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| - First of all, throw away your preconceived ideas of what eggplant is like. Then go to Oliva and order "The Imam Fainted", their baked eggplant dish. They must bake the slices of eggplant for hours ahead of time, until it becomes a nutty, buttery substance that melts in your mouth. They then finish it in the oven with onions, peppers, and pine nuts, and what seems like a coulis of sun-dried tomatoes with it. The final glorious touch is the rice pilaf, which contains the most buttery perfect rice I have eaten in years. My guy had the beef kebabs, which were marinated in a complex but subtle blend of spices then perfectly grilled, and accompanied by the great rice pilaf. Although he is a committed meat eater, he loved my eggplant enough that I think he'll order it next time. Along with the meal they serve a soft, toasted turkish bread that is nothing like a pita. We got some humus to have with it and it was excellent, with something else I couldn't identify in addition to the chick peas, tahini, garlic, and lemon juice. For dessert I tried the baklava, which sadly was a little on the gooey side - the crispiness possible from the phyllo was probably lost over a few days of sitting. But aside from the baklava, this meal was superb. The waitress was genuinely interested in our opinion of the meal and was very attentive. It's a large space but had some divisions so it still feels comfortable, not cavernous.
We have been back numerous times, and have always been pleased. The gyro meat is great, and my kids really like the pizzas. In fact, my son orders pizza with gyro meat on it (off menu), which he sees as the perfect meal. The service has always been great, and one of our favorite servers in town works here. She is always friendly, attentive, and makes us feel at home.
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