Remember the days of sharing a big Italian meal of hearty peasant food with the family overlooking a Tuscan vineyard? Me either, but Olives and Oil, a Vintage Gastrobar, wants you to hold that thought. And they do it brilliantly.
Except for the entrees, the menu, disguised as a magazine, is built for sharing. Who doesn’t want a Meatball Tasting (three tender orbs on a pool of cheesy polenta), or the Arancini with Vodka Sauce (worth the six extra laps in the pool)? Bring your squad for family-style dinners with home cookin’ feels like the Oven-Roasted Rabbit, Oxxo Bucco, Whole Fish or Pasta Fagioli served cassoulet style. And this is New Haven – home of the ultimate share; PIZZA! Creations like The NY City Bagel; parm, motzz and “everything” spice plus a poached egg prove that there is no end to pizza artistry.

Imbibers take note – beer and wine are exceptional. If you’re a novice or a sommelier, look out for their frequent wine tastings or take a flight of their current pours on tap from $12-14 offered anytime. And if cocktails are your thing, the list runs two pages long!

With live Thursday night jazz (through July), the Vespa that regally sits above the front door, the Crudo Bar, a yummy welcome bag of popcorn along with millennial man-bunned graciousness, Olives And Oils is more like an event. Come and share the love!

Basta!

www.olivesandoil.com       124 Temple Street