Fish, Chips & Sips
Expensive Olivia, the whimsically named new Parkland restaurant, is the most recent addition to P Hospitality Administration’s rising portfolio. Not too long ago opened within the former Deja Blue area in Parkland Commons, the idea is a ardour undertaking for South Florida–born restaurateur Paul Greenberg, who joined Christina and Eddie Pozzuoli’s restaurant group final yr.
Greenberg, co-founder of high-energy hotspot American Social, envisioned a contemporary neighborhood eating vacation spot that will really feel like a house away from dwelling for younger households, bar regulars, and critical diners alike. With a world-class culinary and cocktail workforce, a heat ambiance, and three many years of hospitality expertise, he’s delivered—providing a welcoming setting, a fantastically designed indoor/out of doors area, nice meals, impressed drinks; and the not-so-secret ingredient—a wholesome dose of enjoyable.
The beating coronary heart of the restaurant, a big wraparound indoor/out of doors bar, was three deep on a current go to, as patrons in all the pieces from après-golf apparel to stilettos sipped craft cocktails. Diners packed the twinkle-lit lakeside terrace on a sultry South Florida summer season night, unable to withstand the lure of the setting. Indoors, the sunshine and ethereal eating room buzzed with dialog—creating the intangible vibe that’s the secret sauce of profitable eating places. Expensive Olivia feels tailored for the Parkland eating scene.
Joyful, energetic, and somewhat bit cheeky, Expensive Olivia channels the character of its namesake, Greenberg’s nine-year-old daughter. She’s usually onsite along with her father, checking in on tables and proudly telling patrons that it’s her restaurant and “she’s there to verify they’ve a good time”.
“Parkland hasn’t had a restaurant like Expensive Olivia,” Greenberg says. “I needed to deliver the neighborhood the identical sort of culinary and bar expertise that you just discover on Atlantic Avenue or Las Olas—nice meals, inventive drinks, and distinctive hospitality—with out the costly Uber trip and babysitter prices.”
The menu is globally impressed however approachable—even playful—taking diners by way of a variety of choices. Starters and Shareables embody melt-in-your-mouth biscuits with honey butter and pimento cheese, and Solid Iron Baked Brie served with fig jam, toasted walnuts, and grilled ciabatta bread. Fundamental plates may characteristic a wonderfully grilled Char Siu Pork Chop served atop a crispy rice cake with sesame spinach and Asian barbecue sauce, or branzino with contemporary, seasonal accompaniments.
The Grownup Joyful Meal, a riff on the viral “Lady Dinner” development, is already a bona fide favourite. Comprised of a Caesar salad, French fries, and a wonderfully poured soiled martini, the idea feels extra like one thing you’d discover on a menu in Miami or New York than Parkland—and it’s already one in every of Expensive Olivia’s high sellers.
“We have been shocked to see how well-liked the Grownup Joyful Meal is,” Greenberg muses. “It’s playful, not one thing you see at each restaurant—and that’s precisely why we needed to deliver it to ours.”
Different early favorites embody the double smash burger, seared to crispy perfection and topped with caramelized onions, pickles, and house-made AP sauce (mayonnaise, ketchup, sizzling sauce, and maple syrup); jumbo coconut shrimp with Thai inexperienced papaya salad and mango candy chili sauce; and indulgent Reuben egg rolls filled with pastrami, Swiss cheese, Thousand Island dressing, and roasted heirloom carrots. Desserts are not possible to withstand, from Mile Excessive Key Lime Meringue Pie with graham cracker crust, mango sauce, and toasted coconut, to my private favourite—Cookies: fresh-baked chocolate chunk cookies served with a calming milk bottle.
The youngsters’s menu, kid-tested and authorized by Olivia herself, goes past hen tenders (although Greenberg insists theirs are “subsequent stage”). Steak suggestions, grilled shrimp, fish, burgers, and a well-liked favourite—ramen—cater to budding younger foodies.
With a bar that instructions consideration the second you enter, beverage director Jose Gil—who labored with Greenberg at American Social—spent months perfecting a cocktail program designed to resonate with the neighborhood whereas reflecting present tendencies. Gil has created a grasp class in cocktail making. Classic cocktails corresponding to Manhattans and Negronis share the menu with creative signatures just like the Strawberry Smash—a refreshing mix of Maker’s Mark bourbon, ginger syrup, strawberries, lemon juice, and Q ginger beer—and Simply Pals, made with El Tesoro Blanco tequila, blueberry purée, lemon juice, Pom Great, sage spice, and topped with bubbly Salt Pom air foam that provides a contemporary dimension.
Greenberg strongly believes that keenness and private dedication are essential to a restaurant’s success. He’s onsite every single day, delivering dishes to tables, chatting with company—typically with Olivia and his different two youngsters, Cameron (11) and Luke (5).
“I nonetheless get enthusiastic about openings and like to spend so much of time within the restaurant to verify I share my pleasure with our company,” he says. “The tradition you create from the beginning helps generate the kind of camaraderie that’s so vital to a profitable restaurant. When your butts get kicked and also you sit down along with your workforce on the finish of the night time and take a look at one another and say, ‘We survived’—that’s an incredible feeling. The understanding of being a part of one thing, night time after night time, making folks comfortable and taking good care of them.”
Expensive Olivia is positioned at 7805 North College Drive in Parkland. Menus and reservations obtainable at dearoliviaparkland.com.
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