L’Olivier

It was a Friday night when we went. The food was amazing. The atmosphere at times felt like you were in France. Our waitress was super nice and helpful. I started with an arugula salad with fig and goat cheese and then I had the short ribs. I enjoyed every bite. Highly recommended.

We ate at l’Olivier this evening for the second time and for the second time had a delicious dinner. I am not going to get into specifics about our dinner but will just say that the chef is very talented.
We sat outside and that was the one thing wrong with the experience. While the patio was comfortable, every few minutes motorcycles or trucks spewing toxic exhaust went by and that was a bummer. Sit inside if you don’t want to listen to the noise or have toxic fumes competing with the aromas of the delicious food.
Really good restaurant and they use real candles, not the cheesy fake battery-​operated ones. The small touches go a long way.

The food was so fantastic. I especially loved the stuffed squash blossom appetizer and next visit will have that as an entrée I loved it so much. The only thing that made the meal less than perfect is that the waiter was pressing us to order our food even before he served our wine and appetizers. I felt rushed.

We had dinner in a group of six and the service and food were excellent. The cheese stuffed squash blossoms were particularly noteworthy. All the entrees we had were delightful. The elk tenderloin and glazed suckling pig were my favorites. The branzino (sea bass) and swordfish special were also good. The desserts were fun. We tried the Opera (an almond cake), the Paris (a cream puff), and the Tarte Tatin (caramelized apple) and enjoyed them all.

A good neighborhood bistro with some problems that they can fix.
Foie gras appetizer excellent ⁵⁄₅
Beef ribs excellent ⁵⁄₅
Mashed potatoes and asparagus very good ⁴⁄₅
Crackling pork soggy skin ³⁄₅
(it takes effort to make skin of roast pork soggy, so a review of storage technique?)
Potato au gratin too much salt ³⁄₅
(since the question of too much salt showed up in other review, perhaps there could be an issue?)
Choux pastry dessert — soggy ²⁄₅
(made days in advance and left sitting)
Bread cut hours in advance, so dry at the edges ²⁄₅
Understaffed on Monday night, so service a bit vague.
Some tables and bar stools of regulars who enjoy the place and the food.
We will go back again, but with some caution as to our choices.

My husband and I ate here last night — one of the very best meals we have had in Santa Fe! Anthony was our waiter and was terrific. Knowledgeable about the menu & wine and made great pairing suggestions. We started by splitting the Arugula, Fig & Goat Cheese salad — perfect for two and came plated for each of us. My husband had the Elk which was perfectly cooked and presented — perfect portion size too. I had the Salmon with black rice and Kale — also perfect. This was our first visit and certainly won’t be our last. Oh, and had a perfect Kir Royale too!

Very good service, and excellent appetizers. However, the wine we wanted was not in stock, my husband’s salmon was raw in the middle, and after sending it back, it was still undercooked. The desserts were great, and everyone very nice.

We enjoyed one of the best meals of our lives tonight! Fabulous! We started with the arugula salad and foie gras du jour, then shared the elk as our main course. The Foie gras was exceptional and the best we ever had, such a treat! I think I soaked up all the extra raspberry sauce because I didn’t want to waste a drop. We came here to try the elk because we have never had it before and we were so glad we tried it. It was so tender that I used my butter knife to cut it.
Then came dessert choices, I ordered the crème puff and my hubby got the chocolate opera cake. Once again… the best dessert ever! Thank you chef Xavier for such a memorable and delicious meal.
The staff was amazing and the atmosphere just what we wanted for a romantic evening. Thank you so much for such an enjoyable evening.

My mother and I went to L’Olivier recently and found it wonderful except for a few suggestions.
My mom’s short ribs were excellent, rich flavor and fall off the bone tender. The foie gras was so smooth and buttery with a slightly sweet wine sauce, however, for $ 22 it was very petite. The suckling pig was so-​so and a disappointment, not flavorful. The lobster salad was excellent, the lobster sweet.
Service could be improved and hopefully they’ll keep improving. The service was too slow (and I am one who likes to take my time) and disjointed, one would take our order and then disappear, then I had to get up and ask another waiter to take our order again. Same procedure with our wine and at a time when I wanted to relax after a long day.
I’m used to dining in France and love the leisurely way they let us linger over our meal without interrupting us to take one person’s plate while the other is still eating (when they do that I feel like I’m eating alone and have to hurry which I guess is the point).
Isn’t it silly to have them ask, ‘are you still WORKING on it?’ At the end of the day I’m done with work and if I have to ‘work’ at eating my meal something’s wrong.
It would be wonderful if L’Olivier was successful and has a long life in Santa Fe and with a few improvements I’m sure it will.

Fabulous French meal with superb service, and priced quite reasonably.
I had the Coq au Vin, and my wife had the Sauteed Scottish Salmon. Both were wonderful.
Highly recommended.

Delicious dinner. The mushroom soup was wonderful. Lovely service. Pretty and low noise level.

The food was excellent! One of the better meals we’ve had in Santa Fe, and we come often; about 4 times a year. Definitely worth going. Husband had the elk and I was blown away at the wine reduction sauce and the tenderness of the elk. The waiter’s recommendation of a Cote de Rhone to accompany the meal was perfect. Spot on!
I had the lobster salad and escargots. Both of the items were also as superb. The salad had a beautiful mix of flavors that melded together to please the palate. The escargots were delightful. Loved the ambiance!

Excellent French gourmet dinner restaurant run by Nathalie Bonnard from France. They have a superb and tender achiote seasoned elk dish. Wine list is small but good. Just wished they had crepes on the menu. I ate there in the winter and we were greeted in the outer courtyard by a round crackling campfire. Some improvements could be made with chairs that were not as comfortable as they should be. I found the seating banquet is narrow and uncomfortable and as my adjoining table also experienced beautifully hung pillow backings that fell off their hangers.

Could be the best meal I’ve had in our two years in Santa Fe.
Ambiance was very nice and the service, while a bit lacking confidence, was excellent on all counts.
But the food was what blew me away.
Portion size, for a pricey place, was just right. The gravlax was spectacular — very high quality smoked salmon with perfect quantities of very tender and tasty kale and mild yet exciting red onion confit. A brilliant combination, executed perfectly.
But, outdone by the elk tenderloin. Again, ample but not gross portion size with an absolutely transformational red wine reduction with red currant jelly — amply covering the tender and tasty elk and «sides» of mashed root vegetable, sugar peas and what I think was pears masquerading as beets. [the online menu which I’m using to remind me — seems to be different from what was actually served]
Ok, so we might have known what we were doing when we mentioned it was our anniversary, but after skipping dessert, the house gifted us a lovely amuse bouche dessert with a candle and no singing (thank goodness)
Only one meal to go by but we’ll be back soon and will report more.

Excellent food and wine, ordered the specials of the evening and it was a memorable experience. The staff was very accommodating and attentive. Would definitely return.

Fantastic meal! Elk medallions with sweet potato purée,
mushrooms and snap peas. Everything cooked perfectly and the flavors were outstanding. First time I’ve ever had a Ike on my face after every single bite. I Will definitely come back to this place when I return to Santa Fe.

OK, only 5 stars because I can’t leave more. Food is ridiculously good. Homemade pâté, arugula & fig salad, warm asparagus w/​jamon & manchego… fabulous starters. Duck is sublime. Most importantly, they know how to make a proper Kir Royale. Wine list is strong & well priced.
It’s only been open a week so service has some kinks to work out. That said, the staff is friendly & accommodating, making the atmosphere relaxed & welcoming. Once discovered, this place will be difficult to book.