Olive, an urban dive

07/05/2021

10 years ago today, we opened a little dive, with a big heart... 5 years ago I wrote the post in the photo to my friend group that facebook just shared with me this morning.

The milestone & memorial days still hit hard, but last week I got to eat at two past employees (both in the photos) love children... Justin’s Salt Block Biscuit Company & Zack’s Jollity, finally got to see The Century Bar’s new digs & so relieved and happy to see The Barrel House made it through the global pandemic by the skin of their teeth & the people that love what they’re doing, in the space I dreamed up when Olive was still new... I’m just so damn proud & tickled for all these talented folks!

People are still dreaming, investing & putting their heart and souls into serving you great things, Dayton! Go love on them!!

01/29/2021

do you ever crave our wedding cake? Justin was our lead baker... and he’s bringing it back for you, Dayton! grab your mask and take a trip down memory lane this weekend!

❤ ❤ LISTEN HERE DAYTON!!! ❤ ❤
I did a thing this morning that I know y'all will be darn glad I did.. Remember that beautiful Traditional White Cake I use to make a few years past??? Well this weekend it will be available here
❤ ❤ GET IT WHILE IT LAST!!! ❤ ❤

02/11/2020

I was teared up with happiness over the Oscar for American Factory and was remembering the calm bubble you seem to enter when with Julia & Steven and then searched for this piece they hypnotized me into doing...

there aren’t enough tissues for all the feelings... will love them forever for capturing this moment of sweetness at the beginning of a beautiful stretch... before life would change everything, and I would have to reinvent again.

big love to everyone that helped make that all happen and were a piece of the most amazing, creative, love filled part of my life.
💕”love ya long time” BB

*skip the part about me... just thought some of you would enjoy seeing the dive again...* 😉

p.s. huge props to the adoptive owners of The Barrel House, you all are killing it in the best way and congrats to The Century Bar on your new space and continued success!! raising a glass to all y’all, Dayton! keep reinventing it!

This week on REINVENTION STORIES: Watch the story of Kimberly Collett, the person who revived a Dayton icon. Hear how she transformed the WYMPEE into a locally…

07/05/2018

so appropriate that the power was out on the mountain this morning & I had to pull out the french presses from Olive on the anniversary of her opening... so many delicious and wonderful memories!!

heartfelt thanks to everyone that made it what it was from farmer to guest and every single staff family that touched its soul... I think of you often & miss your laughter, ideas and dancing with you in that tiny little kitchen!

all the best to you, Dayton!

07/05/2017

Here is the world.
Beautiful and terrible things will happen.
Don't be afraid.

-Frederick Buechner

good morning, Dayton! today would have been the 6th anniversary of our little dive... just wanted to take a moment to acknowledge the day and say thank you again for all your support while we were there- you, our guests and staff family, made it a beautiful thing.

here are some photos from Kimberly's new B&B endeavor in South Carolina and a link to a post about it if you didn't catch it last fall...

until next time... keep growing and don't be afraid! and if you need some encouragement or a little peace... I've got just the place... ;)
The Ridge at Table Rock

https://www.facebook.com/olivedive/posts/1275943055799941:0

04/04/2017

from our old neighbors at The Barrel House! knit and sip!!!

Happy Tuesday! The sun is out and the rain is..., well, somewhere else right now. We have tapped several new beers today, just in time for our Heavy Seas Firkin Off event on Thursday. As always we have our Knit Sip Repeat gathering this evening. Tuesday also means $1 off all 12 oz pours as well and draft wine pours. Open til 10pm tonight. Cheers!

02/14/2017

just across the street from our old digs! happy valentine's day!!!

Nothing says Valentine's Day quite like a raspberry chocolate chip milk stout, right?! Well, we've tapped one just in case. As always, add a scoop of ice cream for a buck and make it a beer float. We may or may not have Hop JuJu, but the sooner you get here, the better the odds. Open til 10pm tonight, cheers!

11/22/2016

don't forget our ol' sister shop for all your holiday beverage needs and a quiet place to sip and breathe if it all gets a little nutty! ;)

Downtown Dayton's one stop shop for all your fine wine and craft beer needs. Featuring a quality selection of package and draft. There's something for every palette with 20 rotating tap handles; a red and white wine, 17 craft beers, and a cider. Relax in our cozy lounge area, or grab it to go. Our friendly staff is ready to serve you, cheers!

11/16/2016

good morning, Dayton!

I've been modifying Olive's recipes to make at home and thought I'd share one for all those holiday get togethers and special dinners coming up! and Dayton's own, The Barrel House, staffers were kind enough to pair up some lovely beverages to go with it!

today it's a super easy and fast to prepare... roasted veggies & broiled filet dinner! so good, so easy!

and yes, these are the same roasted veggies we used in the 'autumn in a bowl' salad so many of you loved!


*disclaimer: your oven will cook differently... you may need to up the temp (400-420) or the time (45min) or both when roasting the vegetables... take notes, so you'll know for next time! the brussels sprouts will be your best indicator - just getting brownish crispy bits... not black, when done.

1. step one: stop at The Barrel House & the grocery (Dorothy Lane Market !?) *buy local! ;) p.s. The BH has an insta-chiller if you're doing all this last minute!!!!

