09/12/2011 - QC Foodie - Olive Tree Cafe

I took my mom to the Olive Tree Cafe in Bettendorf yesterday and when I saw her again at my brother's house today, she was still raving about the food. My dad, not the adventurous eater, is in for a visit to the Olive Tree soon according to my mom. On their website their welcome states, "We are excited and committed to serve you authentic, flavorful and healthy Mediterranean cuisine enhanced by our relaxed and cozy atmosphere. We have created an exciting menu just for you, so come join us for lunch or dinner and enjoy our dishes that stir passion for food."

I used to work about a mile from Olive Tree so I would order lunch to go once in a while. Once, after waiting in the rather crowded restaurant around noon for about 20 minutes, I joked to a colleague that they probably had to harvest the garbanzo beans out back. I quickly learned that I had to call ahead in order to walk in and pick up my food promptly. The food took equally long yesterday but unlike rushing back to the storied corporate building to try to accomplish as much as humanly possible, we were not on a schedule. We had all day to meander over to Borders and the grocery store before going home after lunch. This attitude and schedule is perfect for the setting. The cafe had a steady stream of to-go order customers but only four others dining in. Two friends were long-finished with their meal but were lingering over animated conversation. The music was something one might experience while receiving a massage at the spa, ambient and relaxing. The decor is pleasant, with beautiful paintings of calla lilies and other art for sale and a mural of an olive tree on the opposite wall.

The food is made fresh, and I presume that's why it takes so long. On this visit, my daughter Juliet ordered a chicken gyro, my mom and I ordered falafel wraps. Juliet is a tough customer and praised the gyro a couple of times during her meal. She also had a banana strawberry smoothie but thought it tasted like liquefied yogurt rather than a combination yogurt, fruit and crushed ice, as she prefers. I tried it and she was right, it was very yogurty and was a bit sweet for my taste. My mom and I thoroughly relished the hummus and falafel in our wraps and spread the tzatisiki sauce generously on top. On previous visits, I have had the Turkey Artichoke Panini, Baba Ghanouj, Stuffed Grape Leaves, Spanikopita and Baklava. Mediterranean and Middle Eastern food ranks high as some of the most flavorful food in the world, in my opinion. Grape leaves are a bit too strong for my palate and I have yet to try the paella, but mark my words, I will. I'm thankful that the Olive Tree Cafe is a Quad City restaurant and hope people continue to patronize it to keep it successfully in business. All too often, good specialty restaurants come and go because the Quads can't sustain them. The long-gone and much-enjoyed (apparently by not enough people) Phoenician Cafe comes to mind. I wholeheartedly agree with the Olive Tree that their dishes stir a passion for food.