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Olive Ridley's Olive Ridley's has its good and bad qualities, which may or may not hinder your choice to eat there Story and photos by Melissa Golio Sunday night's for any restaurant are usually slow. This was definitely the case for Olive Ridley's. Two people sat at the bar and only two tables were taken in the dining area. Hoping the lack of people had nothing to do with the quality of the food, my guest and I took a seat.
When you walk through the front door of Oliver Ridley's, you enter into the bar area, which is a spacious room with several stools surrounding the bar. A television is mounted on the wall for guests to view while sitting at the bar enjoying their drinks. To the right of the room is the dining area. Both rooms are about equal in size. However, the dining area looks smaller because of the number of tables. Booths run around the parameter of the room and the tables sit in the center. Each table and booth was made of wood with wood seats. This made it extremely uncomfortable to sit for a long period of time. Olive Ridley's is located on Court Street. It's a spacious building broken into two sections. One room is for the bar, which seems like the main focus of the restaurant, and the other room is for diners. The menu contained a strange variety of items. For instance, the section labeled "noodles" offered spaghetti and meatballs as well as lo mein. One meal is Italian while the other meal is Asian. The menu also offers steaks and chicken, along with fish and salads. However, the number of dishes under each category was limited, with only three options each. The most expensive meal on the menu was around $11, which makes the price range extremely reasonable, even if their menu is some what limited. After waiting a few minutes the waitress came to the table to take our drink orders. She was extremely pleasant and took our order immediately. From the menu I ordered the spaghetti and meatballs. I will admit it was a risky selection, considering Olive Ridley's is not an Italian restaurant. After about 20 minutes the food was brought to the table steaming hot. The pasta was placed in the middle of the plate with two large meatballs added on either side. Steam still came off the plate and the meal looked absolutely delicious.
The meal was extremely satisfying, even though the sauce was a little sweet. The meatballs were only all right. The meatballs could have been cooked a little longer and could have used more cheese, but they were still enjoyable. The pasta was cooked to perfection. It was neither too hard nor too soft; it was just right. The sauce was a little dark, but not to thick, which made it even better. For a restaurant that is not strictly Italian, its Italian dish was still quite delicious. After finishing the meal, my guest and I asked for the check, which was no more than thirty dollars. Although it was unpleasant sitting in the wooden booth for such a long period of time, the spaghetti and meatballs made it worth the stay. The friendly atmosphere and good food makes Olive Ridley's a decent place to enjoy dinner. |
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