2. step two: an hour or so before you want to sit down to eat... pop open a lovely beverage and pre-heat your oven to 375.... unwrap your filets and let them rest out of the fridge

make the roasted veg: cut (or buy pre-cut) brussels sprouts & acorn squash, add red & yellow bell pepper, carrots, turnips and radishes - sometimes I add mushrooms, red or sweet potatoes... whatever!- just cut generous bite size pcs.

throw them all into a big bowl, add sea salt and a generous amount of pepper then pour over extra virgin olive oil... half cup or more depending how much you're making... stir gently and thoroughly, making sure all the veggies are coated... pour all onto a thickish sheet pan and spread out (use 2 if crowded/overlapping)

3. take your Instagram photo (maybe tag Olive and/or The Barrel House) and pop those lovely babies in the middle of the oven and set your timer for 35 minutes... *see disclaimer above*

4. now take your filets and put them in the same bowl with the olive oil etc. dregs from the veggies and add a little more if needed to coat them with the oil, salt and pepper on all sides. set them on your broiler pan and add any other spices/rubs you like...

5. when your veggies are done, take them out & loosely cover with foil and switch oven to broil... you're going to broil these filets on high, one rack down from the top, door closed for 5 to 7 min... flip and another 5-7 min depending on size, thickness, temp you like... (trust me... once you get this down... it'll be amazing... don't look in the oven... you'll think you're killing that cow all over again the way it's steaming/smoking).

check your temp on your steaks after the second broil... shooting for 120-125 for med rare... they'll keep cooking a bit after you take them out so err on the low side... put them back in if needed...

plate those babies up and ta da!

I use the leftover veggies over omelettes or in a cheater stew later in the week, more on that soon! enjoy your week!!!!

10/20/2016

hey ya'll! it's been just over a year since we closed our little dive and I'm amazed by how many folks still contact us here, to tell us what they loved and miss. Thanks so much for that, Dayton.

We all miss our guests and Olive family in a truly bittersweet way... even as we've moved on to other projects. I still keep up with what's happening downtown through Facebook and am cheering on all the independent businesses I see staying, growing and opening up there!!!

In case you're wondering, this is the view from my front porch in South Carolina, where I've been healing from the loss of my man, the dreams we tried to build together and the stress of shutting it all down and starting over without him... and for me healing involves watching the sunrise kiss the face of the mountain every morning and soaking in the Milky Way just overhead every night, savoring the 181 MORE days of sunshine we get than Ohio... all while working and striving towards a goal (and includes lots of demolition and renting of excavation equipment!).

I've spent the last year moving, terracing the ridge, opening up the woods, saving the pond and converting the house to a bed and breakfast on the 14 acres I found here. And I'm tickled to announce that I just started renting rooms on airbnb. Four weeks in and we've already hosted 54 guests from 14 cities! It's been amazing to share my favorite place and see guests happy and loving it too... and reminds me of the days of our little dive, filled to the brim with good people, and makes me grin ever so tenderly at the fondness and gratefulness I find there, in those moments.

You can explore the new venture at The Ridge at Table Rock and maybe like the page and consider a lovely get-away in the foothills of the Smoky Mountains! We can re-live the good old days and maybe I'll pull out a recipe or two!

Until then... please support your local independents and artists of all kinds, who are living their work and taking chances... and don't forget... if the direction you're heading isn't working - you can change it. It's hard on a thousand levels, but it's worth it! and if you need some encouragement or some peace, I've got just the place... ;)

11/26/2015

Happy Thanksgiving!! as a special little show of thanks to all of you that have reached out to say how much you miss our little dive... here's our spicy sweet potato soup recipe (a favorite side to so many of our lunch dishes)!!!

Olive's Spicy Sweet Potato Soup: originally inspired by cook Chris, way back in the day....

simmer sweet potatoes until soft (20-30 min)

in a large blender, puree sweet potatoes (4qts)
and add:
1 C Star Dancer Creamery Milk
1 C Heavy Cream
1/4 C Local Maple Syrup (check at 2nd Street Market or Dorothy Lane Market)
3/4 C Simple Syrup (you can find recipes online, we made our own)
1 tsp Cayenne Pepper (Spice Paradise Dayton)
1 T Cinnamon (Spice Paradise Dayton)
Salt and Pepper to taste

Blend until smooth and use water from cooked potatoes as needed for desired consistency (don't thin too much!)

Sprinkle with feta cheese before serving in individual bowls

Hope you enjoy making it or if you just want to skip down memory lane with us, scroll through our instagram page of all our past daily special posts https://www.instagram.com/olivedive/ and know we're still so grateful for the time we had and the memories we shared with so many of you!

Enjoy the holidays!

10/23/2015

because we consider folks that bought and gave our gift certificates investors too... if you have a gift certificate please chase the link and follow the instructions and we'll buy the valid ones back! (there are state & federal guidelines and we're trying to keep the accounting and our CPA sane, which is why it's a bit of a thing, but we tried to keep it simple!) p.s. missin' you in the shop and online...

http://olivedive.com/gift-certificate-buy-back-program.html

416 e third st, dayton, ohio 45402 ~ olive: your locally sourced, mediterranean, american restaurant