Olive Oil recommendations

I've been shopping around for a good Extra Virgin olive oil to have on hand for dishes such as insalata caprese, where quality and flavor are key.

Anyone care to share their favorite(s) and also recommend some good places to buy?

(also, any good balsamic vinegar recommendations would also be appreciated :)

I'm really a fan of Fior Fiore olive oil.. it's a very fruity pugliese olive oil, and stands up well on its own. It's not the highest end olive oil, but it's serviceable.

-ed

Janet C. wrote:(also, any good balsamic vinegar recommendations would also be appreciated

Funny you should send this in just now.... I'm in the middle of composing a post in which I comment on the overuse of balsamic vinegar... I don't know if you use it on insalata caprese but it's most definitely not a traditional part of that dish.

Concerning olive oil, there are some very basic differences of style; in general (not exclusively) and certainly in a Campanian dish such as insalata caprese, I like the rather intense, deep green ones from southern Italy and Sicily (various good ones, especially from western Sicily are available in the local Italian shops) or Crete (e.g., the highest grade Sitia, available at Athens Market). One that is available here and comes close to the kind of olive oil traditionally used in much of Campania (where Capri is and where all DOC mozzarella is made) is Mantova (from Lazio, Provincia di Frosinone, southeast of Rome); this brand comes in several grades and is available in most of the Italian shops (e.g. Conte di Savoia). But in this dish, I use just a little bit.

Antonius

Thanks, Antonius.

Yeah, I know balsamic vinegar's not supposed to be used on the traditional form of insalata caprese. I threw that in 'cause while I'm looking for olive oils, I might as well find a good vinegar for vinaigrettes, sauces, etc.

Do you have tips on how to judge the various grades?

From Chicago magazine's Dish e-newsletter:

Olive It
Come late September, you will never again be able to complain that you
can't get good olive oil. That's when the wife-and-husband team of
Didem and Seza Tapban are opening Ta-ze, pronounced "Tah-ZAY" (520
N. Michigan Ave., 312-527-2576), which will proffer more than 60
different kinds of olive oil in the Shops at North Bridge. Says Didem:
"We will carry olives, olive oil, soaps made with olive oil–based
thyme, lily, and mint, kitchen accessories, and cookbooks and books that
explain the culture of olive tree growing and the history of it." BTW:
Ta-ze (which means 'fresh' in Turkish) is a franchise with stores in
Istanbul and Izmir, this is its first shop stateside.

That's pretty cool. Thanks for passing on the news.

Reminds me of a place I came across when I was in LA last month. It was an olive oil store, pretty similar in concept, at one of the major shopping malls near Santa Monica.

Only downside I foresee is that they'll probably be selling at typical Michigan Ave-inflated prices.

Sounds a lot like the joint operating in Grand Central Station. (Olive soaps, cremes, candles, etc. along with very, very high-end oils from France, Italy, Spain. Can't remember if they include Greece and the middle east or not.

Between the concept and the address, I'm not looking forward to any bargains, but it'll be nice to go in, taste a bit, and splurge for gifts and special occasions.

Back to the origional request: I assume that Convito Italiano in Wilmette still stocks good high-end oils for salad drizzling, as well as balsamics.

I used to really like the peppery Tuscan oils on summer salads. The ones from Chianti estates are usually good. Badia, Capezzana, etc.

Of the heavy, fruity umbrian oils, Mancianti is wonderful if you can find it.

I have also liked the Ligurian (I believe) oils with the bottles wrapped in gold or silver foil. I can't recall if the foil type indicates a quality variation or what. I beliveve Riviera is the brand. Convito used to have it. Also L'Appetito.

I have also really enjoyed some California oils. Zabars had some very nice ones at much less than the imports. I don't know who in Chi. sells California oil. I've seem some at Whole Foods, but not tried them.

Trader Joes has an unfiltered Italian oil at typical TJs low price. It's OK, but not all that intensely flavored despite the unfilteredness.

