Comments on: Dining: Olazzo

By: Donna Mc.

Donna Mc. — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 04:19:30 +0000

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.

By: Tony

Tony — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 15:23:51 +0000

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.

By: Joe

Joe — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 15:10:24 +0000

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.

By: Alexa O

Alexa O — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 08:05:58 +0000

You clearly had an agenda. The mozzarella garlic bread, red sauce, and salad dressing are all homemade. The martini glasses are epic. The rose sauce is their most popular sauce. It’s an amazing restaurant with delicious food. You should be ashamed of yourself and your 10th grade journalism class writing skills. You and your lack of talent hide behind an awful lot of adjectives and terrible comparisons.

Editor’s note: Thanks for your comments, Alexa. I’m sure my tenth-grade journalism teacher appreciates your thoughts, too. — JD (Nov 12, 2007)

By: Easley

Easley — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 22:32:55 +0000

Some of the comments on this thread boil down to making a truckload of excuses for a local business simply because its local. Sorry, but for me personally at least, I’m going to patronize resturants that serve me a great experience well worth my money. And if that means going to a chain rather than a local business, so be it.

By: Ted

Ted — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 18:06:04 +0000

“Damn Vegans”, i should put that on a t-shirt and sell it! Anyways, Jen can write what she wants, I just wont be here to read it anymore….

Editor’s note: That’s your prerogative, Ted. — JD (Nov 7, 2007)

By: Springvale Roader

Springvale Roader — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 17:01:37 +0000

We went to Olazzo’s last night and had a good time. First, it’s very accomodating to us damn vegans (there were four of us). Second, I love that the interior looks like a place for grown-ups and avoids the, “you can clean baby barf off it really easily!” decor of most of the Hellsworth Drive dumps. I also liked the tacky fireplace video.

To be honest, having been a waiter myself, the waitstaff there seems a little green, but they were friendly and responsive, which is what really counts. I look foward to having this place around for a long time.

By: Woodsider

Woodsider — Sun, 04 Nov 2007 01:20:23 +0000

The fake fireplace is intentionally tacky and meant to be tongue-in-cheek. They have the same thing in their Bethesda restaurant and I think it’s a great way (in this uptight town) to say lighten up.

By: WeCanDoBetter

WeCanDoBetter — Sat, 03 Nov 2007 04:36:36 +0000

I also ate at Olazzo tonight. The calamari was very good. Very tender pieces of squid served on a bed of lettuce in an oversized martini glass. I had one of the specials of the day- tilapia with risotto and some sort of marsala/mushroom sauce. I didn’t particularly care for the sauce- too thick and it overpowered the tilapia. What I could taste of the tilapia was good and the risotto was also good. I did not care too much for the house salad. As “David” mentions above, the salad was served with a tangy vinigrette and I thought that it was a little too tangy for me. The cannoli, however, was very good.
The service was good and the wait staff was friendly. The place, however, is TOO DARK. One of the joys that I have when having a meal is to actually see what I am being presented with. I could barely see the food on my plate. Also, they have a hi-def tv in the back with a video image of a fireplace with a roaring fire. In front of the tv is an actual fireplace grate. Very tacky looking. Drop the roaring fire image and bump up the lighting.
Overall, I did have a good experience at Olazzo. I do need to say that the group that I was with were contemplating whether to dine at Olazzo or Nicaro. The major factor in us selecting Olazzo were the prices and the food selection. Nicaro is very expensive and the exotic dishes on the menu just didn’t appeal to us. Also, Olazzo was packed with people while Nicaro’s had about 2 people at the bar and maybe 2 couples in the dining area. I would like to see Nicaro prosper but I fear that the prices that they are charging may be outside the range that most people who frequent Silver Spring are willing to pay. I am glad that Olazzo and Nicaro are in the neighborhood and hope that both will be successful businesses.

By: David

David — Sat, 03 Nov 2007 00:33:38 +0000

My wife and two year old daughter and I ate at Olazzo tonight. The service was warm and friendly though it took a long time for our entrees to arrive. The house salads were no-frills but good: a simple bed of lettuce with some cucumber, red onion, and a tangy vinigrette. The entrees were nothing to write home about. Lasagna Bolognese was heavy and too salty and the veal picatta was large leaden, rather than thin and light as a good scallopini should be. We skipped dessert as our daughter was getting antsy.

Three more positive notes: the interior rennovation is fabulous and almost made me stop piniing for the prior tennant, the Half Moon BBQ, the wine list seemed good, and the prices are reasonable.

When we left the bar and front room were teeming with people talking and having a good time. Although the food was middling, this place is a great addition to the commercial strip along Georgia Avenue and a higher quality alterantive to Macaroni Grill and Mama Lucia.

I hope that the stores along Georgia Avenue can continue to serve Silver Spring’s diverse socioeconomic community. Right now the strip between Thayer and Silver Spring includes Olazzo, Nicaro (another high end restaurant that recently opened) and the boutique clothing store. The strip also includes a pawn shop, a radio shack, a wig store, a paint store, an art supply store, and some down home mexican and salvadorian joints. This strikes me as a good mix.

What really needs a shot in the arm is the other side of Georiga Avenue between the same blocks.