Eating at Olana

We had the pleasure of dining at Olana to celebrate our wedding anniversary this week. Partner/Owner Patrick Resk (who shares the responsibility with brother William) graciously welcomed us to his new’ish restaurant, which opened in February 2008.

The restaurant’s menu features both ala carte dining and several set menus. The three-course, prix fixe menu is a bargain at $48.00/person and offers three selections from which to choose for each course.

However, we opted for the Early Fall Chef’s Tasting Menu, which began with an amuse bouche of pork shoulder, followed by the first course of a local haricot vert and beet salad. Patrick suggested an Oregon (Columbia Valley) Viognier to match with the sweetness of the beets. The roasted octopus was joined by a white Rueda, blended from Verdejo and Sauvignon Blanc. The wine had crisp acidity and vibrant citrus flavors, but was elegantly clean on the palate in the way that it paired with the octopus, which was also accompanied by fennel and quinoa.

The next course, a trio of pastas, featured a risotto with roasted cauliflower; squash tortelli with rabbit ragout; and tacconi with lamb sausage. Beautifully plated side by side, it was a pleasure to enjoy each pasta interpretation, all of which matched nicely with a Nebbiolo from Italy’s Piedmont region. The Nebbiolo also carried us through the monkfish osso buco. The final savory was a spice glazed duck, which was paired with a Spanish red from Toro, produced from Tempranillo.

Our triple chocolate sundae included a bittersweet chocolate torte, cocoa nib ice cream and guanduja hot chocolate and was served with a tawny port. By this time, we were quite full, but enjoyed the last few bites we could manage of this decadent dessert.

This is definitely a restaurant worth returning to.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.