REVIEW-OLYMPIA TEA ROOM (18 out of 20)

The Olympia Tea Room (OTR) in is located at the center of the village of Watch Hill, Rhode Island. Watch Hill long a haven for wealthy vacationers from New York and Boston has become much more touristy the past five to six years. Located just across the border of Connecticut and on the Block Island Sound Watch Hill is blessed with a light house, wonderful victorian architecture and amazing beaches, oh and one cannot forget the carousel.

Olympia Team Room offers both indoor and outdoor seating and on this fine summer day our party consisting of some friends from Florida and myself ofcourse opted to people and boat watch by sitting outside. Our waitress immediately came to our table and introduced herself. Friendly and attentive she immediately added to the experience and have a bit of a break to the more common "snob factor" that has even filtered into most of the shops in the area. She informed us of the days lunch specials and I opted for a salad with walnuts, cranberries chicken and shrimp while my colleagues opted for a salad with seared tuna. For a beverage I opted for the Samuel Adams Summer Ale and my friends opted for Anchor Steam and a coke.

Our lunches arrived in a timely manner and the service again was excellent and friendly. Some of the guests were not as leanient towards the wait staff but this is expected from this most toney area. While the service was not The Four Seasons-New York or even Bagatelle in Oslo it was excellent. My salad was filled with fresh greens and leaves of spinach, freshly roasted walnuts and crafted cranberries. The sandwiches I understood were also excellent.

Our location on the sidewalk facing a small marina filled with out of state sailboats and yachts offered excellent eye candy. A nice shore breeze filled the air giving us a break from the already 90 degree weather. We opted not to have desert as our lunches were very filling and appropriate for the day. When we asked for the check we were given it immediately but not to be confused with being hurried out the door. While others were awaiting for an outdoor seat we were treated more like one expects of a European cafe where the table is yours and not the volume. We opted for another round of drinks and then another... even after the check was given. Without any issue our waitress honored our requests and really enjoyed our company, a break from the "normal".

While I have passed by this restaurant hundreds of times over the years for some reason I "assume" that it would carry the same attitude that many of the shops in the area carry..."what do you want here..." attitude where service is not expected nor given at any level. The Olympia Team Room maybe it*s name gives it an air apparent of an attitude but even as their website reads...yes a website for a Watch Hill establishment..."Famous not fancy since 1916" and this is true...




RATING
SCALE:1-Low/Check out other places, 3 "ok" to 5-Highly Recommended

Dining (18 out of 20)

Main Course Food          4
Service                           5
Dessert                         N/A
Variety                            5
Atmosphere                    4


Summary

All in all a nice experience with excellent dining in a great location. Some have complained of bad service but we were blessed on this day with excellent service.