Chef Olivia López and her partner Jonathan Percival officially opened Olōyō two days ago.  The pair started in 2021 with Molino Olōyō, a food truck that delivered heirloom corn tortillas and tamales.  Since then they’ve been doing pop-up and private catering until they found a brick and mortar space to actualize their dream.  Chef Olivia had worked with Ross Demers of Cry Wolf back at Mi Piaci and now has moved her own restaurant into that space.   Later in the year they hope to open a more casual option next door and later a breakfast take-out window.  For now the old space had the same bones but has been elegantly re-done.  The bench seating along the side was stuffed with a back and there were 5 stools in front of the counter that have backs and padded seats,  A lattice woodwork covered the lower part of the windows and was topped with Mexican pottery.  One wall hosts a large corn-based art piece that symbolized the number of Mexican states but to me represented the many types of heirloom corn that form the basis of the López’s cooking.  The wood fired area has been filled with stainless cooking equipment and there was valet parking at the end lot.  No signage was out front but that will come with time.  Inside Mexican music filled the space and there were a ton of service people on the floor, behind the bar and in the cooking area.  The couple has a farm that supplies some of their produce and many ingredients she brings from Mexico.  It was on the pricey side for what people around here think of Mexican food but this one offered a real step up in quality.  I look forward to watching their progression and hope you will let me know what you think when you go.

Set-up

 

Food

Aguachile de Temporada was raw blue fin tuna from Mexico in a strawberry vinegar and juice marinade with strawberry-habanero compote and served with tostaditas raspadas (crunchy tortillas) topped with strawberry dust.  The strawberry flavor in the dish was amazing.   The tender fish was lovely but overshadowed by the astonishing strawberry flavor.   The tortilla’s preparation made them extra crunchy and they were perfect with the fish.

 

Sope Gordo was Rosewood Ranches wagyu brisket with bayo beans, daikon radish, pickled red serranos and served with a hot sauce.  These were masa disks with crispy edges and topped with the fillings.  They’re best with a squeeze of the fresh lime and topped with a bit of the spicy red sauce.  The meat was tender and flavorful as were the perfectly cooked beans.  It made a fun dish that left you mouth with a slight sparkle and the texture of the corn disk was marvelous.

 

Tamales con Pipían verde contained Duroc green pork, with pipián verde, heirloom summer squash and pickled watermelon rinds.  The sauce was made from pumpkin seed, tomatillos and green chilies which gave it the lovely color.  The squash was mixed inside but also in crisp chips on the top.  One of my favorite flavors of the dish was in the pickled watermelon rind pieces.  They had just the right bite to accent the sauce and corn.

 

Pato (duck) en Mole was with mole manchamanteles with calamondin (citrus) jam, pearl onions, and pickled vegetables alongside corn tortillas.  The duck was air dried for 6 days then prepared confit style to concentrate its flavor.  The pearl onions were filled with jam and mustard seed.  Some sweet pickled vegetables were on the side as were the small blue tortillas.  The duck was well flavored, tender and topped with wonderful pieces of crispy skin.  The duck was fun to eat by itself in the mole but also good wrapped in one of the thick tortillas.

 

Nieve de Pinole was blue corn ice cream with corn meringue sheets and lime caramel.  The flavors were okay in this one but the ice cream was not a smooth creamy style.  The caramel was good but there was not enough of it to carry the dish for me.

 

Flan was made with Koji, lactofermented honey, bayleaf, encaladilla and puffed rice.  Under the smooth flan was a medium thick crisp disk that was sweet and flavorful.   Also adding texture was a tuile of rice on the side of the flan which was topped with whipped cream.  The textures and tastes resonated much better in this dessert.  It was really good.