Located right on Palm Canyon, L’Olivo will get your taste buds going. You will love all the Italian authentic dishes, with L’Olivo being super conveniently located right in downtown Palm Springs.
Taken over 4 months ago by Sal Zavala from original owners Roger and Maggie, L’Olivo was founded in 2009. Some of Sal’s family is from Spain, his father was from Michoacan Mexico and had lived in The Coachella valley for most of his life. Sal got the recipes from the past owner, but added his own take on these great dishes. Most of Sal’s family is working with him at L’Olivo, Aunts Claudia, Marcelia, and Clema. His uncle Jose is the chef, who before this worked at many of the best Desert restaurants, including Trilussa.
Sal wants my readers to know that when you come to L’Olivo you will be taken care of like family with their unique Italian cuisine. He says it’s a mixture of modern with all of the traditional recipes as well. Interior is light and airy, he wants everyone to feel this inviting atmosphere.
Here’s what I tried:
Appetizers:
Scampi, with prawns, lemon, garlic, olive oil, and Pinot Grigio. They serve huge size prawns in all of its garlicky goodness.
Beef Carpaccio, thin slices of filet mignon, virgin olive oil, lemon, arugula. This is tangy and bitter; but the combination is just wonderful.
Bruschetta with tomato, basil, virgin olive oil, garlic crostini, a great staple in Italian cuisine and this version does not disappoint.
Pizza:
Chicken Pesto, fresh pesto, mozzarella, diced chicken, a small pie, but cooked to perfection.
Pollo Carbonara, signature carbonara, mozzarella, basil, and this pizza is different but equally delicious.
Salad:
L’Olivo Cobb, with romaine lettuce, chicken, tomato, boiled egg, bacon, avocado, Gorgonzola crumbles, and Italian vinaigrette. I like this salad because of it cold crisp romaine and of course, the bacon.
Iceberg Wedge with tomato, bacon, red onion, and Gorgonzola dressing. I really was amazed at how replacing blue cheese with Gorgonzola made such a huge difference.
Almond Spinach, Organic spinach, California mushrooms, sliced almonds, Italian vinaigrette. A truly healthy option, that hit all the right notes.
Pasta:
Carbonara, Signature carbonara, parmigiana, black pepper. This pasta was just ok; I would skip it and move on to the mushroom ravioli instead.
Vodka Rose, with Vodka cream sauce, pancetta bacon, and tomato sauce hints. This pasta did not have enough sauce for my liking; I would order the Frutti Di Mare instead.
Frutti Di Mare, with Mussels, clams, calamari, shrimp, salmon, marinara broth. This would be my go-to pasta here, the seafood was very fresh and the sauce was perfect.
Ravioli Di Scampi with lemon, garlic, olive oil, pinot grigio, a bit too tangy for my liking, but someone else may just love this robust flavor.
Ravioli Di Funghi, with California mushrooms, Marsala cream wine sauce. By far my favorite pasta of the night, super creamy with great mushroom flavor.
Mains:
Pork Chop, 12 oz. grilled chop, California mushrooms, Marsala wine sauce. A very thick pork chop with scrumptious sauce, a good choice.
Chicken, Polo Al Gorgonzola, Chicken breast, California mushrooms, spinach, Gorgonzola crumbles, Marsala cream sauce. Another fantastic menu item!
Dessert:
Torta Della Nonna, pastry cream, hint of lemon, pine nuts, almonds, powdered sugar. All I can say is just save some room!
Torta Al Cioccolato, moist rich chocolate cake, dark chocolate frosting, dark chocolate flakes. For the chocolate lover this is the desert for you.
Wines:
Robert Mondavi Private Selection, Sauvignon Blanc, California, a perfect wine with the scampi, fresh and fruity with some peach nuances, blended nicely.
Stemmari, Chardonnay, Terre Siciliane, Sicily, Italy. I like this wine with the Frutti De Mare, all the rich seafood goodness picked up the buttery quality in this wine.
Robert Mondavi Private Selection, Chardonnay, California. Enjoy this wine with any of the salads as well as the mushroom ravioli.
Red Wines:
Stemmari, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sicilia, Sicily, Italy. A big bold beautiful wine, for me it worked with either pizza.
Trapiche, Malbec, “Oak Cast”, Mendoza, Argentina. I liked this wine with the chicken and the Marsala sauce.
Ravenswood, Zinfandel, “Old Vine”, Lodi, California. This wine was a great pair with the beef Carpaccio.
Summerland, Merlot, Paso Robles, California, this is the wine to drink with the pork chop.
They offer fresh hand made daily pasta, and in house daily baked bread, pizza by the slices and individual with a variety of toppings. They also have gluten free pizza.
There are so many great places to eat in Palm Springs and it’s hard to decide but L’Olivio is a great choice for lunch or dinner. Excellent home made fresh Italian food and service. Lets get the word out; L’Olivo promises to be one of the finer Italian go to places in The Coachella Valley.
L’Olivo Italian Bistro
333 N Palm Canyon Dr, Ste. 105
Palm Springs, CA 92262
lolivoitalianbistro.com
