NEW Restaurant Review: Slightly Oliver

I attended the friends and family preview of the new restaurant/mixology bar Slightly Oliver on October 27th and the official public opening was this past Tuesday. The people running the joint have a lot of experience in the industry: Stanton DuToit (Owner, Tolani Wine Restaurant), food by chefs Luis Ulloa (Tolani) and Jason Hicks (Jones Wood Foundry) and cocktails by Orson Salicetti and Albert Trummer (both from Apotheke, Theater Bar). The theme is a "cocktail gastropub," the only one to currently exist.

500 Amsterdam Avenue, NYC

The venue used to be Bar Luna but was completely transformed into it's own unique, environment complete with a mini-distillation system made of delicate glass, for art purposes only of course *wink.* As I walked in I was promptly greeted by a beautiful hostess who escorted me to the bar, where I'm most comfortable. My seat allowed me to get a bird's eye view at all the action. Within about twenty minutes of my arrival, the place was packed and everyone was in a celebratory mood congratulating the owners and staff.

The overall look is more "modern-gastropub" than the original English pubs I have been too. Dark, "new" wood is the general theme of the venue and seating for dinner is plenty with more private dining towards the back. I can see people getting real cosy back there late night.

Dimitri

The preview went very well, it was open bar and open food for everyone in attendance. I tried a few things off the menu: the foie gras, which was out of this world with a slight hint of cumin, I think. The spare ribs were beyond delicious and the meat just fell off the bone with a savory sauce.

The cocktails were all pre-batched, mixology punches by Mr. Salicetti in beautiful, large glass containers on the bar top allowing us to watch the fruit-fusions in action and providing a beautiful presentation. The punches were tasty and ranged from sweet, sour, neutral and spicy.

Sailor, Bollywood & Virgin Island

The staff were extremely excited about the opening and took great care to re-fill waters, smile and were knowledgeable on both the cocktail and food menu - you could tell they were well-trained. The cocktail menu will feature classic cocktails from the prohibition era all the way up to modern time.

The fashion: it was a rare, cold night in the city for the Fall so everyone had on their best winter attire: fashionable scarfs, boots, jackets, hats - these are making a huge comback with men - and leggings/stockings for the women.

Foie Gras

By the end of the night I was pretty tipsy -- shocker -- and didn't realize I had been there for three hours, time flew right by. On a scale of one to ten, I give Slightly Oliver a solid 9. I look forward to going back and trying the permanent cocktails and would recommend this place to anyone looking for a more sophisticated atmosphere where you can sip cocktails, listen to some indie-music and all while enjoying a solid meal.