Eat Local at Virgin Olive Market-Orlando

Our first night eating local started off pleasantly in at a great little restaurant on Orange Ave. in downtown Orlando. Virgin Olive Market used to be on Clay, and I think the change in location surely must have increased its exposure. There was a nice, steady stream of customers during our entire dining experience. Virgin Olive makes the grade in a couple of areas. First, it is a fast, very friendly, and significantly cheaper restaurant than the two restaurants it's sandwiched in between. Next, it holds down the spot as a source for good coffee and breakfast in the immediate vicinity. Also, it offers healthy (generally), light, budget friendly meals on top of some unusual foodie items for sale to take home.

Upon entering the restaurant, we were greeted warmly. Then, we quickly got confused as we reviewed the menus. There is a daily menu with breakfast through dinner options, an after 5 menu, and a Saturday brunch menu. There's also a couple chalkboards covered with tempting specials, but they are so crowded, they are hard to read. In fact, we almost missed the fact that there was an unadvertised Prix Fixe menu in celebration of Eat Local week. Three of the four available items were vegetarian. I'm pretty sure one was vegan (two if you are a vegan that eats honey). I liked the fact that the ingredients were listed and the local ingredients were underlined. Note: the Prix Fixe menu is only available after 3:00 p.m.

Paul ordered off the Prix Fixe menu, which was $10 and included two selections off the board, coffee or Orlando Brewery beer. Paul chose the decafe, and Scott, the server, said that would be no problem. It would just take a moment to brew it. Then, Paul was directed to a rather fancy coffee station with a number of sweeteners, milk, and half and half.

Our plates arrived quickly, and I can say Paul's meal was significantly better than mine. Fortunately for me, we have a general rule that we switch plates half way through dining. I had ordered the hummus wrap in an effort to add variety to our tasting, and to try an item on the daily menu. The whole wheat tortilla came tightly coiled with fresh spinach in the center surrounded by a thin spread of garlicky hummus, shredded carrots, sliced cucumbers, and toasted pumpkin seeds. I did not, however, see the tomatoes mentioned on the menu as an ingredient. All in all, the wrap was average. Paul thought his half needed salt. I just dipped mine in some of the salad dressing. The grand surprise with the wrap was actually the coleslaw on the side. It was drier than those slathered in mayo and had great flavor thanks to the red and yellow peppers. Paul only got a taste of it. I couldn't put it down.

Paul's plate had a colorful and incredibly flavorful salad with fresh strawberries and tangerines (both local) and caramelized pecans sprinkled with . . . dried sage? Yep, I'm pretty sure it was. And although it may not make sense, it made sense! The dressing was local honey, dijon mustard, and white balsamic vinegar. Quite yummy.

The soup was particularly special in its own right. Lentils, cauliflower, and collards don't generally sound like they go together, but in this case, it was a wise composition. Everything was well cooked, the local cauliflower tasted amazing and looked even better with its bright white stems contrasted by the browned areas from the oven. The collards weren't even overcooked like so many leafy greens often become. If you read The Full Plate Diet, you'll learn that a great way to eat well is to have your fiber earlier in the dining experience. This soup fits the bill because the vegetables sat at the top of the broth while the lentils (protein) sunk to the bottom. Hmm. Tasty and smart eating.

So, here's the cool part. We were both still a tad hungry after cleaning our plates. Paul walked over and picked up a Zen Power Bar for us to split. It was incredibly moist without being crumbly and packed a great fruity flavor without being excessively sweet. We were satisfied by the sweet ending. And to our surprise, the Prix Fixe menu was supposed to come with a cookie that had not yet "arrived" from the baker. So, we got the granola bar in exchange. The whole meal cost $16 with the granola bar probably worth about $2.50.

That long post leads to this conclusion: Virgin Olive Market is in a class by itself with quality food at very reasonable prices. It's good for a light evening meal and works well in a to-go box. I feel like the special Eat Local menu got a little more attention than the regular menu did. If I could be sure that the creativity and fresh flavors would last past this week, I'd make Virgin Olive a regular dining place on my map.

Cost Per Person $6.00

Would you like to know what we're eating next?