After dinner at Pita Jungle in Phoenix, we were about to hit the road and continue on our way home to Prescott when we noticed Olive Creations amidst the Norterra shops and decided to park and take a look inside - a decision that proved to be well worth while!
The walls of this shop are lined with vats of extra virgin olive oils and aged balsamic vinegars infused with an inventive array of flavor combinations. Some other products are sold as well - like pastas, sea salt, salsas - but the oils and vinegars are the main attraction. Everything sounded so good, so we made our way around the store, tasting small drops of most options so we could narrow down our favorites and make a purchase decision - sampling everything from wild mushroom & sage, harissa, and organic herbs de provence extra virgin olive oils; and dark chocolate, black cherry, and cinnamon pear balsamic vinegars. As tempting as it was to go home with a variety of oils and vinegars, we decided to stick with one of each for now and bought a bottle each of the blood orange olive oil and vanilla balsamic vinegar.I loved the blood orange oil because you could still taste the olive essence, and that was so nicely complemented by the citrus of the blood orange. I imagine it will work really well on salads and fish. As for the vinegar we purchased, the vanilla is not overpowering; it's mostly noticed as a gentle aftertaste on your palate. We thought it would pair well with a wide range of both sweet and savory foods - and so far we've been proven right. Here are the two dishes in which we've used the vinegar so far - one of which may be a little unexpected!It's also worth adding that one of the owners was manning the store the night we went in, and she was very friendly, helpful and patient. I couldn't recommend this place more if you're in the area.I've been a big fan of The Filling Station in Chelsea Market, nearly around the corner from where I currently live in Manhattan, and noticed they have many of the same infusions as Olive Creations - so I wonder if both stores might work with the same distributor. Olive Creations' prices are better though - plus it's in Arizona, which I will be calling home as of this spring so I'm excited to still have a store like this in my vicinity even after making a cross-country move. If I could ask one thing of Olive Creations though, it would be for them to stock up on and start selling black truffle salt (like The Filling Station)!
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