If I haven’t mentioned that I love cheese, I do, and I would enjoy eating cheese Black Olive’s way any day.

The Black Olive restaurant, near Armory Square, has been serving Greek dish favorites for more than five years. Eight months ago, the restaurant moved to a new wide and spacious area, around the corner from its old spot by Syracuse Suds Factory.

Before sitting down, I walked past a wide-open kitchen and a long bar with modern, blue lighting. While sitting and waiting for my food, I enjoyed beautiful paintings of Greek warriors hung up on the walls, painted black against dim orange backgrounds.

I started off my lunch with a fun appetizer: the Saganaki, which costs $9. A Greek flambéed kefalograviera cheese, which tastes similar to Gouda, was plated on a small oval-shaped black hot-iron skillet, sizzling and popping. The waiter poured a shot of brandy over it, which made the cheese sizzle louder.

With a lighter in her right hand, she lit the dish on fire. I felt heat from the tall flames warm my face, and it was exciting and thrilling to watch.

Soon after, the waiter took a wedge of lemon and squeezed the juicy tang over the cheese to give it a refreshing finish, offsetting the heat and the flame-broiled taste.

I was able to eat the sizzling cheese right away since the lemon juice helped cool it down quickly. The cheese had a sharp and salty flavor. It also had a golden crispy crust on the bottom and edges after the hot iron skillet lightly seared it. And all of its middle was melted, soft and slightly stringy.

Eating cheese in this fashion was so exciting and delicious that I want to try to make it at home, but it might be a bit too dangerous. I plan to just come back to The Black Olive instead.

The waiter then brought out my salmon sandwich, priced at $9. The grilled salmon was served on buns with a tomato slice, iceberg lettuce and slices of sweet red onion.  Unfortunately, this delicious sandwich didn’t come with any side dishes, so I ordered a side of Greek fries for $3.

The grilled salmon wasn’t dry, which I appreciated. I didn’t detect any seasoning on the salmon — it was pretty plain — and maybe that’s what the chef was going for, since aioli sauce was served on the side.

It also appeared that the chef didn’t marinate the salmon, but then again, maybe he didn’t just so he could achieve the grill marks when grilling it. The sandwich was tasty, but not exquisite.

While the salmon was plain, I could at least taste dry Greek seasoning on the fries. Feta cheese was crumbled over the fries, but it didn’t add much to the dish. It didn’t melt over the hot fries, nor could you pick up the cheese crumbles with a fry. I dipped each fry in the aioli sauce, which added a fuller flavor to the fresh-out-of-the-fryer fries.

I also tried the Hercules Burger for $7.50, which was, for the most part, delicious. It was topped with fries and feta cheese. With each bite, the four elements came together nicely. The feta cheese played the role of the burger’s sauce, adding a creamy flavor. The fries gave a warm, crispy and starchy texture.

I would subtract points on the beef patty, because it was overcooked and under-seasoned. I didn’t detect any ounce of salt, pepper, onions or garlic powder. The over-cooking made the patty too dry for my liking. The only good thing about the patty was the smoky taste from the fire grilling method.

Although I didn’t think too highly of all the lunch entrees, I would still go back for the cheese and give the other items on the menu a try. 

Published on April 14, 2014 at 1:00 am

Contact Vekonda: vluangap@syr.edu