RESTAURANT REVIEW | Wild Olive(2)
So I'll go back to Wild Olive, but for now, I'm sticking to the entrées. They tend to be excellent. Perhaps the pheasant comes out a bit dry for the price ($18.95), and the "herb chestnut polenta" needs to be totally reworked — think corn-flavored cream of wheat — but the meat and seafood preparations satisfy. The diners at the next table (from NY) devoured a venison osso bucco ($24.95) with abandon, leaving only the bone. And it is indeed tasty, meltingly tender, and worth the trip to Johns Island. The well-executed chestnut-encrusted grouper ($19.95) is crispy in its bed of soft beans and mushrooms, with just a hint of pork to round out the plate. There is a nice skirt steak ($16.95) with a smacking marsala reduction, and old Italian-American standbys that are generally well prepared.
I'm hoping that the missteps at Wild Olive can be quickly corrected, because it's a lovely little space, with the potential to become a favorite haunt for locals and tourists alike. But it's not the Fat Hen, not yet, and perhaps that's their problem. One goes expecting the same level of execution, the same deep soul and attention to detail that makes the latter so popular and has gotten Wild Olive off to such a great start. But as good as Fred Neuville can cook country French cuisine — and from 39 Rue du Jean to the Fat Hen he has proven his chops — he has something to learn about the soul of Italian cuisine.
There will be plenty who disagree with this assessment. They like the fact that yet another quality eatery has shown up on Johns Island, and they marvel at the bustle that already overwhelms the staff on busy nights. They fly in from Jersey and drive from across town. And they root for the proprietor that dared to move out of the city and hang out his shingle. Now he has two stages, and I hope that the instant popularity of the newcomer doesn't distract him from putting on a stellar show.
