Olives & Pitas

Stopped in to get some food, the sign above the door said it was open, and the door was unlocked, but there was nobody inside to be found. All that could be seen were the trappings of construction, ladders, the coke machine looked to be wrapped and ready to be taken away by movers, and the kitchen was dark.

I work across the street and I’ve been in a few times. The food is just okay. There isn’t an actual menu it’s more like a buffet. Prices are a bit high for what you get.
I’m not sure how they stay in business, there isn’t ever anyone there.

Olives & Pitas seems to be an advertisement for (what must be) their more lucrative catering business, because I otherwise have no idea why you would have a restaurant set up in this manner. To watch as food was walked from the kitchen to the service line where it would sit and wait was perplexing, as was the combination of the upscale-​ish décor and the cafeteria style of dining.
The majority of the menu funnels you to this service line — you pick a meat, some sides, then you go back to your table to eat. I got the shredded beef shwarma, which was quite dry — braised for too long — and positively riddled with whole peppercorns. For sides I tried the spicy hummus (no problems), tabouli (also no problems), and falafel (we got some problems). The falafels were about four inches long and shaped like a prolate spheroid, and because they were sitting in those stupid service trays for so long, they were dry and not crispy. Also, pretty room temperature.
You get some biryani rice with every protein, and while it tasted fine, it should have been made with Jasmine or another long grain rice. Authenticity, and all that. You also get some homemade pocket pitas dusted with approximately a quarter cup of flour.
As well-​intentioned as Olives & Pitas might be, it’s pretty laughable to place a bottle of Pellegrino on my table and expect me to take my plate to a service line to get a scoop of whatever’s been sitting around for the past few hours. There’s good Lebanese food all over this city, and I wouldn’t consider this place to be among them.

Does phenomenal Ganoush make up for joyless Falafels? That’s for you to decide.
I gave it three stars, but remember, on Unilocal that means «A-​OK». The complimentary hummous, fresh pita and pita chips are wonderful. The Shawarma Sampler comes with tasty Chicken, Couscous, Falafels (the only disappointment), Hummous, Spicy Hummus, a taste of Tabouli, Dalma (never been my cup of tea, but these where the least offensive I’ve even had), Turmeric Rice and THE BEST BABA GANOUSH IN THE GREAT PLAINS!