Today's Tip: Fairway Supermarket's Olive Oil

I was over my friend Sam's house yesterday. Sam is a foodie like myself. He had me try two samples of Spanish extra virgin olive oil produced under the Fairway label. Fairway is a New York supermarket with a few locations in Manhattan, Brooklyn and now Paramus, NJ. It is similar to Whole Foods in price. Now, as an Italian, I try to use only products made in Italy. But I must say, after tasting these two oils, I will definitely shop for oil in Fairway the next time I need oil. I wasn't so much surprised at the excellent taste of the oils. I have tasted and cooked with excellent oils from Spain, France, Greece and Israel, as well as many fine oils produced in Italy. What surprised me more with these two Spanish oils was the dramatic differences between them. One was a lighter colored oil described by the label to be "novello"or new. The other was a darker colored oil grown organically. The differences in taste were not at all subtle as I expected them to be. The oil described as new had a "young", peppery fresh taste similar to mown hay. It was lovely! The other oil was entirely different but also scrumptious. It was much more assertive and fruity. Either one would be excellent for what I call , "finishing oil", that is the type of oil used exclusively off the heat, to be added to soups, pasta dishes, vegetables, or salads. Both sold for about $23 a bottle-excellent prices for oils of this quality. Italian grandmas are always looking to improve their pantries.