Cinderella 11pm

Sometimes when you shop do you get this little thrill running down your spine? Like you feel snazzy and perky and oh so deliciously decadent? Unh-huh, me too. At least when I’m shopping for something other than something I have to have, like paper towels and Tide laundry detergent:)

So today I splurged and did one of my very favorite things on a Sunday when oh joy I have nothing to do other than what I want to do:)

Went to the Olive Oil and Beyond store. Bliss.
Can you tell this place rattles my cage? It will yours too when and if you decide to order from it. Truly.

(Dangnarabbit, the labels are too small for you to see – so much for my Ansel Adams moment. Did you like the green tissue paper for a background?)

I usually ignore everybody else’s suggestions until I’ve tried them myself, and I suspect that you like making your own decisions too.

So, if you want balsamic white vinegar that tastes like fresh strawberries or fresh summer peaches or cranberry&pear – with no bite to any of them; or olive oil that isn’t heavy and tastes like fresh garlic or roasted French walnuts, well, you’ve found the place to order it from.

Matthew Pour is the Principal/Founder, and he makes them all himself. There are no preservatives, and they are all fresh and natural.

His store on Balboa Island is lined with about four dozen different vinegars to taste, and four dozen different olive oils to taste.
Matthew almost always is there to greet you (and he remembers all of his customers and has a really happy smile for you when you come in the door).

He will mix whatever you think you might like up for you in a tiny paper cup for you to taste, so you get to see for yourself what you like.
And he knows which go best with salads or fish or pasta or at high temperatures, if you want some help in choosing.

If you are too far away to do that, you can order them from a catalogue if you call the store, and they can send you some packed sturdily in individual wooden boxes to protect them if you ask for them, although that costs a bit more.

I was always happy with supermarket vinegar and olive oil until I found this place. Now I’m hooked on the yummy he has here:)

So, that’s my news bulletin for the day. Now if you’ll excuse me please, salad is calling my name for dinner. With the strawberry balsamic mixed with the walnut olive oil, I think:)

What kind of Vinegar or Olive Oil do YOU like the best?

Olive Oil & Beyond
210 Marine Avenue, Unit A
Balboa Island, CA. 92662
(949) 566-9380