Olive Citrus - Redlands

Not bad. Not great. That would sum up my experience here. My server was pretty on top of checking and and making sure things were okay. So that was a positive. The food was not horrible, but there were a lot of issues. Started with Iberico ham which is just simply that and I knew what to expect. Also got Pan com tomat and that was a let down. 2 slices of burnt bread with slices of tomato thicker than the bread and some mancheho cheese shaved on top for what $20 Yeah sorry that is ridiculous. On to entrees I had the hangar and it was cooked well but the chimichurri on it lacked any real skill. It was too much olive oil and parsley and nowhere near enough garlic and salt....do they know what salt is? My dinner guest had the jumbo shrimp and just picked at them and reported they were okay just a little rubbery and again under seasoned. Drinks were good and a good selection. Was it worth $240 for the meal? Nope. That is about how I feel about the entire experience and if I would return. The quality I got for the price I paid did NOT match up.

Food was not worth the price. Not sure why you they chose to serve potato wedges with a fancy steak and wedge salad. Large shrimp was good, sourdough break was meh. Drinks were good- large selection of alcohol and mixed drinks. Our server didn't seem to have my energy. I don't usually comment on people's appearances but his hair looked so disheveled and greasy and I kept seeing him run his hands through his hair to get it out of his face which made me uneasy about touching the food or drinks.

This may be a wordy review for you so let 's say up front OLIVE CITRUS is a YES GIVE IT A TRY and my first visit was about a 4.3 out of 5. My vegetarian/vegan partner in crime and I moved from Pasadena to Redlands back in April. We normally shun chain restaurants but there 's a group of restaurants known as the Hillstone Group which are phenomenal. If you 've ever been to the Gulfstream in Newport, a Houstons, or the R+D Kitchen in Santa Monica these places are the gold standard of date birthday celebration restaurants. So if you 're going to compete in the Hillstone ballpark you really have to have your shinola together. Olive and Citrus has the 'feel ' of a Hillstone. That 's critical. The minute you walk in you say, okay Redlands has arrived. I had dipped my head into Greensleeves and it felt too tight/claustrophobic. Citrone looks more interesting and we 'll give them a try, but even that posh place doesn 't half the elegance and elbow room of O C. My only critical note here is that the place lacked color accents that simply POP and add a warm charm. We went on a Sunday evening and the place had a nice spread out feel, meaning if you 're trying to avoid Covid you 're not on top of the next table. Our waitress was prompt and professional and a general good feeling set in. So I ordered the wagyu hanger steak, which I 'm not sure I 'd ever had before anywhere. I asked for rare but with a nudge towards medium rare, which is precisely how it arrived. Perfect. I looked on the table for salt and pepper and there was none. Hmm. Then I took a taste and discovered why. It was a WOW. Strangely you needed a knife to cut it but almost no teeth to chew it. It was THAT tender. Generous amounts of salt and pepper on the exterior without being too much. It came with some sort of parsley garlic oil sauce on the plate to dip in but why dip PERFECTION into anything else? My partner in crime got a vegetarian ricotta and pinenut pesto rigatoni. We were torn over this one. It was her birthday and so she said it was the best pasta dish she has ever had out. I felt it was good but I found the pasta too al dente. It was actually odd that my steak was more tender than her pasta. Our waitress offered a garlic bread side for her pasta, which I considered a minor misstep. Who needs bread with a big dish of pasta? The green beans I ordered would have been a better pairing, especially for a vegetarian. My only wagyu beef here is that for these prices a feel a side should have been included. A la carte is fancier but you 'll lose local business to a place that might include the side with as good cuisine. But this is a minor issue. The dessert was the first major misstep of the evening. We got some sort of blueberry infusion tart deal that... well... felt like it came out of a test kitchen. The soft part tasted a little off and the crust was too hard, requiring a little sawing of a fork to liberate. The jarred gelato was serviceable however. The restaurant and restrooms were spotless except oddly for one little plate that was on our table from the start. It was sticky to the touch. The other plate was fine but our waitress took them both away just the same. When we ordered dessert that waitress had someone help her clear the table. A fork slid off a departing plate and our waitress caught it with her peripheral vision and ninja super powers without ever looking away from my partner in crime asking about the desserts. I interrupted and said, Nice catch. OLIVE CITRUS itself is a nice catch. Ignore some of the questionable reviews below. This is definitely at least 4 stars.

My visit to the restaurant was pleasant. Went on a date night and was recommended the A5 steak which was very pricy so I was hesitant at first but my server Kiara reassured me that it was worth it. Also, had the mushrooms appetizer alongside the cheeseboard which the mushrooms plate could have had a more seasoning but the cheeses were delicious. When I got the steak, I was shocked by the size of it but when I tried it, it was like candy and it was so delicious. Kiara made us feel very welcome and was great with recommendations. Definitely recommend for a nice date night.

Food was ok. Not Worth the price. Lemon tart was not tart at all. To sweet. It was just average.