. Penguin ninja Jimmy the What What found the penne pasta in his shrimp rose ($15) gummy and overcooked. The dish’s pink sauce — a tomato-based sauce with heavy cream — was thick as glue, he said.
Part-time Penguin ninja Silver Springer said his chicken parmigiana ($14) was moist, though the accompanying penne in marinara sauce was unremarkable. Penguin ninja David also found his spaghetti in spicy marinara sauce unimpressive.
Penguin editor Jennifer Deseo (read: me) performed covert operations on two different occasions, each time ordering a different entree. During her first visit (sans ninjas), the chicken cardinale ($14) was pleasantly rich and creamy.
Soft but not gooey penne was folded into a smooth pink sauce, then tossed with smoky and sweet sun-roasted tomatoes. Chunks of slightly dry chicken in the mix were small down notes, but not enough to endanger the meal.
During her mission with the ninjas, Deseo had the lasagna bolognese ($13), a creamy pile of ricotta cheese and soft noodles that actually contrasted nicely with the jarred pasta sauce. However, the bolognese element — a layer of ground beef — lacked sweet fennel or any other accent.
For dessert, the ninja crew agreed that Olazzo’s tiramisu ($6) was not in line with their ideas of tiramisu. Nonetheless, they enjoyed the moist cake and what they identified as a light, white chocolate frosting.
Deseo enjoyed the large cannoli pastry ($6), which had a light, bright and sweet ricotta filling accented with chocolate chips.
Overall, the service at Olazzo was quick and mostly courteous, though one ninja objected when a server reached over his plate as he was eating, or when his water glass was continuously skipped on the refills. Otherwise, the staff was pleasant and attentive.
Olazzo, 8235 Georgia Ave, Silver Spring, (301) 588-2540.
Updated Oct 17, 2007, at 9:12 p.m.
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Geez management get it together! We left our cell number and went to Quarry house to wait for our table since the bar at Olazzo was very crowded. We were called and when we arrived the hostess said we were 3rd in line but my wife showed that she was called and after a few moments of confusion we sat in the back dining area.
The waiter was nice but also a bit confused. I was expecting a dish of bread but since nothing was brought out I ordered the garlic bread which was excellent but still no drinks. The waiter claimed that the bartender was ignoring him and we were finished with the appetizer when two martinis arrived but not my beer. Once we finally all got our drinks a basket of bread arrives!
The menu was very limited and I ordered the chicken alfredo. It was rather bland with a large chicken fillet that reminded me of shake n bake laying on top. It was crispy and edible but a bit disappointing. The sauce tasted just like the can sauce from the grocery store.
I felt bad for the staff since they had to walk all the way down the hall to the front to get to the kitchen and bar so there was a constant train of staff dodging customers in the narrow hall and on the stairs. Overall the food was acceptable but not for the price and hassle of dealing with the bad management. The cheesy LCD TV fireplace in the dining room really gives you an authentic italian experience.
Skip it and go next door to Nicaro’s for a smooth service and excellent potato-crusted halibut or crab cake and hopefully Olazzo will improve with time.
I’ve eaten at Olazzo’s twice in tha last week and have plans to go next Wednesday. Yes, the menu is somewhat limited and the fake fireplace is a little weird, but service was great, I like the atmosphere, and the food was good. Last night I ate dinner at the bar. Katie, the bartender, was pleasant and engaging even though she was extremely busy – Tuesday is $5 martini night.
My only real dissapointment was the preshredded cheese. No flavor at all. Would be a nice touch to have parmigiana reggiano shredded from a block tableside.
All in all, Olazzo is a great addition to SS and I will certainly support the restaurant.
I ate at this place for the first time tonight. It wasn’t a horrible experience, but I won’t be going there ever again. I don’t like to go out to dinner and pay for food that I can easily make at home, and that’s all this food was… a few pasta meals you can make at home, but what you could make at home would likely be tastier. The food was average at that.
The menu was extremely limited and quite boring. I chose the Chicken Cardinale, which seemed to be somewhat unique. It was decent, but nothing I would ever order again. The chicken was very dry. The sauce was nothing special. There were no seasonings I could taste in the sauce at all. There was no fresh parmesan either and only the pre-grated from a can Parmesan, and it tasted horrible… really horrible. That is not what you serve in any top Italian restaurant. Sorry, but WTF?
The salad that came with the meal was nothing special either. It was just a few pieces of iceberg lettuce, some cucumber slices and a few rings of red onion. The house vinaigrette had no flavor or seasonings whatsoever. Jeez… I could make that at home too.
The bread was just decent as well, though it served with really bad olive oil (really really bad!) and balsamic vinegar, and it was just so awful that I had to ask for butter for the bread.
I had the Tiramisu for dessert and again… just decent. The chocolate syrup that is drizzled over it made it much worse though, as it tasted cheap like Nestle Quik chocolate syrup that you make chocolate milk with.
Overall the portions are fairly large, but I would prefer quality over quanity any day. I don’t go to out to eat so-so average meals. I go out to restaurants to eat scrumptious and unique meals that I couldn’t posssible make myself at home. This is not that sort of place at all. If you are ok with average… that’s all this place is.