cchristie Food Journal

You've heard of martini bars, sushi bars and, of course, wine bars. What about an olive oil bar? One of the most intriguing food bars I've encountered specializes in olive oil and balsamic vinegars. And it's not located in a major urban center. Oilerie has its headquarters in quiet little Fish Creek, Wisconsin. Population 200.

While the variety of oils offered isn't extensive, they're good quality. They have to be. You taste them straight from the container. There's no bread, crackers of other starch as a buffer between the oil and your taste buds. I know there are differences between Italian, Greek and Spanish varieties, but the side-by-side comparison reveals subtleties that leave me feeling I'm assessing wine, not EVOO. The Italian Fior Fiore has hints of herbs and peppers with a buttery finish, while Primaiola, the professed "big boy" is strong without being bitter. I was surprised by the fruity undertones in the Greek olive oil and the fullness of the Spanish. I'd expected the reverse. Well, actually, I wasn't sure what to expect. The thought of tasting oil all on its own was initially off putting, but I soon found myself engrossed.

Lemon, orange, basil, oregano, rosemary, porcini mushroom, chili and truffle olive oils rounded out the olive oil selection. I sampled all but the hot chili for fear of overwhelming my palate.

My favorite oil wasn't olive or even the buttery macadamia. I fell in love with the roasted walnut oil from California. It doesn't have walnut undertones, it's roasted walnuts in liquid form. Period. I've been making Basil and Walnut Green Beans for years, and this oil makes the best version by far.

While I was intellectually intrigued by the fig, pear, apple, cherry and raspberry balsamic oils, they turned out to be more novel than notable. That said, if I had to do it over again, I'd swap my bottle of roasted walnut oil for the 25-year-old balsamic vinegar. This dark liquid is so sweet and smooth, it's almost unfair to call it vinegar. Its burnt caramel undertones pairs perfectly with good quality vanilla bean ice cream. Trust me. I've tried it. More than once.

Oilerie bottles, corks and labels your selection with a brass tag. If, like me, you're just passing through Fish Creek, you can mail order anything they sell, which is reassuring since I'm going through the balsamic vinegar at an alarming clip. Curt Campbell, the owner, told me the oils keep for a year and the vinegars 3 to 4 years. I'm not sure how he knows since I'm sure they don't last that long.