Famous last words: “It’s 6 p.m. on a Wednesday night in West Seattle. Of course we’ll get a table.” But, of course, we didn’t. Upon entering West Seattle’s Next Big Thing, Ovio Bistro, my friend and I were told that without reservations, the wait would be one hour. I blame Seattle magazine. That glossy is so enamored of the upstart that they’ve featured it in three straight issues. I know this not because I have a subscription but because on my third visit, I chose to sit at the bar by myself and the kind bartender offered me some reading materialreading material that featured some very high praise of his restaurant.
If the local monthly is to blame for the hype, however, it’s the food that’s at fault for the hyperbole. It really is wonderful, once you’re able to get in. After eating my words (and some pizza down the street in lieu of the “eclectic bistro” fare we were warmed up for), I made reservations for the following week.
I was being overly cautious when I requested a 5:30 p.m. reservation, but by 6 p.m., as groups of friends and family filed in as if on a string, my guest and I were very pleased that we had arrived early, secured a relatively private corner table, and been allowed to linger (for quite some time, with little pressure from our gracious server) over an aperitif.
When we finally got around to ordering, I requested a cup of the day’s soup, a creamy chorizo and vegetable bisque ($4.95), and my friend asked for the Bibb lettuce and pear salad ($5.25), which came accented with spiced walnuts and a tangy blue cheese vinaigrette. Ovio takes great pride in their daily soups, and for good reason. Mine, while on the heavy side, was deliciousa perfect, savory winter night starter. Carrots, celery, onion, and sausage mingled terrifically in the luxury of the creamy base. Toward the end, I picked the bowl up and backed the last few spoonfuls directly down my throat, realizing for the first timebut not the lastthat I really was quite at home here.
At my house, we use plenty of strong spices, and at Ovio, they do the same. Our second course was pan-fried oysters ($8.25), which came in a huge bowl generously laden with a pastelike sauce of red pepper aﯬi and tomatillo salad and plenty of perfect shellfish. With large wedges of chewy flatbread stuck into the deep bowl, we took our cue and used them to mop up the remaining spicy sauce.
Had we been feeling dainty, we would have stopped there. The oyster dish could easily be taken as a meal. Instead, we proceededagain, not rushedto entr饳. Although my friend insisted that she wasn’t offended by the fact that only two of the nine choices were suitable for vegetarians, I was a little put off that two of the seafood itemspotential non-carnivore fareincluded pork accoutrements.
My vegetarian friend opted for the season-appropriate roasted pumpkin ravioli, which usually comes with chorizo but is offered sans sausage for $12.95. I selected the seared flat-iron steak ($19.50), but wished I had thought more about the marbled nature of the cutI prefer a less fatty steak. But the butternut squash potato gratin underneath the butterflied steak was truly sublime, and the blue cheese butter on top was lovely.
Because of the across-the-board richness of Ovio’s offerings, I decided to go back one more time to see if Ovio’s menu offers choices you can stomach on a school night. I dined alone in the small bar, where a convivial feeling pervades. Although slightly Belltown-ish in its decor, Ovio is very homey. Ebo, the gentlemanly bartender, poured me a stiff martini and arranged for me to have a half portion of the crab and rock shrimp cakes (delicious for $7.25), since I also wanted to try that day’s soup (a wonderfully hearty beef barley, $4.95).
As the other bar patrons and I casually intercepted each other’s conversations, I also tried the pan-seared pork tenderloin, which was greatbut not as amazing as the Roquefort polenta cake that came with it. After noticing me rolling my eyes in delight toward the Euro-ish track lighting, Ebo suggested that I order it as a side next time. I plan to do just that.
The downside? Like the popular sushi joint Mashiko up the avenue, Ovio is often bursting at its small seams, and you can’t help but hope they’ll end up lucky enough to take over a neighboring lease and expand. Good things come in small, reserved-to-the-hilt packages, sure, but a little more elbow room wouldn’t hurt, either.
