Jadot wine dinner at Olivia's

The best kept secret in Louisville is....Olivia's. Located in the Antique Mall on Goss Avenue,Olivia's
hosted a 5 course food and wine dinner this past Saturday featuring the culinary delights of Travis Hall
and the extraordinary varietals of Louis Jadot. Bison Osso Bucco highlighted a truely memorable event
accompanied by butternut squash rissoto and seasonal vegetables. If you don't already know about
Olivia's,trust me,in the upcoming months you will. This restaurant is gaining a cult-like following and word
of mouth spreads like wildfire.Kudos also to the 5 star service that was provided by Hall's staff. Do yourself a favor and visit Olivia's over the holidays. You will be glad you did!

[Robin Garr]

David, do you have any connection with Olivia's, or are you reviewing it simply as a delighted fan with no interest in the business?

A very pertinent question.

The best kept secret in Louisville is....Olivia's. Located in the Antique Mall on Goss Avenue,Olivia's
hosted a 5 course food and wine dinner this past Saturday featuring the culinary delights of Travis Hall
and the extraordinary varietals of Louis Jadot. Bison Osso Bucco highlighted a truely memorable event
accompanied by butternut squash rissoto and seasonal vegetables. If you don't already know about
Olivia's,trust me,in the upcoming months you will. This restaurant is gaining a cult-like following and word
of mouth spreads like wildfire.Kudos also to the 5 star service that was provided by Hall's staff. Do yourself a favor and visit Olivia's over the holidays. You will be glad you did!

Well, allow me...

Everything you are proposing, has been done... numerous times.You have had (how long) to become a cult fave? I'm like Robin, I get a bit annoyed when PR types think they can come here and fool this august body. By the way, 5-star is not a term used here in Louisville. You go to NYC or Europe, 3 stars is the standard. Here it is 4. Of course, if you were a foodie that payed attention to the very people you are soliciting, then you would know this. Evidently, you are not. So quit while you are ahead... please.

Allow me to take this a step further:

Anytime, anyone, ever say the phrase '5-star,' I immediately assume they are new to the biz. This thing simply doesn't exist, where we are...

/shrug, sorry, man

[Robin Garr]

Well, guys, let's not punch David too hard ... this is only his fifth post over the past eight months or so, so his error may be more of naivete than malice.

Interestingly, all five posts have been announcements of wine dinners at various restaurants:
search.php?author_id=6160&sr=posts
so it's my guess that David is with a wine distributor.

How about it, David? We won't beat you up ... but we will ask you to get familiar with the forum culture about "stealth" advertising.

Oh my gosh guys! David is a wine guy from Republic Wines who happened to be at the dinner on Saturday. He has been in the wine biz for years but has no connection with Olivia's, me or Travis. He just simply loved our food. He does NOT deserve to be attacked. Yeah maybe you think our menu was nothing special but we didn't cook with you in mind. In fact, in the last month we have filmed 2 different shows for Secrets of Louisville Chefs with some of the same menu as Dave was raving about.
• Tuscan Bean Soup with Fried Sage
• Maine Lobster Quiche, Truffle Hollandaise
• Roasted Duck and Rabbit Loin Napoleon,
Glace de Viande
• Bison Osso Bucco, Wild Mushroom Risotto
• Pear Upside Down Spice Cake, Brie Icing

Please don't jump so hard on people before you know their story, people get scared to post. And I'm sure when Dave sees this he will jump right in. He mean't no harm, just posting his own opinion.

Robin speaks truth, as always, but let me pose these questions:

Are you white tablecloth? Do your captains crumb habitually? Soft lighting? Front/Back service system?

Ehh... I could go on, but truth is that you guys are doing some great work, but you aren't even attemting to be 4 star. That's a good thing, as far as I am concerned. You'd make me happier if you were to sell yourselves a bit differently...

Kinda like what you just did:

'This is our menu and [screw you if you don't feel it] we love this work and we hope you will as well.'

Promise you will get your propers!

Ahhh, sweet Stephen, simmer down, now. Since when did you get all, "are you a white table cloth, how could you be a mythical number of stars?"

