Ever since we first visited Olio e Piú in 2017, we’ve become a massive fan of the restaurant. We returned again shortly after, and the experience was as great as the first time. When my family was visiting, I thought they would love this spot too. So on a rainy day, we headed over for lunch. They always had a nice outdoor seating, but after the pandemic, they outdoor seating was more prominent, covered, and filled with greeneries. The greens extended into the indoor space, which made the beautiful space even more beautiful and wonderful.
We decided to get a couple of their non-alcoholic cocktails, Pinamenta ($11) and Frutti di Bosco ($11). The Pinamenta is made with Pineapple, Mint, Lemon, and Club Soda. It was sweet with pineapple, refreshing with mint and club soda. The acidity of lemon balanced out the sweetness very nicely. Frutti di Bosco is made with Strawberries, Cranberries, Lemon, and Club Soda. It had a beautiful red color from the fruits, and lots of chunks of strawberries which we loved. Both of them were pretty great drinks!
The server brought us some bread with olive oil and several olives on the side. Every time we dine here, we get different kind of bread and sides…how interesting. Maybe this is how they serve the complimentary bread now. The bread was nice and soft, fluffy and tasty.
For food, we decided to order completely different types of dishes. So, we got pizza, fish, and pasta dishes. They all looked glorious! I noticed they now have their own plates with Olio e Piú on it. I understand that this makes it more professional in a way, but I do miss their colorful, mismatched, antique-looking beautiful plates.
For pizza, we chose Abbondante ($26), made with Fior di latte mozzarella, roasted red pepper, Italian sausage, and basil. It was a nice size pizza, enough to share. They had them sliced into 4 pieces. The dough was light and fluffy, we enjoyed watching them baking the pizza in their pizza oven. The pizza was quite tasty! I haven’t tried their pizza before, and I was very happy with it. For the fish, we chose Branzino ($38), made with Grilled sea bass, braised fennel, and virgin sauce. Quite different from Branzino in Padella I tried in 2017. There were 2 thick filet of fish, juicy and moist, cooked just right. The seasoning was great, just adding to the dish to make the natural flavor of Branzino come alive. For pasta dish, we went with Panzerotti Ricotta E Spinaci Burro Salvia E Pecorino ($29), made with Brown butter, sage, Parmigiano, and Pecorino Romano. It had this amazing brown butter sauce, that went so perfectly with the cheese filling. Although it is a vegetarian dish, it was very satisfying with ricotta and pecorino.
We were all happily full, but we had to have a dessert… We decided to get Cappuccino ($6) and share Olio e Piú Tiramisu ($15), made with Mascarpone mousse, ladyfingers, light espresso syrup with a touch of amaretto. This was completely different from the Tiramisu we had in 2017. They sure have re-invented themselves! From the shape to the way it looks to everything, it was not your usual Tiramisu. Ladyfingers were constructed into a fat, short cone, then covered in velvety smooth cream. The flavor of coffee was present, the ladyfingers were soft and moist, and the cream was amazing. So good!
We had a pleasant lunch here at Olio e Piú. My family absolutely loved the drink, food, and atmosphere. This spot turned out to be one of their favorite restaurant during their visit! And that says a lot about their food and drinks. We will be sure to return again for more delicious experiences!
Olio e Piú – 3 Greenwich Ave, New York, NY 10014