Rich Mediterranean flavors flourish in dishes
The Olive Tree Mediterranean Cafe in Hilliard serves a variety of scratch-made Mediterranean meals.
On Sundays, its brunch menu incorporates dishes from throughout the region.
We began by sharing two orders of cheese burekas ($3.50), delightful triangles of puff pastry filled with feta and Parmesan cheeses and covered in sesame seeds. The crispy pastries were flavorful and ungreasy.
A centerpiece of Olive Tree’s brunch is shakshuka, a North African/Israeli breakfast staple of eggs poached in a rich sauce of tomatoes, onions and peppers. The cafe has five versions: a traditional one ($6.50) and variations with spicy Moroccan merguez sausage ($9), roasted eggplant ($7.50), feta cheese ($7.50) or hummus ($8.50).
We opted for the sausage shakshuka, whose rich sauce includes chunks of tomatoes and onions. The eggs were hard-cooked, and the slightly gamey Moroccan beef sausage added a fiery kick.
The sabich ($6) is an Israeli-Iraqi breakfast sandwich of pita bread stuffed with roasted potatoes, grilled eggplant, sliced hard-boiled eggs, tahini sauce and a scoop of Israeli salad (with tomato, onion, cucumber and parsley). The initial bites hit only the potatoes, which were a little dry; deeper inside, the sandwich was seasoned well and full of crisp vegetables. The downside: The pita fell apart, requiring a knife and fork to eat.
The challah French toast ($6.50) — a surefire winner — features four custardy slices of challah bread dusted with powdered sugar and served with maple syrup and fruit.
Other items include a
11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sundays; brunch: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sundays mushroom-and-potato frittata ($9), omelets ($8.50-$9.50) and the hummus breakfast ($8.50) — the last option crafted with hummus, fava beans and a hardboiled egg. We enjoyed a side of spicy feta cheese dip, including pita slices.
Brunch is supplemented with a selection of fresh-squeezed juices, mimosas, screwdrivers and a bloody Mary. Regular coffee is available, but the Turkish coffee ($2.25) makes for an interesting choice.