February 10, 2014 | Short Order

Blue Olive Market: Casual Greek Eatery Invades Midtown 

by Maria Yagoda

          I’ve found some small mom-and-pop diners and modest bistros in my far away East Harlem neighborhood where I can eat without straining the budget -- mostly home style cooking. So I rarely feel compelled to venture to midtown. Occasionally I am shamed into joining a friend for lunch near her office. And, of course, I expect to meet my folks when they arrive from Pennsylvania at Grand Central.

          But I almost never find myself in midtown to eat – and I certainly would never expect to find honest, reasonably-priced Greek food.  

          Blue Olive Market, on 41st between 3rd and 2nd, is on a quiet, nondescript block, located near a few banks, a Starbucks, and several shops at which you can wax or tan your body.


The hot kitchen offers Greek fare, to take away or eat wherever you can find a seat.

          The three-week-old market is a hive of commerce, a less overwhelming Eataly, with an entirely Greek motif. Lining the 4,000 square foot space are counters selling freshly dishes up hot food, salad, just-made sandwiches, desserts, and items wrapped and ready-to-go. The small wine bar -- comfortable but alarmingly bright -- offers beer and over 50 wines, many of them Greek and under $30.


Eat at the bar with a glass of one of Blue Olive’s several Greek wines.

          Needless to say, Blue Olive is easier to navigate than Eataly (which is 50,000 square feet), but it’s not exactly a cinch. I ordered a glass of wine at the wine stand first, and then, emboldened by a successful move, headed to the hot counter to get my fix of moussaka and spanakopita. The server sliced a generous square of moussaka, parked it on a disposable takeout plate, then added two wedges of flaky spanakopita alongside. Was I supposed to pay at the food station or the bar? No one could give me a straight answer. So I carried my humble dinner box back to my spot at the bar, set it down, and went off in search of a fork.

          That took a while. A few minutes later, fork in hand and feeling abused, I could finally devote myself to the moussaka, light and flavorful and slightly cooler but still delicious. The flaky spanakopita, oozing with spinach, was some of the best I’ve had in the city. 


The octopus salad, bright and lemony, is the must-try mezze.

          That encouraged me to risk the salad bar. I chose a freshly-tossed, feta-studded Greek salad. The salad guardian dressed it lightly in Blue Olive’s own imported Greek olive oil. No acid at all, very delicate. I brought it back to camp and played around with all the homemade salts the house makes available. Licking my fingers, I decided my favorite was the coarse saffron salt.


Here’s a chance to try the house-made, infused sea salts.

          I’d heard buzz about Blue Olive’s liquid-nitrogen-frozen Greek yogurt, so I got a little grumpy when I was told they’d already sold out. It was just 8:00 pm after all. I comforted myself with a trio of mezze for $8.95 -- taramasalata, stuffed-grape leaves, and the standout octopus salad, plus olives and warm pita -- and treated myself to a second glass of $7 Hellenic red wine.

          An extravagant dinner (with leftovers for two future lunches) cost me $35, but you could fill up for less than $10.

Blue Olive Market, 210 East 41st Street between 2nd and 3rd Avenue. 212-922-0991





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