Pickles & Olives Bistro

This place is ok. The food is tasty and it seems a lot of the sauces are homemade and not delivered which I like. The menu however stays the same and the ceasar salads come with fake bacon bits and store bought parm cheese...not so upscale for an upscale reputation. The owner and his wife have made this place a decent place to eat , but the wife needs to learn how to calm down. The last few times my fiance and I went there to eat we were placed in the front section of the restaurant where the open kitchen is, every time the wife would come by the kitchen to take a food order she would start complaining to the husband ,who is head chef there it seems, about how the food looked and would continue to ( I can only assume) bad mouth other " problems" in their own language which I find so-so to do in front of an english speaking staff and costumers of this small town. It just feels uncomfortable while you are trying to eat. The husband then came out from the kitchen and started schmoozing with the regulars and going off on an ego trip about the many places he has been and who he knows as well as another section of the restaurant opening up which as I pass this place everyday , is still not open and has paper still covering the windows. This ego of his was not enjoyable for my fiance and I to listen to while dining that is for sure. Like I said , the food is good here, the price however is a little high for what you get, the menu needs to change some to keep things interesting , as well as using real food products if what they are trying to convey is a classy dining experience , not fake bacon bits in a salad.

Not So Bad

We have past this place for years but as we usually only eat in Port on Sundays we have never been able to try it out. For some strange reason it is closed on Sunday and that is one of the busiest days for restuarants in Port (I know from personal experience!) Owners should consider closing Monday or hire staff they can trust to work Sunday without supervision. We were seated promply and our waitress was knowledgable about the specials and menu items. The wine list is very nice without being pretentious. Obviously the owners are wine drinker! The menu is small enough as to not overwhelm the kitchen with well rounded choices. And the daily specials covered items which were not on the menu i.e. Beef or fish entrees. We started with the Bruchette which was a little on the soggy side and could have used some seasoning like garlic . On the plus side it was not overloaded with tomato so much that we could not pick it up, a pet peeve of mine. We both ordered a special. Dh had the beef wellington which was very tender and a generous portion. Well worth the under $20 price! I had the cheese stuffed cannelloni topped with grilled chicken strips and alfredo sauce and a side ceasar salad. The cannelloni was a little tasteless and I had to keep adding pepper and salt. The ceasar was very garlicky, especially when compared to the bland pasta. They could have lightened up on the dressing. We shared a chocolate truffle cake which was delish. And our coffees were fine. PS...My parm cheese was not powdery but not the more coursely grated reggiano that many of the higher end places are using no We will probably return to try other menu items because the prices where quite resonable and as I have said the beef was very tasty.

Going down the tubes.....

Well I've been to P&O about 10 times since they opened....unfortunately I think their going downhill. I loved the fresh menu items, and the pizza. They don't use real Parmesan cheese on their ceasar salad, which is a shame. The restaurant has expanded and the service is slow now......We had a reservation and we still waited 15 minutes. It took 20 minutes just to get out drinks....... Not sure if we'll be back again.

Unfortunately I think the quality at P&Os has diminished. We were very excited when this restaurant opened and have been often. The place is lovely and the service good but the past few times I have left feeling disappointed with the quality and the lack of imagination. The menu hasn't changed and after a while I believe I've had all I would like. Our reservation was later in the evening and it wasn't busy. After the first greeting were left standing at the door for more than 10 minutes as the staff walked back and forth in front of us with out a word or explanation. I found my pizza soggy and boring, the bruschetta the same, the specials were "fine" and the desserts were "okay" but my cheese cake was not fresh. It feels like the same old thing and it seems even the specials are the same 5 or so rotated. Sadly it appears the enthusiasm and passion has dwindled. I hope it returns. It will be awhile before we return.

I am amazed that this restaurant was voted best for lunch in Port Perry. But it seems the people here don't have a very high standard. I had the Chicken Caesar and it was covered in this white powder that my friend thought was salt when she saw the 'cook' putting it on. I was parmesan cheese I guess ? Then made the mistake of ordering the cappucino and it although it should be made with espresso it tasted like a mix - I had been assured when I ordered it that they had a real cappucino machine and when my friend who also ordered it asked why it was sooo weak we were told we should have asked for a double shot . Wow they should say it's like dishwater with frothy milk but if you want it to taste like coffee order a double shot. Very disappointing.