At First Bite: House-Made Gravlax At Ollie & Ry

It’s all about the house-made gravlax at the recently opened Ollie & Ry, located at 242 5th Avenue between President and Carroll, in the space that was most recently 5th Avenue Bageltique Cafe, which closed this past December.

The new space has been open a couple of weeks now, and if you’re looking for a quick and tasty breakfast or a spot to meet a friend for lunch — and you’ve got a hankering for cured salmon — it might be worth checking out.

We’re not quite sure what to call it, though. It’s not exactly a bagel joint — they do serve up bagels for $1 a pop, but they’re not made in-house, instead baked up by a friend of the owners’ nearby. And it’s not exactly a coffee shop — one half of the space, which used to have seating, is now a separate coffee counter where neighbors can grab cappuccinos, but it may not be the kind of place where you set up a laptop to work (there’s no wifi available).

However it might be classified, what they’re serving up is pretty interesting. The sandwich selections are creative, and certainly unique in an area where you can find an interesting sandwich on almost every corner — there’s a roast beef sandwich with Korean BBQ sauce and kimchee slaw ($9), a pulled chicken sandwich with chimichurri ($9), and a grilled cheese sandwich with Spam (!) ($6) dubbed the “midnight snack.”

But like we said, we were in it for the gravlax. Cured in house, the salmon tastes fresher than what you might get at some other places, with a rich color, perfect texture, and bright flavor. The serving size is definitely generous, as you can see — we got a pumpernickel bagel (nicely chewy, and with whole caraway seeds in it, which we love and don’t see very often) with cream cheese (spread on both sides), gravlax, capers, tomato, and onion, and it was a mountain of a sandwich.

It’s fairly easy to make gravlax, so it’s a wonder why more places don’t do it, and we’re glad these guys have decided to dive in. It’s a welcome addition to the neighborhood. If there’s any downside, it’s the price — at $12 for this bagel with the works and a coffee, it might end up being a special-occasion meal, for when you want to treat yourself to one of the best versions of a bagel with cream cheese and lox that Park Slope has to offer. The rest of the time, you might want to stick to the more affordable bagel and a schmear, or the midnight snack.

The space is run by a couple of chefs who, as Here’s Park Slope noted, named the space after their kids. With chalkboard walls — and chalk for drawing — and things like a $2.50 peanut butter and jelly sandwich on the menu, the love of kids clearly extends from the name into the restaurant. The seating area definitely feels like a nice spot for a breakfast or lunch with the family.

Have you been yet? What’d you think?

Ollie & Ry is located at 242 5th Avenue, between Carroll and Garfield. They’re open Tuesday through Sunday from 8am-8pm, and are closed on Mondays.