#InauguralReview Introducing #WhiteOlive by #MikeKarim #AminHimani #AfshinHimani 39 West 55th Street
Owner Mike Karim with the Lavraki above and the Filet Mignon below!
They were each sublime.
Do not pass go and collect $200 without trying the Trenette Truffle!
It's not who you know, it's WHOM YOU KNOW and now we know Afshin Himani, owner of White Olive! Big surprise: we met him because Peachy loves to shop. White Olive is the hottest, newest restaurant to hit Manhattan in the last month and you heard it here first. It is a family affair when it comes to ownership: a trifecta winner-of-a-team, White Olive is also owned by Mike Karim, whom we met in person and worked with on our inaugural visit and his brother Amin Himini, Afshin's father. Just steps from fifth avenue, it is located at 39 West 55th Street. We don't recall ever going to this space before but you should know it is in the Shoreham Hotel on 55th before you get to sixth of course silly. They believe in sourcing local products and produce and the pictures and vendors below evidence this. White Olive opened on December 19, 2022.
Stunning!
We were impressed immediately with the cleanliness and the brilliant, classy, khaki decor. White Olive seats 70 for dinner with an additional 10 spots at the bar. We particularly like the window seats! White Olive is dedicated to Mediterranean cuisine, specifically concentrating on the countries of Greece and Turkey. Though their background is Indian, they choose to concentrate on this cuisine because of the high quality of their personal travels to Greece and Turkey and the name White Olive is indicative of purity and it is also a rarity. You know, like the Rod Stewart Album we reviewed.
We began with the Greek Salad: Organic tomatoes, kalamata olives, cucumbers, red onions, and barrel feta cheese teamed up for a symphony of freshness to greet us. Note if you are new to Whom You Know, you ought to know we never edit pictures. You excel like Mike Karim and family or we do not publish. It really was this radiant and fresh, and in the dead of winter too. As you know, Peachy is a Tzatziki enthusiast and she can confirm that the incarnation at White Olive, below, boasts greek yogurt, cucumbers, dill, garlic, fresh mint and evoo and we are told it is made fresh every morning and it certainly tastes like it is. We liked the heirloom cherry tomato accents also.
White Olive suggested we try the Melitzanosalata also above: Grilled Eggplant, parsley, extra virgin olive oil, lemon, garlic and feta cheese highlighted with fresh olives. It's another dip to desire and yes the piping hot bread basket is enchanting. Of course Peachy likes the white fluffy bread the best.
As we are traditionalists, we chose the traditional Mixed Green Salad as well. There are 3 salad choices right now on the brand new menu: the third one incorporates Blue Cheese so if you like Blue Cheese by all means try it. Guess who does not. The classic mixed green salad is composed of fresh garden greens, carrots, cherry tomatoes and comes with White Olive house dressing for everyone but Peachy, who is not a fan of salad dressing. They listened and both salads came without it as instructed.
They are incredibly proud of the Mezze section of their menu and after we tried five of them, it's obvious why. They suggested these four which came out in tandem. Starting from the top left going clockwise: Htipiti: roasted red bell pepper, feta cheese, evoo, lemon juice and cayenne pepper; this was quite zippy with a kick!, Tzatziki, previously mentioned and in our opinion the best of the bunch; White Olive Spicy Ezme: diced tomatoes, cucumbers, red bell peppers, onions, garlic, green apples, walnuts and jalapenos; another great flavorful creation!, and finally Girit Ezme, feta cheese, valbrasso cheese (these two cheeses go well together) mixed with pistachio puree, walnuts, parsley, basil, crushed red pepper and garlic; fabulous flavor and terrific texture.
Due to her towering presence of course, Peachy can relate to shrimp. (In case you lost your sense of humor, Peachy is undertall.) There are five appetizers right now to choose from and we chose Shrimp Saganaki: Baked Shrimp with barrel feta cheese, tomato sauce, ouzo, sweet paprika and chili pepper. We liked the scallion accent that arrived on the top of this one for both color and flavor. The ingredients were in perfect proportion to each other and this warm dish will light up your January night. The fish were fresh of course and they have seafood deliveries daily Monday through Saturday from Ocean Box.
We are of the opinion that Pasta is a food group and Peachy considers both carbs and gluten to be close personal friends. There are two pasta choices right now at White Olive, above: Shrimp Gnocchi. The perfectly grilled shrimp rests upon delicate, delicious gnocchi pillows accentuated beautifully with both sundried tomatoes and green beans, all luxuriating in a red pepper sauce. But what we really loved was the Trenette Truffle! Fresh cut Trenette Pasta (it is flat pasta similar to linguine and fettuccine) is perfectly tossed with parmesean cheese, portobello mushrooms and truffle oil in a creamy enticing roasted garlic sauce that cumulatively will silence you and absolutely enrapture you with its tantalizing quality of fabulous flavor. We absolutely cannot wait to eat it again, and Eloise you should know it is within walking distance of the Plaza and you will love, love, love it.
Trenette Truffle smiling at you!
From the land there are three choices right now and the Filet Mignon sounded excellent to us. It arrived as ordered: Medium Rare. The 8oz Filet Mignon is sourced from D'Artagnan! See the best of the best work together we think Ariane is fantastic: there she is with Peachy at the restaurant show.
So, the Filet Mignon leaves Ariane, goes to Mike and then to you and your stomach lives happily ever after. It's served on a bed of superlative mashed potatoes and asparagus and Filet Mignon doesn't get any better than this. Every bite is carnivorous heaven. You cannot eat this soon enough.
There are five choices from the Ocean and we aspire to try all of them over time. We started with the Lavraki, which we have a lot of experience with and we know it is a big Greek hit. The delicate mediterranean branzino filet arrives fresh from Ocean Box (we don't know them yet but we'd like to after eating this) is both high quality and grilled just right. Also it is a generous portion: unlike lesser venues that give you a sliver of fish and call it an entree, White Olive showcases their quality and excellence by letting actions speak louder than words as the majesty arrives in front of you. We also adore that it arrives in style with a salad so if bathing suits and resort season is on your calendar now, this is a great choice.
If you think it's too cold in January to eat ice cream, think again.
The Triangular Baklava Ice Cream Sandwich with real vanilla ice cream is a hit and the pistachio flavor is superlative.
White Olive impressed us on our first visit and we can't wait to see what they do next!
Their liquor license is expected by the end of the month, and we look forward to maybe eating a white olive some day at White Olive!
