Sweet Olive Cafe

I came home from college and now they’ve turned into a vietnamese restaurant. Sweet Olive does not exist anymore.

I went for lunch and had the Chicken Parmigiana. Food was decent, but if I really wanted Italian in Carrollton, I’d rather go to Italian Villa. Service was great seeing as how we were the only table there. By the time we left a couple other tables had shown up. Décor didn’t look overly cheap, but it was very dark.

I ate here for lunch when it first opened. I had the chicken fettuccine Alfredo — it was pretty bland too much butter. Service was great though.
I returned the other day with some friends for lunch. Their idea. I have to say it was great this time! Each of us loved our food. I had a small pizza and it was so flavorful. It was enough to eat leftovers the next day. I don’t remember the names of my friends meals but they loved their dish as well.
I chock up my first experience as ‘hey they were just starting out”. I highly recommend Sweet Olive Café. The service was great! When I need to relax on my lunch hour from work — I’ll make sure to unwind at Sweet Olive Café.

Restaurant just opened up less then a couple of months ago, so I will be going back somewhat soon to see if they have improved.
The menu is very basic and the prices are very cheap. I went with a friend and we both ate for 11 dollars. The lunch specials are around five dollars for the basic Italian dishes like spaghetti and meatballs, fettuccine and Alfredo, etc. The bread the brought out was fantastic, lightly toasted with some sort of flavor thrown on top.
I got the spaghetti and meatballs and my friend got tortellini. The spaghetti was good and came in a small portion compared to Olive garden. However for the price I was fine with it, you really do not need that much pasta to fill yourself up if you take your time.
I will go back again if I ever need a pasta fix. I think Italian Villa is a bit more tasty though.

We ate at Sweet Olive because we received a coupon in the mail. It’s located in an old Steak & Ale, which also used to be Prairie House Café, both of which died. The interior of the place is still not any brighter or cheerier than it was then. Dark and depressing would be words I would use. My partner had trouble reading the menu in the dark as the words were printed in red and the dim lighting made it practically invisible.
The booth we were seated at had seen better days. The table top had a very noticeable list. One of my friends had a level on his iPhone and it showed it was a 7 degree tilt. Very noticeable. Those of us on the outside of the booth felt like we were on a ship and we had to hold on to our plates.
The server was attentive, SERIOUSLY attentive. It became difficult to eat because he, the drink server or the food server was back over us every 2 minutes. Honestly, sitting on the outside of the booth they were always interrupting and reach over us to get to the interior glasses and plates. Once every 5 minutes would be fine. It was just too much.
The bread which came out early was tasteless. They served it with olive oil and basil. It was required because the bread was basically styrofoam. The salads were wedge salads. Iceberg lettuce with very little else. No tomatoes and a few shreds of other veggies. $ 2 for a wedge of 30 cent lettuce.
When the food was delivered the portions were small. The spaghetti with meatballs was served on a large plate, but it would have easily fit in my morning cereal bowl. The flavors were good. The meatball tasted like it was char-​grilled which was a nice surprise. Again, the eating of the meal was interrupted by the food server coming back to grate the cheese, the waiter coming back to grate the cheese, both of them coming back to fill drinks (reaching across our plates each time) and then coming back to see if our food was okay. I would like to have an opportunity to eat please, before the food gets cold.
When the bill came the three of us were surprised at the total. Even after the 20% off coupon, the total was equal to what 4 of us ate for the night before at a place across town.
The one vaguely enjoyable feature of the meal was the gentleman who played the accordion. He kept the music in the background and didn’t get in your face like the stereotypical strolling musicians.
All in all, we probably won’t go back.