Olive It
Come late September, you will never again be able to complain that you
can't get good olive oil. That's when the wife-and-husband team of
Didem and Seza Tapban are opening Ta-ze, pronounced "Tah-ZAY" (520
N. Michigan Ave., 312-527-2576), which will proffer more than 60
different kinds of olive oil in the Shops at North Bridge. Says Didem:
"We will carry olives, olive oil, soaps made with olive oil–based
thyme, lily, and mint, kitchen accessories, and cookbooks and books that
explain the culture of olive tree growing and the history of it." BTW:
Ta-ze (which means 'fresh' in Turkish) is a franchise with stores in
Istanbul and Izmir, this is its first shop stateside.

Just a heads-up that this place is now open. A few folks were browsing when I was on my way to the food court upstairs, but I couldn't stop since our deadlines are breathing hard down our necks.

[quote="Bob S]Just a heads-up that this place is now open. A few folks were browsing when I was on my way to the food court upstairs, but I couldn't stop since our deadlines are breathing hard down our necks.[/quote]

I did stop in over lunch, actually, and don't see much reason to return, though to be fair I don't think they're running full speed yet. They opened yesterday. I certainly don't think I saw 60 kinds of olive oil, and all that I did see were by the Turkish company Tariş. This brand was not just on all the oils, but olives, anchovies, capers, etc.--pretty much all the food stuffs.

But mostly, the five or six oils they had out for tasting just weren't very special. I'm not an olive oil aficionado, but I spend a fair bit of time at Fox & Obel's olive oil tasting bar on lunch break, and the flavors at Ta-Ze were downright disappointing.

Incidentally, two of my favorite oils at F&O are Laudemio and Olio Verde, both quite expensive. A co-worker recently turned me on to Frantoia which is a very nice, more reasonably priced option. I didn't catch prices at Ta-Ze, but my very premature judgment is that it's not going to last in that space for too long. Oh, they did have some very nice smelling soaps.

I like Minerva, a greek olive oil. It's a bit stronger than most commercial italian style and I like it. Sorry, long week, can't give you any more quality journalism.

Help! Due to recent high cholesterol problems, I am trying to find a way to adapt my diet and not be totally miserable.

What is your favorite olive oil and where do you buy it?

Thanks in advance.

Do you really mean "favorite" or the one most commonly used? I can't afford any of my favorites, which are estate bottled Tuscan and Umbrian oils.

For just every day purposes I actually use the Italian oil that Costco bottles under their Kirkland label. Also Colavita. There are 2 very nice Greek oils available from a grocery in Greektown on Halsted, whose name suddenly escapes me.

Also, L'Appetito (next to the Hancock) now has a line of oils bottled by region and also displaying the harvest dates. A bit more expensive, but they make experimenting fun. Also, they have the foil-wraped Ligurian oils which are lovely. A step up in price, but worth it.

My actual "favorites" are a California oil that Zabar's carries and I get when I'm in NY, Mancianti (terrifyingly expensive Umbrian oil I haven't had in years) and some Tuscan oils from great Chianti estates that I haven't had in years.

If you get to Middle East Bakery in Andersonville, you can also experiment at the cheaper end, as they have a variety of Greek, middle eastern and spanish oils. However, I find that at the low end (price-wise), outside of Italy, they all have a hint of flavor and aroma and not that much more. They're still healthy though.

Treasure Island also has a pretty good selection to experiment with. As does Whole Foods, though the prices are nuts. People's Market in Evanston as a decent selection at slightly less scary prices.

And of course there's Trader Joe's with a variety of oils under their own label, as well as branded. I've tried a few and they're not bad, but there seems to be more variation in the packaging and label design than the product inside, which is decent, for the most part, but not thrilling.

I mean favorite olive oil preferably under 15 dollars but definitely under 25 dollars.

Thanks for the suggestions!

