Olio: Always Outstanding

While Olio’s motif is casual, their dishes are dressy. Each presentation is a work of art, abounding in color and flavor.

Our group of six hungry diners eased around a table at Olio in a space that was once an old service station. It looked like it might rain before we finished eating, so we had picked an indoor table rather than the patio.

“Is Ben around?” I asked, referring to chef-owner Ben Poremba, whose food services (Elia, Old Standard, and Patisserie Chouquette) dominate the Tower Grove street corner and spread into Clayton with the recent opening of Parigi.

“He just left,” she said. “You know, with the new baby and all . . . . ” (Yes, Ben and Angela have a week-old little girl. Congratulations to the Poremba family!)

Olio offers an array of small plates (mezze) just right for table sharing. As you can see, we licked our platters clean, which is easy to do at Olio.

As usual, Team Olio was in fine form from kitchen to table. A friend had told us about a number of new, exciting menu items that must be tried. We did our best, though I did miss the Caponata, the wonderful eggplant delicacy that was once on the menu.

Indeed, Ben Poremba’s playfulness with color and taste is evident in every dish. Take a look at the mezze plates in the slideshow below. They’re every bit as tasty as they are good looking.