Restaurant Olivia — French / American, Bloomington
Restaurant Olivia occupies a downtown Bloomington space with the warmth of a restaurant that takes both the cooking and the hospitality seriously. The French-inflected American menu applied to Indiana ingredients with the conviction that Bloomington deserves a restaurant of genuine romantic quality.
The Indiana sourcing parallels FARMbloomington's approach from a French technical angle. The classic preparations (the duck confit, the steak au poivre) applied to Indiana proteins with the respect for French technique that the bistro tradition maintains.
The wine list is the most deliberately French in Bloomington. A selection of Burgundy, Loire, and Rhône producers chosen with specific knowledge of how they work with the kitchen's preparations.
The intimate room and the French-American synthesis create the most genuinely romantic dining environment in the Bloomington area. The special-occasion restaurant that the IU faculty and the town's serious food community has adopted for exactly that purpose.
Best Occasion: Perfect for Proposals
The most romantic dining room in southern Indiana, Indiana duck confit, and the French wine program. The Bloomington proposal dinner.
Best Occasion: Great for First Dates
The French bistro format, Indiana sourcing, and the intimate room create the first date where Bloomington's culinary ambitions are most clearly expressed.