By Alexi Zentner
Photographs by Katherine Bish
The Pitted Olive is a rare example of a restaurant underselling itself. Billed as a deli, market and catering option, it’s also a darned fine place for a real meal.
In or out? Eat in, because the warm colors and cozy space make for a fun, neighborhood-style date—or take out, because, aside from the fixed menu, the appetizers, entrées, side dishes and desserts, offered in a rotating selection, are designed to be brought home. Put the food on your own plates and tell the family that you slaved away at the stove all day.
Hot or cold? Want hot? The Italian sausage sandwich, featuring a house-made sausage patty, grilled onions, peppers, roasted-tomato sauce and mozzarella on herb focaccia, will make you plan a return trip. Want cold? The market-veggie wrap includes grilled portobello mushrooms, roasted peppers, zucchini, Roma tomatoes, artichoke hearts, field greens, feta cheese and a tomato-basil dressing. Not sure? The prepared items in the deli case change on a regular basis, but all can be eaten hot or cold. Featured items one night included a horseradish-Dijon– crusted pork chop (big as a brick), “Mom’s” meatloaf (complete with little hatch marks from the grill) and eggplant cannelloni.
Why or why not? The food is good, interesting and fresh. The only knock against The Pitted Olive is that the service, though friendly, is not the quickest (to be fair, the place had been open about eight weeks when we visited and still seemed to be working out some kinks). But owner Michael Holmes, who has cooked at some well-known local restaurants, has put together a fun little venture with a distinct, warm, neighborly feel; during one visit, several customers were greeted by name, and some were even asked, “The usual?”
5815 Hampton, 314-832-6548, www.thepittedolivedeli.com. 8:30 a.m.-8:30 p.m. Tue-Sat.
