Olive & Rose, brother-and-sister pair Chef Philip and Lauren Pretty’s second concept following their Michelin-starred Heritage, will soft open come Wednesday, Oct. 2. And they’ll be taking reservations on Tuesday, Oct. 1.
Sleek, sexy, and minimal, the space is a welcomed departure from Heritage and a new style of dining for Downtown Long Beach.
Olive & Rose strength lies in its minimalism, reflecting the mid-century mod vibe of the soon-to-open City Center Hotel.
On the surface, Olive & Rose’s menu rarely reflects the kitchen tweezer-specificity of Heritage. Menu items are specifically void of detail and straight-forward: “Beef tartare with green beans.” Though in looks, it is some of Chef Phil’s most gorgeous food.
A long fan of chicory—there’s a hefty layer of frisée on the octopus and potato starter—Chef Phil’s love of this type of leave is showcased more beautiful than ever with his red endive and date salad. One of the less bitter of the chicories, this sculptural beauty layers slivers of red endive atop the heart of the salad in a perfectly circular stack. Bits of bold blue cheese, slivers of dates, and perfect little squares of apple make this the restaurant’s most surprising dish. Both in aesthetic and flavor. An ode to chicory if there ever was one.
Their caviar and smoked salmon dish—a hefty serving of smoked salmon, crème fraîche, chives, bits of other magic, and a layer of proprietary caviar exclusively foraged for the Heritage team—is simultaneously elegant and hearty. An ode to the mighty world of umami, if there ever was one.
There are dustings of dried Espelette peppers across an octopus and potato salad that add a surprising bit of heat. Crunchy green beans and a nice acidity amid arugula-topped tartare. Foraged mushrooms tucked into a halved roasted chicken breast.
This is Chef Philip’s best food in a long while—and certainly his most soulful.
It also marks a welcomed return to form when it comes to the food of Chef Philip Pretty.
“We’ve been saying around the kitchen that this is like Phil’s greatest hits album,” Lauren said, noting the menu will largely remain the same throughout the seasons with tweaks here and there. “The pasta has corn and, obviously, that’s seasonal so that ingredient will change. Small alterations like that but the core of the menu? Largely remain the same.
“Greatest hits” is a solid, quite Long Beach way of describing it. Adding onto that, I would venture to call it more soulful, if not outright more playful. The seriousness of the food at Heritage almost feels textbook-like, where structures and systems are in place to focus on hyper-specific sourced ingredients in an ever-evolving menu that is in constant flux.
Olive & Rose, on the other hand, is about an equal intensity of focus on food that will likely have people perpetually return to.
Chef Phil’s steak frites? A rib cap, sliced before being layered atop a green peppercorn sauce, comes with a side of perfectly half-inch potato planks that remind you how beautiful a French fry can be. Dipped into a lemony, garlicky aioli and you have yourself a dish that could end up defining the space. Though the roasted chicken breast, drizzled tableside with chicken jus and stuffed with mushrooms, could also come out as the underdog champion. Amid black cod and mussels, the chicken is a protein done right. Succulent, savory, and, dare I say, sultry, it showcases a chef’s skill with one of the most unforgiving if not sometimes boring cuts of the mighty chicken.
And yes, cocktails are coming to Olive & Rose. As are bagels. Yes, bagels.
Former Baby Gee cocktail slinger Noah Friedman will be leading the space’s cocktail program—and while they await the final sign-off on their liquor license, he has created what is unquestionably one of the best zero-proof menus in the city. Well, if not outright the best.
Pickled watermelon meeting cold brew. Salted plum melded with non-alcoholic kölsch beer. A hefty-on-the-juniper zero-proof gin with apple and white tea. If this is what Friedman has in store for his zero-proof menu, I cannot wait to try the full cocktail menu.
And yes, like many food nerds, across the past year, Chef Phil has been obsessing over New York bagels, bouncing between California and NYC to study the mighty rounds. The result will be served at a window that opens onto the pool and esplanade of the hotel. And yes, there will be a bagel slathered in a layer of that proprietary caviar.
Bagels will be soft launching Thursday, Oct. 3 at 8AM. Bagel and coffee service hours will be Tuesday through Saturday from 8AM to 1PM.
Here are some highlights from DTLB’s newest gem, Olive & Rose.
Soulful but elegant. Sexy yet comforting. Here are some of the best dishes from the newly minted Olive & Rose.
Caviar with smoked salmon: Proprietary caviar | Smoked salmon | Crème fraîche | Chives | Water crackers
Endive salad: Red endive | Date | Humboldt Fog blue cheese | Apple
Octopus and potato salad: Octopus | Potato | Frisée | Celery | Almond | Espelette pepper
Beef tartare: Beef | Green beans | Arugula | Grated cheese | Bread
Roasted chicken: Chicken breast | Foraged mushrooms | Jus
Steak frites: Rib cap | Green peppecorn sauce | Fries | Aioli
Olive & Rose is located at 255 Atlantic Ave.
