Beer Wench Goes to Lunch

I went to Ovelia for lunch with a girlfriend to celebrate her scoring a job with the Paul Taylor dance company. While not a new joint in our neighborhood, Ovelia is a new find for me—nice; eclectic Greek fare, pleasant ambiance; the option of outside seating, and a welcome respite to the techno music I typically associate with 30 Ave Greek cafes. Since it was 3pm on a Wednesday, the place was pretty quiet and we could have had our pick of the cozy tables and booths but we opted for stools at the shiny white bar, closer to the booze. It wasn’t until I turned my menu over, however, that my interest was truly piqued. It’s a modest beer list, true, with the usual crowd pleasers of Corona, Negro Modelo, Blue Moon, Heineken, Stella, Sam, and Amstel, two of my favorite Germans: Radeberger Pilsner and Weihenstephaner Hefeweizen, followed by Mythos, a light Greek Lager that I had never heard of and, just to mix things up, a Belhaven Scottish Ale Pub Can. Having recently discovered the unexpected deliciousness of Greek wine, I branched out and had the Mythos with my tsitsiki. It turned out to be light and bubbly, and had a flavor that I associated with a hybrid of Heineken and Stella. Eleni, our bartender, mentioned that the Mythos sells particularly well on hot days. Not bad, but I’d rather have a Radeberger. The Belhaven I’ll be coming back for on a brisker day, something about 90 degree weather doesn’t exactly scream dark beer to me, but just in case you’re interested, I know it to be a malty, toasty, and nutty concoction with a nice round mouthfeel that goes down real smooth in the fall.
Their draft selection is small but rocks: Delirium Tremens and Lion Stout. Ovelia isn’t screwing around when it comes to these two, both clock in at over 8% alcohol by volume. For those of you who don’t already know, Delirium Tremens (Latin for “trembling madness”) is the only beer to be named after a symptom of alcohol withdrawal (the “DT”s, also known as the “shakes”) and has won the honor of being voted the best beer in the world on more than one occasion. Lion Stout is a Sri Lankan brew I’ve seen before, but never on tap. I know I said hot days and dark beer don’t go, but frequently my foot needs to be inserted in my mouth, even if it’s only a paragraph later. This stout I could pair with some sort of coconut ice cream and be deliciously happy (not to mention off my bar stool after two). It’s reminiscent of Sixpoint’s Diesel Stout without the weight—somehow able to be dark and light at once. Nice flavors of coffee and caramel, with a hint of cherry somewhere in there. I’m more than a little disappointed I went with a salad and a Mythos instead of their frozen cheesecake (or fried chocolate bar) and a Lion Stout—bikini season be damned!
In lieu of desert, I opted for a frozen margarita and three Bluepoint Oysters off the “Rocking Ribs” Wednesday menu. While it tasted light, Eleni managed to get me pleasantly buzzed off that one frozen treat and if my lunch date hadn’t had to leave for some Fleet Week debauchery, who knows how long she could have kept us at her bar. Turns out Eleni and I know a lot of the same people, which is why I love this neighborhood: everywhere feels like Cheers, and she seemed ready to chat. My friend told me that at night it’s harder to get a table, but it gets lively and is a lot of fun (pretty sure I saw a DJ booth). That “Rocking Ribs” menu also looked like a great way to spend a Wednesday night with a group of friends at one of the large banquet tables outside. The back area of Ovelia looks like a cute date night spot: intimate low lighting, dark wood tables, cozy booths. It’s also worth mentioning that the bathrooms were nicely designed and clean, I enjoyed the river rocks in the sink, however the frosted glass doors may have freaked me out after a few more drinks.