Oleana

If you want upscale and unique cuisine, Oleana is an excellent choice.  Just be absolutely sure to make reservations, no matter what night of the week it is, otherwise the wait will usually be at least an hour.  Oleana is small with a very intimate atmosphere, great choice for a date if you really want to impress.  While you won’t be disappointed in the food, be prepared to drop some serious money if you go for dinner and want the whole experience (appetizers, entrees, wine, dessert).  Oleana can be found at 134 Hampshire Street in Cambridge, they have a very small parking lot across the street for patrons who choose to drive.

Food

I typically wouldn’t order whipped feta as an appetizer, especially on a menu with so many unique and fascinating options.  However, my co-diner suggested it and I was thrilled that I listened.  It was incredible.  Whipped perfectly so that the texture was more of a creamy hummus as opposed to the texture of a cheese, the sweet and hot peppers it was combined with gave it the perfect kick, and it was a wonderful way to start the meal.  If you want a light starter that will definitely please everyone at the table, I suggest going this route.  While it’s seemingly “safe” it’s tasty enough to impress even the most adventurous food snobs.

Frequently I’ll order fish when I’m at upscale restaurants because they tend to be the star of the show.  However at Oleana it’s clear they are more focused on meat when you take a look at their menu.  If you eat lamb, I highly recommend the Azuluna Lamb with Turkish Spices.  It was seasoned just enough to make it spicy without overwhelming the flavor of the lamb itself.  The greek yogurt it was served with was the perfect cool and creamy side to counter the flavor and texture of the lamb.

At many restaurants of this caliber the wine menu is usually intimidating, expensive and difficult to navigate unless you are a wine connoisseur.  However at Oleana they have an incredible selection of whites, reds, and champagnes (broken down into those categories) for any price range.  What’s even more impressive is the fact that they have wine by the glass, the bottle and by the half bottle which is a nice, albeit rare, option.  If you want a red that isn’t too full-bodied (or too expensive) then I suggest going for the Syrah (Grenache, Domaine Chaume-Arnaud, Cotes du Rhone, France) for a great compliment to meat dishes.

Like I said before, the food is definitely expensive.  It also always has a wait unless you make reservations.  While these things are not an issue if you know about them ahead of time, the first time I went to Oleana I didn’t stay because I didn’t want to wait an hour.  Just know what you are getting into if you decide to go!

Rating

3 out of 4 forks.

For those of you with adventurous tastes, and don’t mind splurging on a more expensive meal, Oleana is definitely worth trying.  Ask about the specials because they change every night, order a bunch of appetizers and eat dinner tapas style, or pick one of their impressive entrees to enjoy for dinner.  This is definitely not the type of place you go on a weekly basis, but it’s great if you want to go somewhere off the beaten track when you’re in the mood for unique food.