I knew and understood the risks associated with eating at the newest lunch spot in Tyler opening week at prime lunch time, but I didn’t care.  The create your own bowls were just too tempting to pass up.  When you walk in Genghis, presumably after a mile long hike from the closest available parking spot, you’re greeted at the door and shown to a table.  Servers come as you would expect, but then when it’s time to order the server leads you to another area of the restaurant where it’s up to you to decide precisely what you want to eat.  I chose scallops, shrimp, calamari, peapods, pineapple, broccoli, onion, and baby carrots, I sprinkled on some dragon salt seasoning, and I picked the honey soy for my sauce.  You then take your creation to the cooks and tell them what starch (rice, noodles, tortilla, etc.) you want and take a seat and wait for the magic to happen as they cook it on the big Mongolian grill.  When my bowl arrived, nearly 40 minutes later, it was delicious and worth the wait.  I don’t think I’ll be coming back for lunch for a few more weeks, but I’m going to hit it up during off-peak hours to do a little experimenting with my bowl selections.

I’m not going to try to list all the foods they have to select from, but here are a few:  chicken, beef, sausage, turkey, marinated white fish, shrimp, scallops, calamari, broccoli, onions, bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, pineapple, spinach, tomato, cilantro, egg, etc, etc.  The list goes on and on.  I was also pretty impressed by their drink menu, though since it was a work day I just had water.

So now I am curious to know what everyone else has been getting in their Genghis bowls.  Please comment with your best bowl creations!

The hostess sat us at a tall bistro table near the bar and handed us our menus.  Although I was not planning on having wine, a quick skim of the wine list revealed a pretty impressive selection of wines not commonly found in Tyler restaurants.  I gave serious thought to scrapping my planned afternoon workout and ordering a glass, but ultimately will power won, and I chose water to drink.  I wish I would have taken more time to browse the menu as I can’t recall many of the choices, but this is because as soon as my eyes came across the specialty pizza section I had to look no further.  I’m not sure what the name of the pizza I ordered was, but it had chicken, cheese, artichoke hearts, and jalapenos.  It was one of the best pizzas I have ever had.  My sister ordered a bowl of the tomato bisque, and it was equally fantastic.

I honestly can’t think of one bad thing to say about Oliveto.  The service was superb, the food delicious, and the atmosphere inviting.  If I had to compare Oliveto to any restaurant in town, I’d say it’s like a cross between Newk’s and Fiore.  I love Newk’s and Fiore, so obviously, now I love Oliveto too.  I am looking forward to my next visit already.