If we're talking supermarket olive oils, I find Colavita, Bertoli, et al relatively insipid(they're no Pompei, thankfully). I very much enjoy the
Trader Joe's President's Reserve Cold-Pressed Extra-Virgin Olive Oil. Fruity, with a kick. Unfortunately, what's packaged as above may be listed under a different label depending on the whims of Trader Giotto.
And, it's 5 or so bucks a qt. This past weekend, thinking I was running out of the aforementioned, I picked up something new to my Jewel; Nuretti Extra Virgin First Cold-Pressing. It's not as spicy as the TJ's, but will do until I make a return trip.

Favorite everyday olive oil: from Sam's Club - about $10 for 3 liters.

Favorite special occasion olive oil: from Vincent Arroyo Winery. Vince has a small olive grove, and makes truly the most flavorful olive oil I've ever tried. He also makes killer balsamic vinegars. His wine specialty is Petite Sirah (not to be confused with Syrah or Shiraz - a different grape, called Duriff in Europe), which he uses to make a particularly good port, which always sells out as futures.

Vince with his olive oils and vinegars:

I am really sorry, I should have been more clear. Favorite supermarket olive oils are helpful but I haven't found any of them to be good for much besides cooking. What I am most interested in is favorite extra virgin olive oil of the type you would put on salads, vegetables, dip in bread etc.

I like:

Eliki, greek, from the island of crete. Get it at caputo's in elmwood park or athens grocery (not positive on the latter)
Raineri, italian (ligurian). I like the unfiltered, which has a nice bite, but both the filtered and unfiltered are good. Get it for $13 for 750ml at Capri foods, on north ave, in river forest.

The mantova oils are generally good and inexpensive.

I'd recommend going to fox and obel and tasting the many, many olive oils they have there. Find one you like and either buy it there or search online. F&O sells 500ml of raineri for $20, but you can get it for much, much less at Capri or online.

I am a big fan of Spanish olive oil (and Spain in general). TI carries a couple of very nice oils from Lleida. They usually list the olive variety as well as the acidity (lower is better).

Elliki and Mantova are also good workhorses. I prefer the taste of Mantova for salads, etc.

Beware when buying Italian oils, Italian law permits importation of bulk oil then bottling in Italy to be labeled as Italian. Spain is the world's largest producer of olive oil, and a good amount goes to Italy to be bottled and sold as Italian.

Most of the best stays in Spain, and some is only marketed very locally. A practice similar to keeping the best jamon in Spain.

On that subject, I believe I once read an article which provided the kehy to decoding Italian oil labels. Unfortunately I can't vouch for my memory, but it worked out that a label could say "Product of Italy" and still be the cheap imported stuff. I believe that the phrase "Packed in Italy" is also a giveaway that it wasn't grown there. However, I believe the OP is looking at somewhat better oils, at a pricepoint where regions and even estates are specified, and so this shouldn't be a problem. It's at the lower end, where the pretty label only sayd "Italian" and EVOO, where you can get end up with lesser Spanish or Turkish (or whatever) oil.

I think a larger problem (and harder to guard against) is how the oil is stored and how old it is. Not many give you a harvest date, and storerooms can be very hot, display shelves often sit in direct sunlight. While the oil can keep very well if treated well, heat and light will wreak havoc on flavor. (As with beer or wine.) That's another reason I hesitate to buy the more expensive oils. I always imagine that they may be more likely to have sat around deteriorating for a longer time.

mrbarolo wrote:I think a larger problem (and harder to guard against) is how the oil is stored and how old it is. Not many give you a harvest date, and storerooms can be very hot, display shelves often sit in direct sunlight. While the oil can keep very well if treated well, heat and light will wreak havoc on flavor. (As with beer or wine.) That's another reason I hesitate to buy the more expensive oils. I always imagine that they may be more likely to have sat around deteriorating for a longer time.

I'll plug raineri again here, too: the bottles are wrapped in foil. No light damage.. heat and age, that's another story...