I completely respect your defense of the forum, poke buddy, and I have at times felt the same urge (and even gone for it, post later deleted) but I'm glad Olivia's has stood well represented. And I had NO idea they were doing food like that! Someone needed to tell me... Please, Mr. Zoeller, keep postin'. My sister and Brother in law are Zoellers ~ in fact they're related to Fuzzy! You? I assume by the spelling that you're from the Sunny Side ! Even more closer to home, brother in law was a liquor rep when he lived here in Louisville, too! Now he's in stinking Indy.

Ahhh, sweet Stephen, simmer down, now. Since when did you get all, "are you a white table cloth, how could you be a mythical number of stars?"

I completely respect your defense of the forum, poke buddy, and I have at times felt the same urge (and even gone for it, post later deleted) but I'm glad Olivia's has stood well represented. And I had NO idea they were doing food like that! Someone needed to tell me... Please, Mr. Zoeller, keep postin'. My sister and Brother in law are Zoellers ~ in fact they're related to Fuzzy! You? I assume by the spelling that you're from the Sunny Side ! Even more closer to home, brother in law was a liquor rep when he lived here in Louisville, too! Now he's in stinking Indy.

You know,if I was to have a crawl, it would be establishments telling me theirs 'is the best.' You do not give this title, the people do. It is especially egregious to me when I read the phrase 'cult-following.' That is all fine and dandy, yet I make it my business to know the difference. Hey, ya wanna promote yourselves here, fine. Rock on, brethren! But don't you dare shove some crap down our throats...

PS. Man, that menu did sound quite tasty! Props to Chef Hall and crew...

I didn't realize my post would touch such nerves across the culinary community. Yes I am a wine and spirits
representative in metro Louisville and service Olivia's account. I just happened to be one of the lucky patrons who attended a very well thought out wine dinner on Saturday night. It is a shame to have to apologize for a very misinterpreted post. The event that Olivia's hosted was one in which
they totally stepped out of the box. This is something that they don't intend to do on a nightly basis. They are only open at the present time for lunch service.I have waited tables in some of the best restaurants in Louisville
including Equus,The English Grill,and Michael Grisanti's own Sixth Avenue.How many people have come out of the Grisanti family to really touch our local restaurant community. One of these owners said
that i was the best waiter he's ever had and has been in the business for over twenty years. If you also see my midsection you would understand that I know my way around a knife and fork, especially in the field of fine dining. I have absolutely nothing to gain by just voicing a opinion about something I truely
believe in. I will continue to advertise upcoming events in which I'm involved but will never voice another
opinion because that's all they are. It's a shame that I have to apologize after the fact. I just wanted Olivia's owners to know what they did last weekend did not go unnoticed and say I'm sorry for not helping
get more butts in the seats. It is very easy to be judgemental in regards to a five star experience but until
you know what it's like to perform one words mean nothing.

I totally know what it means to perform yet, I do understand what it means to fall short. The Bourdain event will haunt me for years. Please, don't take my pretty words wrongly...

You probably made your OP in earnest, yet I took it to be plonk. Sooner or later, I am gonna be 'that one' that calls people to the street. Man, your follow-up post tells me you are sincere. As far as I am concerned, that's all I need...

/shrug, hug, kisses!

When I was a "salad dude" at Equus oh so many years ago, "Uncle Dave" Zoeller was a server there. He knows great service and delicious food because he provided the former at a place that delivered (and still delivers) the latter.

[Robin Garr]

Oh my gosh guys! David is a wine guy from Republic Wines who happened to be at the dinner on Saturday. He has been in the wine biz for years but has no connection with Olivia's, me or Travis. He just simply loved our food. He does NOT deserve to be attacked.

I agree about attacking him, Michele. I already urged the gang to back down.

That said, David's post was written in that heavy-breathing PR style that suggests an ad, and when we review the five posts he has ever written here, they've all been commercial. I'm sure David is a great guy, and I'd like to have him participate as a peer and pal. But I *would* like to help him understand that the forum does not exist primarily as a venue for promotion.