By Frank Quattrone
A hidden gem tucked into the corner of a modest shopping center in Warrington, the Blue Olive delivers to guests what co-partner Nabil Amri calls “a culinary cruise in the Mediterranean.” More than mere metaphor, Blue Olive’s menu boasts an impressive array of what Nabil describes as “the everyday food of Tunisia and Morocco, with generous nods to Italian, Greek, and other Near Eastern foods.”
Nabil and co-partner and cousin, Amir Amroussi, are most proud of what they call their authentic homemade dishes. Amir says, “Our guests tell us it’s like dining out with family. The food is home style in presentation and taste.” In fact, Nabil says many of the dishes—like the steamed couscous and the taben (or tabil, a versatile spice blend, generally of coriander, caraway, fennel, and chili) originated in his family’s kitchens, and the Moroccan Lamb Shank was inspired by the chef’s.
The menu has been fashioned by the partners, with major input by Nabil’s dear friend, Moroccan-born Executive Chef Taoufiq Chouikhi, who also helmed the kitchen of Nabil’s previous restaurant, Doylestown’s Blu Mediterranean Cuisine, which thrived for years until the pandemic hit.
The chef describes cooking, which he says is encouraged among Tunisian men and women from their early years, as “artistic, musical, very sensuous. It’s like art—how the food is presented, how its aroma reaches you and, of course, how it tastes.” And Taufiq should know about art, having toured with his former band, Tiraline, as a professional singer, guitarist, and pianist, both in his home country and here in the states. It's fascinating to learn that Tiraline was a mythical city of fabulous wealth in ancient Moroccan myth. And the chef has transformed that “wealth” into his culinary art.
Which brings us to Blue Olive’s raison d’être, or reason for being. Your meal might begin with Grilled Calamari Tubes (Italian) or Spanakopita (Greek) and end with a cup of strong Turkish coffee. In between you can choose from a host of familiar and exotic salads, kebabs, and other savory Mediterranean flavors.
For their appetizers (mezze, or small plates, similar to Spanish tapas), many guests wisely choose the restaurant’s Meze Cold Trio or Meze Hot Trio, a sampling of three great Mediterranean specialties. For our Meze Cold Trio, we reveled in the familiar Hummus and Baba Ghanoush, but enjoyed most the Muhammra, a spicy Syrian dip made of walnuts, roasted red peppers, pomegranate molasses, and spices. On a previous visit we enjoyed a Meze Hot Trio of Falafel, Arancini (a crisp risotto dumpling with a slow-cooked tomato sauce, a traditional Sicilian street food), and three pieces of Grilled Shrimp Saganaki on a bed of arugula.
An attractive alternative to the usual order of appetizers and entrées is Blue Olive’s “Signature Meze,” a combination of five hot and four cold mezes for just $80.00. Both times we couldn’t resist a steaming hot plate of Cheese Saganaki, a popular Greek appetizer soaked in brandy, then flambéed before being doused with lemon juice. The chef told us that many guests order this dramatic dish every time they visit.
Then came our entrées. Eve loved her Moroccan Lamb Shank, braised and brushed with a savory sweet-sour agrodolce sauce and dried fruits. And I had the spicy, perfectly seasoned Seafood Kabob, a generous plate so laden with alternating juicy jumbo shrimp and chunks of yellowfin tuna that the skewer nearly disappeared beneath the seafood, the pilaf rice, and grilled carrots, potatoes, zucchini, and yellow squash. Desserts include Pistachio Baklava.
During our meal, we spoke with a very happy customer, Toby Hess, a regular at the nearly three-year-old restaurant, who told us, “I come here for the [Seafood Couscous] Paella. It’s the best I’ve tasted anywhere this side of Spain.” Nabil also shared that many guests have compared Blue Olive to Philadelphia’s heralded Israeli/Middle Eastern restaurant Zahav. While that might not be literally true, the Warrington gem never disappoints.
And it’s not just the menu that draws loyal guests back to Blue Olive again and again. It’s the hospitality so revered in Middle Eastern countries. Partner Amir Amroussi, born in the U.K. to a British mother and a Tunisian father and with his business based in New York, tells us that he’s been in the hospitality field for more than a decade. This cosmopolitan gentleman, in his charming British accent, takes pride in what he calls “our proud heritage of hospitality.”
This is why you’ll see Nabil, Amir, or Taoufiq mingling comfortably with guests, making recommendations, explaining the intricacies of the menu, or asking how they enjoyed their meal. And don’t be surprised if the chef offers you a cup of
“Moroccan whiskey,” the nickname of the popular aromatic Moroccan tea, augmented with a huge mint leaf, as an alternative to Turkish coffee. The perfect way to top off your Mediterranean cruise aboard the Blue Olive.
Blue Olive Mediterranean Cuisine is located at 1432 Easton Road, Warrington, PA 18976; 215-337-3113; www.blue-olive.com. Open Tuesday to Sunday, 11:30 a.m.–9 p.m. Closed Monday. BYOB. Reservations highly recommended on weekends. Available for takeout, delivery, catering, and private parties.