8/24/08 - It was about 15 years ago when I read a couple of books that have had a heavy impact on my life and enriched my mind and spirit like few precious others could ever have done. The first was “A History of Knowledge,” by Charles Van Doren, and the next was “The Passion of the Western Mind,” by Richard Tarnas. They were both about the progress, and sometimes even contraction, of human knowledge throughout the ages, with its inherent benefit of life-changing inventions and breakthroughs in every field, from science and mathematics to philosphy and ethics. Both singled out two great learning explosions that have occurred in this process, two great eras that forever changed the way man viewed himself and the world around him.
It just so happens that responsibility for the first of these two monumental periods of growth lay with ancient Greeks, the host country of the Olive Tree restaurant, which we’ll take a closer look at today.
Don’t worry, I won’t go off and get swept up into a history lesson or anything (as much as I’d like to!). It’s just that it’s so incredibly powerful and interesting to read up on such amazing figures as Thales of Miletus, Pythagoras, Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle, to name just a few. Greek thought was the fertile ground that gave birth to philosophy, became home to the world’s first democracy, and remains the basis on which the entire western world is modeled upon today.
Yes, I won’t get into it, but really now, who wouldn’t want to look further into such legendary accounts as King Leonidas and the Greek stand at Thermopylae, the very true story popularized by the movie “300?” In fact, that battle was just a small part of the whole story between the tiny, independant city-states of Greece and the massive Persian army led by Xerxes, where the high stakes of freedom and truth literally hung in the balance. All waaay cool stuff!
But then again, I promised I wouldn’t turn this into a history lesson. Just go ahead and check out these books for yourself on Amazon or elsewhere. They are every bit as exciting as Iron Man, Spider Man, and Captain America, or the battle between the Galactic Empire and the rebellion, only these are real-life. Check 'em out. Good stuff.
But enough with the past and onto today, where the Olive Tree in Kahala stands as wifey and I's favorite Greek stop on the island. It is a casual, order-at-the-counter, indoor/outdoor restaurant that attracts an educated, university-type crowd, along with young hipsters and the occasional ogre-looking local boy like me. When dining in, you best make sure to get a seat before ordering, as tables fill quickly and people tend to stay awhile - you don't want to get stuck with hot dishes and no tables around to enjoy them. Groups often set a leisurely pace while putting away several bottles of wine, which seems to be the drink of choice here, before leaving.
Though it is byob, there is a small market right next-door called Oliver, under the same ownership, where you can get wine, beer, deli-type grocery items, and freshly-sliced meats and cheeses. This self-serve situation is a pretty cool way to side-step both the high costs of a liquor license and wait-help at the same time. Ingenious, if you ask me.
Since they were temporarily out of difficult-to-find Greek beer the last time we came, we went to Tamura's in Kaimuki before coming. It is an excellent place to find unique beers, wines, and all kinds of specialty items, and can be found in the main pages, under the poke section of specialty local grindz.
Unfortunately, when we got to Tamura's they didn't have any Greek beer available, and, in fact, even recommended we try the Olive Tree! All I could do was laugh. No worries, though... It turned out that Oliver did have a Greek beer on-hand that night, after all! It was called Aris, a green-bottler that was a cross between Heinekin and Budweiser, not exactly my favorite beverages of choice. Considering the ethnically-oriented dishes, I guess I wouldn't mind throwing down a few of these, as the taste wasn't offensive or anything, just not exactly memorable, is all.
Instead of another beer, however, we ended up getting a bottle of wine called Retsina, which the guy at Tamura's recommended. It piqued my interest because it was, at least in the old days, sealed in pine resins to prevent spoilage when taken on long journeys. The resins naturally imparted the distinct, earthy flavors of pine into the mix, a touch that is often considered an acquired taste. Nowadays they often dispense with the sealing resins and add similiar flavors to try and reach the same effect. For us, it was a strange mix, indeed. We weren't sure what to do with the strong, almost tree-bark-like bite that was, quite strangely, very sweet at the same time. It was also a bit weaker than most wines, coming with a 10% alcohol volume instead of the usual 15% or so.
Getting on to the actual dishes, we can never get away from baba ganoush, at least here at the Olive Tree. Wifey and I both go crazy for this simple dish. It is basically a dip of ground eggplant, tahini (ground sesame seeds), and various seasonings, then topped with olive oil and scooped up with slices of pita or other flatbread. There are many variations, however, as this dish is popular throughout many countries in the Mediterranean and Middle East. The name is actually derived from an Arabic term, baba ganuj.
The other appetizer was perhaps even more famous here, a ceviche of mussels. Ceviche is a lime or lemon-marinated seafood dish where the citrus juices are used to "cook" or pickle mostly raw items. This version, however, is only slightly doused in citrus and was definitely not raw to begin with. Nevertheless, combine lime-infused mussels with capers, fresh herbs, and some seasonings, and this was a delightful dish, indeed.
As for main dishes, wifey went with a (lamb) souvlaki, which is a popular type of seasoned meat in the Greek fast-food category. It sometimes comes on skewers, sometimes on plates with accompanying side dishes, and sometimes in a pita or some other flatbread that is folded into a sandwich. Different regions have their own specs on the term, but here they come in a folded flatbread, along with lettuce, onions, tomatoes, and a yogurt-based sauce. Simple, it is, but very delicious.
My choice was the shaorma, a patty of ground, seasoned lamb that was housed in the same basic set-up as the lamb souvlaki. This dish is much more substantial and tasty, however, than the chunks of lamb coming in the souvlaki. This was the first time we tried this particular dish, but will not, no doubt, be our last. Even those who don't appreciate lamb will love it.
Like most dishes here, the taste was wonderfully exotic and very different from normal local items. Most dishes come heavy on the slightly nutty, elegant, and well-rounded taste of olive oil as well as herbs and spices like oregano, rosemary, parsley, clove, and sesame seeds.
One thing I didn't expect to find was a caviar dip, similiar in general appearance to our baba ganoush that came first. Sprinkles of caviar were mixed into some grain-based medium that helped balance the strong, salty flavors of fish eggs. Probably our least favorite dish of the evening, but nevertheless, enjoyable, still.
Wow, that was three appetizers and two main dishes - much more than we normally order. Ok, we did have the caviar dip at home, as you can tell from the take-out box it sits in, but it only takes 20 minutes to get home. We were able to finish everything because the portions are definitely on the small side and we were really hungry, both of us doing the early-light-lunch-thing, something we tend to do in preparation for dinners we are particularly looking forward to.
And yet, we weren't done yet! While in line purchasing our bottle of Retsina wine earlier, I noticed it was another bottle that was grabbing the attention of other customers. This was a Moschofilero Boutari, a white Greek wine that is also a bit weaker, at around 11% alcohol volume, which is perhaps better for guys like myself who are used to the 4-6% volumes in beer. Apparently, Boutari is a well-known brand in Greece, very popular with young and old, having grown out of one of the many tiny vineyards into one of the largest in the country.
Actually, we planned on having this one at home, along with the caviar dip, but we both decided we had had enough drinks for the evening already.
My sister knows a lot about Greek food, as she is a traveling flight attendant flying all over Europe, and her husband's favorite food is Greek. At our excited recommendation, they both tried the Olive Tree. To our dissapointment, however, they both said it was ok, but very much an Americanized version of Greek and far from being traditional. Aaah, no worries. Can't win 'em all. After all, it's hard to please a couple that own property in Greece, and are good friends with the chef/owner of a large, popular restaurant highly recommended by Fodor's and other major travel books.
Aaah, who cares?! The Olive Tree still remains as wifey and I's favorite Greek stop on the island, Americanized and all!
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