Oliver’s Public House finally added lunch service about six weeks ago. The menu is a small but perfectly assembled array of delicious takes on otherwise-ordinary lunch items. For example, the hot ham sandwich ($11.50), which seems quite pricey, is worth it when you take that first bite and realize the depth of flavors from the swiss, roasted mushrooms, roasted garlic aioli and whole grain mustard.
I felt the same about the bluegill sandwich ($14), perhaps the best bluegill I’ve ever eaten–it’s light, tender and fried in a tempura batter topped with a precise amount of salt. Other lunch items include the three bean salad ($8), ratatouille & spinach sandwich ($9) and tuna bruschetta sandwich ($11). The soup du jour ($9) happened to be miso soup. It was very salty and densely packed with tofu and seaweed, unlike most miso soups. I also appreciated the slight spiciness.
Lunch also gave me a chance to try the non-alcoholic beverages. In my mind, you can’t go wrong with either the Bubba Watson ($5)–sparkling water with mint and lemon juice–or the Lee Trevino ($5)–sparkling water with strawberry shrub, Thai-rose rhubarb shrub and lemon juice. Both were refreshing and made me want to sit on a deck overlooking a lake.
The only negative part of lunch was the slow service. My dining companion and I were the first in the restaurant and first to order, yet it took 35 min. from the time we ordered to receive our food. I asked the waitress what was the reason for the delay, and at first, she was surprised there even was a delay (that’s not a good sign), but then she said the chips were freshly made (so apparently, it takes half-an-hour to make fresh-cut chips?). Thus, Oliver’s may not be a good choice if you have a limited lunch break (or don’t want to spend a lot, since it’s a bit pricey).
See more photos in our Oliver’s Public House Flickr album.
***
I feel bad for Le Petit Croissant. A wonderful bakery and cafe, it’s located in the same shopping strip as Le Tigre and Taqueria El Jalapeno (“le” and “el” is the apparent theme here). For some reason, the owner of the property closed off the entrance on Hammersley Road, which means you can only exit south on Midvale/Verona Road or enter the Beltline. I’m sure it will get worse as the interchange is rebuilt over the next few years.
Hopefully the inconvenience doesn’t stop patrons from visiting. I didn’t try any of the entrees, although the bacon-egg croissant sandwich and the quiche both were very tempting. Instead, I wanted to try the pastries.
Honestly, you can’t go wrong with any of the choices. For example, the chocolate chip cookie–which looks very plain–was immensely chocolately, and I savored every bite. The other cookie I had, the black & white with raspberry swirl, should satifsy most sweet tooths.
The shell of the croissant was slightly tough, but the rich, buttery taste certainly made up for it. Meanwhile, the scone and muffin were so–for lack of better term–tender. The muffin in particular reminded me of when I first ate a doughnut from an Amish bakery–it’s on a different level, not factory-like as you find in most stores. In other words, you will enjoy the baked goods here.
I’ve come to think of the recently opened Hop Haus Brewing in Verona as an oasis. Since it sits near the Military Ridge bike path, you’ll typically see bicyclists stop in for a refreshment.
Grilled items weren’t a hit, unfortunately. The ribeye ($19 for 12 oz., $25 for 16 oz., $33 for 24 oz.), while tender and super juicy, had a weird char taste, almost as if really old coal was rubbed on parts of the steak. In fact, the hamburger ($8) was the same way.
