Monday, July 9, 2012

the rebirth of Olives

Chef Todd English recently threw a party to celebrate his flagship restaurant located at City Square in Charlestown. Olives grand RE-Opening event was met with much fanfare and excitement. The original Olives which opened in 1989 was something of a legend in Boston. Having been closed since 2010, the space has been revamped to embody a rustic elegance, with a grand mahogany wraparound bar and a stunning open kitchen as the central focal points. 
Todd has partnered with Chile Extra Virgin Olive Oil which was a featured ingredient in many of the signature party bites. Beautifully prepared ceviche (tuna with avocado panna cotta and hake with cucumber and coconut milk) and a remarkable dessert of olive oil tres leche cake. Even the signature martini highlighted the olive oil by lacing it a top a fantastic concoction of shaken vodka, vermouth, basil, Cointreau, muddled orange and simple syrup. I arrived early to attend a tasting of the olive oil before the party began. It is definitely some of the smoothest, most flavorful I've had. It truly enhanced everything from the quail egg shooters (above) to the carrot and duck risotto (below).

After some mingling, drinking and dancing we dug into a lavish dessert bar. The sweets were abundant and incredibly executed, from rice krispies pyramids to wonderfully fluffy, decadently frosted cupcakes.
This was such a great night. I captured much less of all the details and the exquisite passed appetizers than you see here, I was mainly relishing the spirited energy with friends and bubbly. I love that the opening nearly coincided with my move to the neighborhood! I can't wait to return for dinner. 

17 comments:

  1. You got some amazing pictures! I'm sad to have missed this. Sounds like a lot of fun with some tasty bites!

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  2. Wow, your pics are gorgeous!!! So exciting to have a tasty restaurant right around the corner from you! Looks like fun : )

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  3. Ahh So sorry I totally forgot to write back to your email about this!! I couldn't go because I had a work event that night, but I was SOOO bummed I was going to miss it! I love Olives, and haven't been in years! Everything looks like it was amazing.

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  4. I heard this was quite the event! Your photos, per usual, look gorgeous.

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  5. Such a fun night! I can't wait to try some of the recipes at home

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  6. You really did get some amazing photos!

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  7. i went a couple years ago and need to get back - the food looks amazing!

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  8. Great photos! Looks like a nice little place:)

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  9. Great pics, and of course great to see you that night! I'm also very curious go back to try dinner.

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  10. This makes me think I should start buying a better brand of Olive Oil I usually just get the store brand cause I figured it all tastes the same.

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  11. I just love your photos, Daisy!! Sounds like it was a great night.

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  12. Great seeing you there! All those pictures of dessert make me sad I missed that.

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  13. It looks like they pulled out all the stops! I wonder if those desserts came from his daughter's cupcake shop.

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  14. I've been reading your blog for a long, long time Daisy and I just have to say how your photos keep getting better and better. Truly, this is a great post (I'm sure the restaurant is great too!).

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  15. Your photos are always stunning, but these are magnificent! A great way to be welcomed to your new neighborhood!

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  16. 3 Studies REVEAL Why Coconut Oil Kills Fat.

    This means that you actually get rid of fat by consuming coconut fat (in addition to coconut milk, coconut cream and coconut oil).

    These 3 researches from large medical journals are sure to turn the conventional nutrition world around!

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