** NEW RESTAURANT ALERT”
This spot opened 08/​31, & we visited on their second day of business. Located on Old Denton Rd @ Geo Bush, NW corner.
What an overall great experience. A few bumps along the way; I’ll elaborate.
This was a former Steak & Ale way back in the day, the late 70’s & 80’s. Renovations have been done & the restaurant is lovely in décor & atmosphere. Dark wood ceilings, light mustard colored walls, numerous small rooms with an intimate feel. There is one area for «family» or «special occasion dining» which was very impressive with high back padded chairs in a secluded raised area. AWESOME. Great for celebrations of birthdays & anniversaries. Some areas have booths & tables, very cozy, others with a banquette around the parameter of the room with tables in the middle. Pictures (one of Marilyn Monroe in her infamous scene of blowing white dress/​skirt) & others of artistic design & wine bottles. Tastefully done.
We were seated in the first rectangular room to the left at a 2-​top table. The table was very small, not roomy enough for all the plated dishes, so we moved water glasses & other items to another table to the side.
Baked Foccacia bread served first, with a minced olive & herb mix over a Parmesan infused olive oil. The dip was sooo delish; the bread was not. It was dry & not much flavor & tough. A disappointment, as I do luv my bread. Advised that the first offering was complimentary, but any additional pieces would incur a «small charge». Hmmmm. However, not tasty enough to want more.
Our server, Greg, was incredible. Some might think he was too attentive, checking on us every 5 minutes, accommodating, gracious, a sweet, nice touch. He was trying very hard to take care of us, but maybe a little overdone? No offense taken, it was really a little humorous.
Greg was very knowledgeable about the wines, explaining several to me. I opted for the Pinot Noir, my fave, but. $ 11.00? Wine list is very pricey, nothing under $ 10, most upwards to $ 13.00 a glass. Whew, okay, it was a special night out, but my heavens, I can get a nice bottle @ Goody Goody for under $ 12 !!! 1 star deduction for this.
The menu is incredibly extensive; apps, salads, soups, pastas, baked pastas, fish/​seafood, chicken, veal, beef, sandwiches, etc So much to choose from. Check out the web site!

I ordered Scallops with a Tarragon Sauce. Off the charts excellent, served over Cappellini pasta & julienne veges. The 6 large Scallops were ‘luscious, glazed, browned on the edges, oh so tender. The sauce was light & so flavorful. YUMMMMMMM !!! PERFECT, PERFECT, PERFECT!
BFF had the grilled Salmon (sans cream sauce in keeping with his dietary requirements) over sauteed veges, zucchini, mushrooms & red bell peppers. I stole a bite & it was scrumptious.
Food is a definitive 4 star rating! Except for the tasteless bread, couldn’t have been better in any respect.
Service by Greg — 5 stars for sure, even though it was a little over attentive. He called me «Ma’am» at least 10 times during the dinner; but okay, perhaps I could have been his Mother !! How very respectful.
After dinner, BFF wanted to treat me to an after dinner drink at the bar. Off we went, grabbing a seat at the 3 chair bar. Tiny tiny tiny bar. Long story short, we waited over 20 minutes for a drink. Apparently the «bartender» didn’t show up tonight, so all the servers became «bartenders» taking care of their diners. At one time there were 6 servers in this tee tiny area attempting to pour wine & other libations for their patrons. It was utterly organized chaos, most which were totally uninformed about the wine selection, scrambling to find the right bottle, but with a jovial, cheerful atmosphere, all trying to do their jobs. Finally, after a long wait, raised my hand, & said, «hey, we’d like a drink». All 6 crowded around to take our order. We had a good laugh, & applauded them for their efforts. They were most apologetic for the long wait ! Gotta appreciate the efforts & have a chuckle or two.
Check out this new locally owned spot; want these guys to make it! My prescription for an enjoyable experience at a new restaurant:
One gallon of humor, allowing for the bumps in the night for new service
Two quarts of patience for the newbie disorganization of a new restaurant
One pint of compassion & understanding for a staff working hard to make this spot a success
Lot of kinks to work out, but they are enthusiastic, happy, & excited about this new venture. Give them a try; this is a local business needing support; It’s worth the effort.
Because of the wine prices, this should have been a 2 star review, but the food, service, atmosphere & lovely jovial friendly attitude of the staff pushed it to a 3. I can splurge occasionally can’t I? Be back soon.