Best Tasting Olive Oils: Euphoria and The Filling Station

Sometimes it seems that olive oil choices are endless, so many different terroirs, wonderful artisanal methods—how can you decide? I’ve made a few discoveries recently that are extraordinary, and will elevate whatever you put it on.

From Greece comes Euphoria, with a smooth, luscious taste that is absolutely heaven on earth. I have savored drops of it on the season’s harvest, made a fresh basil pesto from my terrace garden, plus separated a batch with lots of chopped herbs for drizzling purposes. This is the one to use for dipping bread, drizzling on fresh burata, or to made salad dresssings. The oil is made from the Koroneiki olive, which is known to be high in antioxidants and low in acidity. The dark bottle also makes for a nice gift to tote to your next dinner party.
Closer to home, i.e. Chelsea, come olive oils from The Filling Station, who encourage customers to return with their olive oil bottle and get a10% discount. I went absolutely nuts with the Lemon EVOO. Photo above shows heirloom tomatoes, slice of manchego, and basil on a whole wheat baguette slice, drizzled with the Lemon Olive Oil, which I served to last-minute guests. For a tasty snack, I added a few drops to a Wasa cracker before topping with hummus and tomato. Whatever I tried it on added a super-fresh, zingy lemon taste. I highly recommend keeping a bottle of this around. I’m planning to head back and try these oils one at a time: Black Truffle, Blood Orange, Persian Lime. Also, while at the store in Chelsea Market, my friend Derek and I sampled the flavored salts, and I came home with a bottle of the Strawberry Balsamic (great on baked squash, figs/goat cheese, ice cream, even in cocktails). Items can be purchased from the website, but you can get a taste of everything if you make a trip to the store.