REVIEW-Olive Oyls- Essex, Conn.

The little gourmet take out bistro Olive Oys (OO) and I must admit one of my favorites is nestled in the corner of a Main Street Essex version of a strip mall almost across from the Griswold Inn. Essex a historic village located minutes from Route 9 off Exit 3 is a summer and Christmas getaway that is classic New England. With a lively historic main street albeit with few eateries Olive Oyls is ideal for those looking for a quick sandwich or perhaps some gourmet take home meals to be warmed and enjoyed. Located 35 minutes from Hartford, 10 minutes from Old Saybrook and the Shore Essex has been a favorite of Northeasterners since it's first settlement as Potopaug in the 1600s.

OO offers gourmet sandwiches, freshly made dinner entrees, salads and deserts as well as local and niche beverages and snacks. I have frequented this place more than 10 times and each time I leave happy. My last visit unfortunately happened in early September of 2006 a day after the passing my of father. While my mind was everywhere a stop at Olive Oyls offered me a respit from those sad and busy times.

I arrived at the eatery, parked in the rear and entered. The room was packed with people ordering sandwiches and take home dinners for various Labor Day parties and what have you. The soft lighting at first is a bit odd but after a short time you appreciate it as a touch of class. I ordered a sandwich on foccacia, smoked turkey with some berry conserves, irish swiss and more... a potato salad and a beverage (Nantucket Nectar). I then opted to ignore the desert counter but gave in and ordered a giant cookie. Ok this is not gourmet but it is good and made me feel better.

I was greeted by a friendly order taker and we chatted a bit. The college age girl was friendly and offered a smile and then followed with help on what was best of the days offerings. My sandwich was made with care in a few minutes, my salad and desert arrived quickly as well. Some of the more "uptight" customers were likely annoyed by my exchange of pleasantries with the order taker but then again they can have all the annoying " lack of service" in Manhattan. Anyhoo... without a place to dine Essex offers a couple of alternatives.

1-At the Connecticut River Valley Museum- there is a dock and large lawn to enjoy your sandwich/meal at. Everyone is welcome to use this area although some appear afraid too because of the out of towner (NY/NJ) attitudes that sometimes fill the air of Essex and the River Valley.

2-At the Town Green/Park- a Gazeebo and plenty of picnic tables and grass to enjoy your lunch.

This time I opted for the Park as there was a wind blowing and it threatened of rain. I sat down nearest to the water with handsome views of homes recently listed in Connecticut Magazine and enjoyed my sandwich. Greeted by other guests of the park my mind was elsewhere. The bread was freshly baked, the cold cuts freshly cut and the salads prepared perhaps one hour earlier at the earliest due to their freshness. Desert was outstanding... thin style cookies are often boring, too thin to enjoy and their larger cousins are normally too cakey. This one was fantastic!

In the end I left with a smile, a tear and a smirk knowing that I had to come back to this place again one day.






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

Dining (22 out of 25)

Food                               5
Service                           5
Dessert                           4
Variety                            4
Atmosphere                    4


Summary

All in all a nice experience with excellent dining in a great location.