We had a great dinner here on Monday. It wasn't the first time we've eaten at Olive's, just the first time I've bothered to write about it.

Something about tiny (in my book at least) local restaurants sets my heart aflutter before we even walk in the door. Olive's despite it's confusing name (it has no relation to the venerable "Olive's Express" in downtown GR). This trip the occasion was Megan's birthday (see once you have 2 kids under 2 at home, you're basically out of the foodie scene for a while). We needed someplace relatively close to home and we let Monday night (most restaurants are plum empty on Mondays) dothe rest of the work for us.

We enjoyed the calamari for an appetizer in their unique conical serving dish. It's greasy (deep-fried in fat) and comes with two dipping sauces. Nothing all that different than calamari anywhere else, but if you like it everywhere else, you'll like it at Olive's.

Moving onto our main courses of spinach gnocci (Megan, of course) and "tuna mango tango" (seared sashimi with some rub and a mango/soy sauce) I re-lived college for a moment: They were out of Oberon and somehow I'd managed to drink the keg dry. IN my youth that might have been cause for a trip to the liquor store but on Monday it just meant a switch to Guinness. Ahhhh the wisdom of old age.

At any rate, the tuna dish I had was spectacular. I got really sick of seared tuna a few years ago...seemed like every restaurant was serving it and for some reason I was eating it everywhere I went. I'd forgotten in fact how tasty it can be when prepared with something other than a sesame crust and wasabi (hello, J.Alexander's). The sauce was perfectly thick, fruity and tart and the sticky rice under the fish (and mangos and peppers) gave me a great excuse to smear up the left-overs (and show off my skills with a mean set of chop sticks).

My suggestion: If you're in EGR for dinner and you've eaten at Rose's every time you've ever visited (like most people do...that place is always packed) you might want to saunter on over to Olive's. Megan and I agree: The food is better at Olive's so if you're just after a good meal, that's your best choice in our little hamlet.

Of course the location, ambiance, view, deck, drinks and people-watching is better at Rose's, so let's not write them off yet. :)