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Untitled
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 ZZ: Todd, the first time I came to Olives, which I guess was maybe five years ago, I had the foie gras and black truffle flan as an appetizer, and then as the main course I had your sirloin steak with roasted vidalia onions and Roquefort sauce. Both dishes blew me away, I loved them. But about thirty minutes later I thought I was going to be sick….
TE: [Smiles.] It's a rich meal.
ZZ: Exactly. It's really, really rich. I've heard people say, "My gosh, they should put a warning label on that man's food." But you obviously love really rich, indulgent, sensual food.
TE: Well, it sounds more like you do, because you ordered it. [Laughs.]
ZZ: [Smiles.] True. But so much of your food is like that.
TE: A lot of it is. My philosophy is, hey, listen, you're going out to eat. There are options on this menu: the roast chicken, simply roasted fish, and some simple pastas. But it seems that people don't come here to eat that. The experience that one wants to have when dining out, and especially if it's more of a special occasion or you come in here and you're psyched because of the food or because you're with good friends, is indulgence. This is not what you're going to get at home, it's not what you're going to get on an every day basis, obviously. Here, you want your taste buds to explode. You're going to feel like there's something you've never experienced before. That's what we really shoot for here. But, you're right, there should be warning labels on some of this stuff. People get mad at me.
ZZ: Really?
TE: Yeah, they get mad. I say, "Look, you didn't have to eat it all." "But it was sooo good," they say. Well, what are you going to do? There are other options. You can come sit at the bar and have light things: the tuna carpaccio, the tartars, the pastas, some salads. But I remember we once had a low-fat dessert, and nobody ever ordered it. Nobody wants a low-fat dessert. If they're going to have dessert, they're going to have dessert.
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See Todd on video, talking about his super-sensual food.
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Todd English
;)
