Ollie's: Mid East Cuisine for the Masses
The second in our Mid-East Eats series, Ollie's is a relative newcomer to the game. How does Ollie's stack up to the others?
A basket of fresh baked pita is brought to the table after being seated.
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Situated on the corner of strip mall next to a video game store, Ollie's seems out of place, but placement can be overlooked if the atmosphere and food are good. Open for three years, Ollie's is one of many places that opened after the demise of La Shish. In fact, both of Ollie's waiters working during my visit were both former La Shish employees.
Ollie's is the antithesis of Hamido. Where Hamido is simple, Ollie's is ornate. Ollie's interior is setup like a Arab temple–lots of stone and wood work throughout the restaurant. Menus are bound in leather.
Upon being seated, a basket of warm pita bread is brought to the table. The pita oven is behind the counter in the main dining area, so you can watch as pita is placed in and pulled out of the oven. There is something special about warm pita. Its hot, crusty shell and soft, fluffy interior are what dreams are made of. Studded with sesame seeds for added nuttiness, these are exemplary pita.
A simple salad is served with any dinner order. Romaine lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers and red onions tossed with a heavily herbed lemon and olive dressing make for a simple, but bold salad. The flavors are spot-on and exuberant, an ideal dish to prepare your for the oncoming feast.
While the hummus has a delightfully rich and creamy mouthfeel almost to the point of being whipped, the flavor is lacking. It is as though the creaminess is supposed to distract you from the flavor. Slightly lemony with a bit of garlic, this hummus needs to be punched up. That said, maybe my penchant for bold flavors is out of line here. Given the hummus' texture and my inability to stop eating it, it is definitely not bad. Add a spoonful of toum to spice it up.
The falafel is perfectly cooked–not at all greasy, super crunchy exterior with a gently spiced, dense interior. Good falafel is about 70 percent texture and 30 percent flavor. Ollie's falafel is definitely a winner in the texture department.
Chicken shawarma, however, was dry and under seasoned. There are some charred bits throughout the plate, which add both texture and flavor. Even when paired with the toum, the flavor is nothing special. It is one note and fleeting, even the spicy garlicky kick of the toum leaves your palate almost immediately.
While the atmosphere is beautiful and the staff incredibly nice and helpful, the food just doesn't excite. Even the most gorgeous interior design cannot overcome the food's lack of seasoning.
Final Assessment
Hummus 4/10
Falafel 7/10
Chicken shawarma 3/10
Total score 14/30 — Ollie's comes in a hair below average. It may be that Ollie's is trying to attract less adventurous American palates; if that is the case, then they will do just fine. If not, then they need to crank up the seasoning on just about everything.
We want to know about your favorite Middle Eastern restaurant in Dearborn.
Tell us in the comments.
Mariam Khalaf
12:44 pm on Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Ollies is an exquisite Restaurant. Joe you contradict yourself in MANY ways. You have Got TO BE THE WORSE food critic there is. You critic with words such as antithesis, exemplary, exuberant, and your inability to STOP eating and yet you insault the food towards the end and give it a 14/30? Go to school, change careers do something with your life, because you sound like an idiot. This restaurant has the reputation for its flavor, spices, quantity as well as quality. You need to stick to your everyday cafe/coney corner in Melvindale or perhaps Detroit. Also, you should do your research on someone first. This owner of Ollies actually has had prior restaurants years before the demise of La Shish. Do all of us a favor and Stay out of Dearborn. Also, a bigger favor find a NEW CAREER!
Ali Makky
2:46 pm on Wednesday, January 12, 2011
I usually do not respond to critics, or feel the need to respond to an objective opinion, but in this case it seems to be anything but that. Your opinion is one filled with constant contridictions that are quite obvious in your review. You say the pita is exemplary, but yet it doesn't factor into your final assessment. You describe the salad as spot-on and exuberant, but doesn't matter in the end. Your decription of the Hummus is one of flavor "slightly lemony with a bit of garlic", and "your inability to stop eating it", but rate it as one that is poor, again making no sense. You seem to rave about the Falafel experience, and yet rate it as average. Now to move past these appetizers, to the only entree you actually tried. You address the Chicken Shawarma as dry and under seasoned, but in the same sentence say that it has texture and flavor. Trying one dish in a restaurant does not carry the credibilty that you seek when the restaurant offers over 50 different dishes and 20 different appetizers. I am a big fan of Arabic and or Lebanese foods, and have enjoyed Ollie's menu for years. I continue to introduce family members as well as business colleuges alike to this restaurant and get nothing but rave reviews. In reading your other reviews you rave about Hummus in a Pizza Place...? Your review to me seems like one fueled by alterior motives and contridictions, and I ask that you try the food next time before you give your opinion.
Ola Safford
3:27 pm on Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Ollie's is one of the best middle eastern restaurants around. I believe you are one of the worst critics ever, maybe you need to learn a thing or two about lebanese food, cause obviously you dont know authenic food. The hummus that I had their was one of the best I've ever had, maybe you should've tried more than one dish. I've had the Shish Kabob and it was mouth watering as well as the Lamb Chops and the Chicken Ghallaba, you cannot go wrong with any of the food on the menu. So please do me a favor before you critisize Ollies cuisine or any other restaurant that you may have a personal issue with, know what your talking about and stop saying positive and negative things in the same sentence. As a word of advice, you need to become familiar with arabic food in general, and work on your taste buds because boy do they sound out of whack.
Ron stocks
2:37 am on Friday, January 14, 2011
OLLIES IS GOOD. i go there for lunch with my a few buddys and all the staff memebers are great. Service was great,staff were amazing and the food is delicious.
kamal
7:12 pm on Sunday, August 12, 2012
I don't if any of you been to olae in Ramadan .what do you think of their open buffet