Q: I wish I could give this review without having to link the name of the restaurant to Todd English, as I truly think he is one of the most talented Chefs on the planet. So Todd, if you are reading this, please don't take it personally! I've dined at Olives 6 times over the past 3 years, and have never written a review until now. I am not under any circumstance saying that I had a 'bad' experience; however there is quite a gap or disconnection between the presentation of the food and the flavor of it, especially considering the prices of the entrees. Every time I sign the check, I feel I am paying more for the Marketing of the restaurant than the experience I got from the flavor of the food. The presentation of the food is amazing, and a lot of work is put into it. The problem is that there is a large gap between what my eyes see and my mouth tastes. They start their guests off with some lovely tapenades. I love tapenade, but it is extremely salty. So, if you are going to start off with something that has that much flavor, the rest of your food has to pack a pretty big punch or your buds are going to be very disappointed. I have tried all the entrees, and sadly, I have to say they are all bland. But LOOK beautiful. Uggh, there's that disconnect again. The carpaccio.. well, how can I say this except to be brutally honest... pisses me off. The presentation is amazing - the slices of beef cover the plate and are mounted on top of something... and when you look at it, you get so excited thinking what yummy thing could be in the center underneath all this delicious meat. Well folks, now you know why I say they care about more about the presentation that the food they deliver. You know what was under that pile of beef? Cake bread. Yes, cake bread. I had my hopes set high it was a pile of parmesan, or yummy cheese, maybe even some fun greens. But, no.. it was bread, which provides not even the slightest value to carpaccio. For my entree, i chose the duck 2 ways. Fifty dollar ticket price, but hey - if it knocks me off my chair, who cares? Well, the duck one way was stuffed with rice. Not only do I hate rice, but i just paid $50 for it? The other duck, number two, was seared with the fat on.... perfect, that's how it should be prepared. However, they forgot to season it. They paired it with 2 sauces, both pureed veggies. But again, forgot the seasoning. Now.. I'm pretty laid back, and think to myself 'Kelley, just add some salt and pepper, you'll be fine'. Except - this is one of those restaurants that doesn't have salt and pepper on the table because their ego allows them to believe the food is perfect the way it is. I don't understand the 'salt and pepperless' tables of America. People from all ages and circumstances are dining with you. You think a 60 year old has the same taste buds of a 30 year old? How about a smoker vs a non smoker? How about ... PUT THE DAMN SALT AND PEPPER ON THE TABLE??! This experience reminds me of riding in a down elevator, with a pretty hard landing. So, let's end on a positive note, shall we? The service is amazing!! Secondly, their pastas are all VERY GOOD. I've tried every one of them, and they DO deliver a lot of flavor and they are unique as well, and the portions are not huge, so you can actually get up easily after your meal. So, my advice would be go there for lunch, and order pasta....for $30. OPTIONS:
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- positive

A: negative

Q: Our delivery was 20 min passed when we were told it would arrive. I called twice, 2nd call spoke to a gentlemen who could careless about our order. Said he could credit my account $10, for our next order after I had to ask what was going to be done. He didn't even apologize. He let me know we were the 3rd delivery. So of course we got cold pizza, warm wings and soggy bread sticks by the time the order arrived, yum! :/ I would recommend some better customer service. It's a good thing you have a reputable name on your building. OPTIONS:
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- positive

A: negative

Q: Donuts were not worth the calories. Sad is what one person posted... Totally right. The saddest donuts ever . No taste. Somewhat mushy and does not have the crispness you would expect. No competition for their competitors. Coffee was not robust. Tasted like cheap coffee... Not like Dunkin Donut original. Maybe watered down. Do not bother. Corporate needs to get in there and fix this place. Maybe later if you are desperate. OPTIONS:
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- positive

A: negative

Q: Pretty good, Chandler~ Coming from LA, we have tons and tons of Thai restaurants. This is probably a better Asian restaurant I've had so far. Clean and friendly service with bright colors. We had the Green Curry and the Barbecue Chicken - both made right! The place is a traditional Thai restaurant whose owner is from Thailand himself. He was very nice and came over to introduce himself while we were having lunch. We finished off our meal with the Coconut Sticky rice which was yummy also. Only recommendation would be to have lunch special on the weekends. The entire meal put me in food coma/ sleep for the next 3 hours and I wasn't even hungry at dinner. OPTIONS:
- negative
- positive

A:
positive