I totally agree. I love the Ranieri. Do you happen to know what the difference is between the gold vs. the silver foil versions? If I recall correctly, in my Convito days they were priced slightly differently, but I can't remember why.

mrbarolo wrote:I totally agree. I love the Ranieri. Do you happen to know what the difference is between the gold vs. the silver foil versions? If I recall correctly, in my Convito days they were priced slightly differently, but I can't remember why.

The gold is unfiltered, the silver is filtered.

We fell in love with McEvoy olive oil while in San Francisco. It's the kind that you want to use raw to finish pasta, or salads, or just eat with some crusty bread and sea salt. It's made in California out of Tuscan olive varieties. You can find it at Fox and Obel, and now, I just started seeing it at Whole Foods too for $17-19 (for about 13oz). It's a very bright and "green" olive oil. Delicious. Our newest use for it is drizzled over corn on the cob.

http://www.mcevoyranch.com/

I also love nearly all of the olive oils from the Olive Press.

http://www.theolivepress.com/

trixie-pea

You won't belive this until you try it. Costco sells estate grown olive oil and it is the best I have had. Incredible. Their are no cheicals used to process it and the taste shows.

You have to look for the one that comes in the glass bottle, they also sell the large platic jugs of ordinary olive oil, but the glass bottle estate one is the one to get.

mrbarolo wrote:On that subject, I believe I once read an article which provided the kehy to decoding Italian oil labels. Unfortunately I can't vouch for my memory, but it worked out that a label could say "Product of Italy" and still be the cheap imported stuff. I believe that the phrase "Packed in Italy" is also a giveaway that it wasn't grown there. However, I believe the OP is looking at somewhat better oils, at a pricepoint where regions and even estates are specified, and so this shouldn't be a problem. It's at the lower end, where the pretty label only sayd "Italian" and EVOO, where you can get end up with lesser Spanish or Turkish (or whatever) oil.

I would not poo-pah Turkish EVOO (and I've heard good things about Spanish too...). Not that long ago, we picked up a Ta-Ze EVOO at the now departed Turkish store on Da'Bomb. Just loved it. A little while later, we visited the Ta-Ze store in the Nordstrom Mall on Michigan Ave. The people there are very nice and will give you all sortsa samples to you find the oil you like best--and get more than one as they have very different flavor profiles. These fine oils are less than $20 for a 500 ml bottle. There web site is here:

http://ta-ze.com/default.aspx

The Turkish store on Devon closed? I'm almost out of tul biper

annieb wrote:The Turkish store on Devon closed? I'm almost out of tul biper

http://lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?p=37825#37825

sms92 wrote:I am really sorry, I should have been more clear. Favorite supermarket olive oils are helpful but I haven't found any of them to be good for much besides cooking. What I am most interested in is favorite extra virgin olive oil of the type you would put on salads, vegetables, dip in bread etc.

For most uses, I like Lucini, which is an Italian oil imported by a Chicago company. It's available locally in supermarkets, but higher quality than most supermarket brands. The makers claim hand-picked, estate-grown olives pressed within 24 hours. It runs about $10 to $15 for 750 ml.

Right now, I'm also using a nice Greek oil that's imported by Greek Islands restaurant in Greektown and available at the restaurant. It's a little more assertive than the Lucini.

My favorite specialty oil is Monti Erei, a flavored oil from Sicily. The arugula-infused oil is incredible. (Disclaimer: I found out about it because my husband does computer work for the importer. I'm not sure where you buy it, though I know some local gourmet stores carry it. You can contact the importer through the Web site I linked to.)

Vital Information wrote:

annieb wrote:The Turkish store on Devon closed? I'm almost out of tul biper

http://lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?p=37825#37825

New location:

Best Turkish Food
165 Prairie Lake Road, East Dundee
www.bestturkishfood.com

Consumer Reports did a recent test tasting of supermarket olive oils, and their panel found Goya to be the best overall. Please do take that with a big grain of salt, as I believe CR should stick to rating dishwashers if some of their previous and occasionally bizarre food and drink ratings are any indication. Still, I picked up a bottle recently based solely on that, but have not yet tried it. Perhaps others here have.