Oliva, Lower East Side
I’m always looking for a good tapas restaurant in New York. Pipa is one of my favorite restaurants in the city, even though the food quality has gone down, the service is most times pretty rotten, and the value isn’t so great. I feel like it might be time for me to stop being so charmed by the place and see what else is out there. (But the food is so tasty and the chandeliers so whimsical!)
So I tried Oliva a few weeks ago. Honestly, my feelings were “meh.” We only had two dishes so I might not have the full picture, but from this tiny experience I wasn’t blown away. I will give it points for friendly service, low-key ambiance (no gimmicks here!), and live music. Overall, I’d like to try it again, but I’m not in a rush to return.
Mango Margarita. Good. Priced at $8, I would get it again.
Calamari Bravas. I don’t know why I always order fried food. I always regret it. These were standard, but the “bravas” was more like a gob of mayo with some spices, not like my fave sauce at Pipa. Perhaps this is the authentic version, who knows.
Setas a la Plancha. A variety of mushrooms, tomato, and crispy potato. Tasty, but probably wouldn’t get again. Nothing special.
