The Hours: Sunday through Friday from 5 until 7 p.m.
The Deals: $5 select wines by the glass and small plates
The Digs: Olivea is an adorably quaint restaurant neighboring Stueben's, Marczyk Fine Foods and the Uptown Tavern. The space is cozy but well-utilized, and we like saddling up the bar, where we can smell the wafts of delicious happy hour food specials emanating from the open kitchen window to the left of the bar. Even better, happy hour is also offered on Olivea's patio, where sunny tables offer the perfect opportunity to people-watch up and down Seventeenth Avenue.The Verdict: Happy hour at Olivea is a calming experience, complemented by excellent food, a large selection of happy hour wines and an incredibly warm staff that's also quick. When the sun shines, the patio rivals any in town, and anywhere that offers happy hour on a Sunday is golden in our book. Try the duck liver mousse with fig compote and pickled onions if you're in the mood to have your world rocked by something simple. The flatbreads (choice between lamb sausage or garlic, potato and rosemary) are tasty and perfect to share. The only downer was the ricotta gnudi, which lost any semblance of texture in its chicken brodo.
Overall Grade: B+
