¡Ay chihuahua, Olé Olé is muy not bad!

A name like Olé Olé promises inauthenticity on the level of Chili's or Señor Frog's, so finding that it's pretty decent as Latin-fusion upscale dining goes is practically a revelation. All done in hipster red, the space looks like an exposed-brick restaurant crossed with the devil's office set from Damn Yankees, but the vibe, at least on Tuesday night, was more relaxed and neighborhoody than hotspot-exclusive, disarmingly welcoming to a diverse crowd. I was by myself and ordered as many different things as seemed decent, here's what I had:

• Glass of an Argentinean malbec, though I will note that there were a couple of malbecs on the wine list and the waiter simply asked the bartender for "the malbec," which means there was a very good chance that I didn't get the one I ordered by name. Who knows?

• Two empanadas, chosen from a list of three, highly scarfable cheese-filled fried goodies (I particularly liked the spinach one), with chimmichurri and a salsa to dip in. After eight beers, you'd love a big platter of these.

• Ribeye carne asada. A bit less than the sum of its parts, the steak was quite good (if a little too char-tasting), but I wasn't wild by this point about the chimmichurri and ate most of the steak by itself without the accent. It seemed like it had way too much lemon juice and not enough oil, as it was quite astringent and the parsley was rather wilted; and there's a reason we don't normally put lemon on steak. (Oh, and the garlic mashed yuca was neither garlicky nor mashed enough for my taste.) On the whole I tend to think you'd be better off paying half this for a cheaper, but more delectable, piece of thin, salty carne asada at a real South American place.

• Cajeta (goat milk caramel) mousse with coconut on the outside. A really fine dessert; low-key in flavor but the texture of the mousse was wonderful and it was absolutely gorgeous on the plate, with Dr. Seussian swirls of chocolate and cookie.

The menu has a range of fish and meat entrees, half a dozen fish tapas and appetizers including a ceviche tasting (!), and fajitas and guacamole for those afraid to order anything more exotic. A nice place, I'd go back and see if I can find an entree I like better.

Olé Olé
5413 N. Clark St., Chicago
Tel: (773) 293-2222

Mike G wrote:A name like Olé Olé promises inauthenticity on the level of Chili's or Señor Frog's, so finding that it's pretty decent as Latin-fusion upscale dining goes is practically a revelation.

I had the exact same reaction when I first noticed the place and its name. But then a friend of mine (whose opinion on food I respect) told me that she had a very good meal there. And now your positive review. Sounds to me like it's worth a shot -- and it sounds like I won't have to fear waiters and waitresses singing happy birthday to me while serving the special fried ice cream!

I liked the place when I went there with a group after a class one Saturday not too long ago. I had the empanadas (one kind for an appetizer, another kind for my entree), and loved them. Some of the entrees going past looked yummy - too bad the carne asada wasn't a Platonic version, because that's one thing that looked great as it passed on a tray.

One of our party had the Tortilla Soup, and it was inedible - so thick that when I asked for a taste, I was able to use my fork! Okay taste, but a soup the texture of glue - it would be hard to get a whole bowl-full of the stuff down, and my friend didn't want to try. No one else at the table was a foodie, so they all ordered salads, which I don't eat.

Bottom line, it seems that what's good is great, but they're uneven. Nice, festive atmosphere, though, and overall I agree with Mike G. that it'd be worth going back to see what else they do well.

We are remiss; Lovely Dining Companion and I went quite some time ago on a Friday evening and neglected to post. At this late date I remember little except: (1) the mojito was lousy, (2) most of the food was good, but nothing remarkable (and no, I don't recall our meals), (3) on Friday night it was quite loud (to the point of conversation being difficult), (4) service was competent but no more.

We have not returned. Not because it was affirmatively unpleasant but because, for the money, we'd rather investigate other places. Just not a place that made us eager, in any way, to return.

Mike G wrote:A name like Olé Olé promises inauthenticity on the level of Chili's or Señor Frog's, so finding that it's pretty decent as Latin-fusion upscale dining goes is practically a revelation.

Mike,

I quite enjoyed Ole Ole, lively fun atmosphere, well mixed urban crowd, and some real winners, in particular Calamares a la Plancha, grilled squid w/red peppers. Squid was tender, peppers had a slight zing, my favorite dish of the evening.

Calamares a la Plancha


Grilled octopus was spot-on as well, served with a bit of frisse and yucca fries.

Pulpo a la Plancha


Clams, mussels and raw oysters were nicely fresh and well presented, Ole Ole does small plate seafood very well. In particular I enjoyed the clams.

Almejas (Clams steamed with white wine sauce)


Empanadas, as Mike mentioned, are quite good, especially the accompanying house made chimmichurri.

Empanadas


Ceviche Flight was fine, though at $18 it's by far the most expensive of the small plates.

Ceviche Flight


Four of us split two steaks, nicely done, great chimmichurri, though just a wee hum-drum. They split them onto 4-plates in kitchen for us, a nice touch.


Four of us split flan for dessert, a nice rendition in the slightly dense school of thought.

Flan


Service, especially given the Friday evening crowd, was quite good and, while the music was quite loud, they promptly turned it down to almost conversational level at our request.

I found myself liking Ole Ole and am looking forward to going back for grilled squid, octopus and exploring more of their small plate menu.

Enjoy,
Gary

Gary, some of those dishes do look like they were well-made; however, the stark presentation on those vitreous cisterns leaves a lot to be desired. The squid, especially.

JeffB wrote:the stark presentation on those vitreous cisterns leaves a lot to be desired.

Jeff,

Stark or not, the squid tasted pretty darn good. Speaking of good at Ole Ole, the Caipirinhas were quite good. Better, or should I say, more to my taste, than those at Fogo de Chao.

Enjoy,
Gary

I was at Ole Ole last night and also had a very nice meal. The empanadas were, as noted previously, excellent. I did not have any of the ceviche but everyone else at the table really enjoyed theirs. For an entree, I had the red snapper in adobo sauce. The fish was moist and flavorful and the sauce had just the right amount of heat to give it a kick but not overwhelm the fish. There was a wonderful coleslaw accompaniment - I think a chipotle cole slaw? Also spicy but tangy and fresh tasting.

We shared four desserts around the table. I wasn't thrilled with the chocolate cake. It was very dense, but kind of course and chewy. It reminded me more of a toffee pudding/sticky pudding type dessert. The tres leches cake was fine but I didn't go for a second forkful. The favorites were a cocounut cake and the mango mousse. The mousse was especially lovely. Cloud-like and intensely mango-ey.

We all drank mojitos which were fine. There was lots of mint in mine, but I would have preferred a bit more mint flavor. Maybe it just needed a few more seconds of muddling?