Everybody around Nyack and Piermont has been buzzing about O Lar, the new restaurant with the wood-burning oven just north of downtown Piermont. We snuck in early one weeknight and snagged a table, but otherwise, hard to know whether we would have gotten in — especially toting Srimp along. We were glad we did. Eating there is like visiting a (very talented) friend who makes you feel welcome, serves you some really good food and sends you away happy and well fed.
Here’s the fennel and apple salad, which we adored:
The crabmeat-stuffed piquillo peppers, which were very tasty. I liked that they were sizzling hot, too:
Sam was a little fussy, we must admit. Thank goodness it was early and there weren’t many people to bother:
The roast chicken was incredible:
(I’m just going to go ahead and blame Greg for these blurry photos; Sam was fussing, so I was holding her and couldn’t shoot.)
We liked the pizza, but for a place that has a 4,000-pound pizza oven that can get to 1,000 degrees, it’s odd to say that the pizza is not why you go to o lar. It’s good — I’m not saying don’t get it — but it doesn’t leave you speechless or anything. It’s quite tasty. Not life-changing.
The oven:
I love that the tables in the restaurant are sort of haphazardly put together; they don’t all match, the chairs don’t match, they’re different shapes — it really lends itself to that comfy, you’re-at-home-so-just-pull-up-a-chair feeling:
Miguel, our host:
Desserts were incredible. Here’s the Nutella panna cotta:
Yes, you read that right: Nutella. Just wow. The texture was creamy and beautiful. There was no skin, no little flecks of egg. Just gorgeous. I mentioned it was Nutella, right?
The ricotta cheesecake:
Not like a New York-style cheesecake at all. A little crumbly. A little smooth. A lot delishy.
We love love love o lar. We’ve been back already — and that visit we tried most of the menu and loved everything. I’ll link to that post once it’s up. For now, just let me say one more thing: Go.
The 411 on o lar: A homey, comfy and tiny spot with mismatched tables, a granite bar and a 4,000-pound pizza oven that serves as the hearth of the restaurant. The menu includes tapas, pizzas, pastas and wood-fired entrees, all served by the amiable owner, who makes you feel welcome, serves you some really good food and sends you away happy and well fed. 587 Piermont Ave., Piermont. 845-848-2207.
