This was the only restaurant that I didn't Yelp before trying it out. My friends & I didn't make reservations at Cowboy Ciao so the wait was ridiculously long for a group of 9 hungry people. We decided to take a walk around the bridge area until we noticed Olive & Ivy. The music, lights, & patio was all it took to draw us in there for dinner. My first thought? Vegas ultra lounge. There whole room was lit by candles & low-hanging lamps that appeared to drip from the ceiling like taper candles.
Most of the crowd was around the huge bar that encompassed the entrance of the restaurant or by their personal firepits in the patio so the restaurant area was open for my huge party to be seated promptly. The free bread was so soft that I was surprised to find out it was foccacia. It was accompanied by this basil/olive oil type of dipping sauce. My end of the table had to quit after 3 refills because we wouldn't have any room for our meal.
I had the bacon wrapped pork tenderloin w/ risotto & swiss chard. OMFG...I was at a loss for words. The crisy bacon with the juicy pork tenderloin combined with that barley risotto in some brown sauce was all it took to numb my vocal chords to prevent from wasting all that energy on talking, rather than putting it to use to chew & savor my meal. Although I wish I had ordered the Nero d' Avola like my friend to pair with my meal, I had instead used my white sangria to wash it all down. It didn't pair well but it also didn't overpower my meal, which was the most important part. I completed my meal with a 'Spanish Fly' which is a martini with raspberry sorbet, Grey Goose, & some other juice that I really can't remember at the moment. It seems odd to see the scoop of raspberry sorbet make its way to the top when the martini is poured but just one sip will send you to paradise.
Oh & FYI...I barely noticed the 'marketplace'.