Get ready Boca Raton — you are home to the newest restaurant by celebrity chef and heartthrob, Todd English — scheduled to officially open later this month. Wild Olives by Todd English, his latest concept, will take over the space previously occupied by Opus 5. While a few menu items have graced the nightly specials over the last few weeks, the dinner menu will debut on November 24, while the lunch menu follows on November 30 — the decor will change in April 2010.
While that’s still a few days away, my TasteCasting crew was luckily invited in for a complimentary sneak peek at what’s to come – gourmands rejoice – there was a reason I had to sit through a tantalizing 8-course wine pairing dinner. I know, my job is rough.
When you dine at Wild Olives, you will be able to find a selection of classic, familiar dishes associated with Todd English – including his sweet and savory fig & prosciutto pizza (a must-try taste sensation) – combined with new gourmet delights. Your taste buds are sure to be awakened by this fresh, ingredient-focused, culinary tour of the Mediterranean. And if you want your experience to be doubled in satisfaction, be sure to have them add a wine pairing to your courses of choice – they do an extraordinary job.
Let the journey begin — When we sat down at the table, we were welcomed with the Caramelized Onion Focaccia served with Olive Tapenade. Warm, fresh bread with a hint of sweetness went nicely with the tapenade and made for a great first impression to our meal. This combined with the plate of antipasti and a glass of Perrier-Jouet Grand Brut made us realize that we were in for a night to remember.
Next in line was the signature Carpet Bagger Oysters. Get ready for this succulent aphrodasiac. Combine a lightly fried oyster and thinly sliced beef carpaccio laid atop truffle whipped potatoes and you have a marriage of meat and potatoes that no one can resist.
Equally delicious was the Tuna Tartare with crispy rock shrimp, warm sesame dressing and white fish caviar. For me, I didn’t feel it needed the shrimp, but the fresh, simple flavors were palate-pleasing and delicious.
The Boston Bibb salad with shaved red onion, Maytag cheese and walnut vinaigrette brought out the garden-fresh simple flavors.
Hungry still? You better be, as there were plenty more to come and now it was time for a comforting dish of a classic Todd English pasta – his Butternut Tortelli with brown butter and fried sage. This rich combination of sweet and savory was one of my favorites, but be sure to get a combined fork full of the pasta, cheese and fried sage in every bite to enjoy this perfect myriad of flavors. There’s no going back to spaghetti with meat sauce now.
After an intermezzo of lemon sorbet, plates of grilled swordfish were set before us. This fresh fish was cut into a thick steak, grilled perfectly and then set atop a rich asparagus risotto and then finished off with a warm shrimp vinaigrette. Once again, simple flavors made the ingredients shine and I thoroughly enjoyed this dish. My only problem was that I wish it had come earlier in the evening, as I was getting mighty stuffed at this point.
We’ve almost made it to the end, but we weren’t allowed to stop quite yet. It was time for a comforting dish of meat and potatoes. The sweet flavors of the Brown Sugar Rib-Eye with silky parmesan whipped potatoes paired nicely with the BR Cohn Cabernet. While not necessarily my favorite of the evening, I’m sure others will find this palate-pleasing.
And, the finale — Todd’s Signature Ricotta Cheesecake paired with a glass of sweet Far Niente Dolce — a team favorite.
Wild Olives by Todd English is located at The Shops at Boca Center, 5050 Town Center Circle in Boca Raton. For reservations or more information, call 561.544.8000. They are also on twitter, so follow them to hear about all of the latest happenings.
Once you step inside, we were immediately drawn to the lively bar scene. The chairs were filled with co-workers gathering after work, lively sports fans and close friends meeting to catch up on the past week. You could easily spend your entire night at the bar, but then you would be missing out, as Gatsby’s offers a room for private functions, pool tables in the back and live music on the weekends.
Over the past few months, I have been promoting a new project of mine called 
