Real Olive (Lawrenceville, GA)

755 Lawrenceville-Suwanee Rd #1710, Lawrenceville, GA 30043

 

Real Olive is a relatively new Mediterranean restaurant in a strip mall in Lawrenville, GA. Like many strip mall restaurants, it looks like a crossover between a fast food chain and a restaurant. The menu includes all staples of Mediterranean food: humus, shawarma, kebab, etc.

I order a small Humus ($5), a side of Chicken Shawarma meat ($5), and a Greek Salad ($7) -- because, for some reason, they could not make the Fattoosh Salad. The chicken shawarma tasted a bit more like rotisserie chicken than skewer chicken, but was still tasty, if at times a bit dry. The pita was big and fluffy, the humus smooth but a bit lemony. The Greek salad was ok, but chunky.

 

VERDICT: 86/100

A very decent Mediterranean restaurant for a strip mall.

Fightingtown Tavern (Blue Ridge, GA)

511 E Main Street, Blue Ridge, GA

 

Fightingtown Tavern is a hardrock “tavern” in the heart of the touristic town of Blue Ridge, GA, at the foot of the Appalachian mountains. It comes highly recommended online. Although it is the atmosphere that sets it apart, it is also known for its food, a slightly different take at staple US classics: burgers, wings, etc.

 

 

I get the Wings ($13) tossed in honey-siracha sauce. The wings are meaty and well prepared. The sauce is good but a bit weak in flavors.

My wife and I both get a burger. She builds her own -- bacon, grilled jalapeños, smoked Gouda ($14.50) -- while I get the Incubus ($13.50) and add bacon ($1). We both choose fries as the side. The burgers are almost charcoaled, despite me asking for medium and they making fun of people ordering well done. The burger was overall fairly pathetic — the Serrano rub and grilled jalapeños had little flavor or heat and the little bacon was as dry as the patty. The fries are enormous, very thick, and taste more baked than fried. We also got a side of Chipotle Slaw ($4.50), which was tiny and tasteless.

VERDICT: 78/100

Given the reviews, I’m willing to believe this was an off day, but how can anyone mess up their staple item, a burger (!), like this? I doubt the fries ever taste better. Very overrated.