In the latest episode of Arlington Eats, host Jeremy Thomas visits Olives Mediterranean Grill, where they are serving up a fresh perspective on not only Mediterranean food but life.

“One of the things that make Olives Mediterranean Grill so unique is how we pay attention to very special ingredients,” manager Katayoun Dadyan said. “We start from scratch. In Mediterranean cuisine, the quality of your olive oil really does matters, and the flavors matching is very important.”

Dadyan and her husband Chef Ali bought Olives Mediterranean Grill from a close friend and soon began adding more flavors and taste to the menu. 

“Our ingredients are from basics,” Dadyan said. “We start with dry rice, dry beans, fresh herbs. Because we use fresh ingredients and orders are made to order; nothing is premade. Of course, we do marinate our meat and our chicken, but everything is really made when you order it. That helps ingredients maintain their quality and taste.”

You can start out with fresh house salads, hummus, handmade falafel, or a variety of soups before heading toward their main entrees. 

“One of the things Ali makes fantastically is the salmon,” Dadyan said. “The way he grills the salmon. The saffron rice. He actually puts in high quality saffron into the rice so you can taste saffron when you’re eating it. On average our highest number of orders is the garlic chicken. It is a pop of flavor in your mouth combined with the saffron rice. He turns your pita bread into this fabulously, luscious bread because the way he put in the grille. He allows the bread to come to life. The other food people are interested in is his lambchop. It’s a quick marination; high quality lambchop and good quantity on the plate.”

Whether you’re dining in or ordering take out in the drive-thru, customers enjoy Olives’s quantity and quality right here in the American Dream City.

“The health of our community also depends on how you treat the community,” Dadyan said. “Yes, we are in business to make a living but we’re also in business to increase the quality of people’s life. Whether that’s with good ingredients on a plate or a smile on our face. From day one, Arlington quickly came to support us. We have customers very committed to local business. They might travel far and wide. Some of customers are regulars. We don’t want anybody to leave unsatisfied. If this is the flavor that you like, this is always a home you can come to.” 

Olive’s Mediterranean Grill is located at 1714 W. Randol Mill Rd. For hours and more information visit the restaurant’s website or Facebook page.