Olive Oil used in NYC joints

[snowdy]

I was looking through eGullet and noticed in some of the pics from 2 different places (DiFara and Totonno's) that they both look like they use Filippo Berio brand of olive oil.

Anyone tried that? Do you think it would be a noticeable difference in taste over the classico ive been using from Ralph's?

Check out the pics...

[canadave]

I noted that too, and I also remember seeing the Berio in various places when I lived in NYC, so I bought some the other day and used it in a pizza.  I can't say as that the taste shone through, but maybe that's the point, as the pizza overall tasted better than other pizzas I've used with "no name" olive oil or Crisco.  I'd recommend it.

Dave

[friz78]

Phelipo Berio olive oil is one of the true staples for many first or second generation italian americans.  My grandparents and parents used to use it all the time - it was once considered one of the best olive oils out there.  Unfortunately, the entire olive oil industry has regressed quite a bit over the past 7-10 years and Phelipo Berio is part of that decline.  My family stopped buying Phelipo Berio about  5 years ago, as it continued to disappoint as compared to its quality of 10-15 years ago.  It's not bad olive oil, it's just not anything special anymore either.

Regarding olive oils, the extra virgin olive oil is really the only thing that matters when it comes to pure, strong taste.  After extra virgin, the olive oils are a dime a dozen.  But there are very distinct levels of quality among extra virgin olive oils, with most of the brands being sub-par when compared to ten years ago.  At this point, I find the Collavita Extra Virgin Olive Oil to be the best oil of its kind out there.  Of course, you certainly have to pay a hefty price to enjoy this quality, but I do, because I love great olive oil.

Extra virgin olive oil is best used in "un-heated" forms.  If heating any kind of oil there is no sense in using extra virgin, as it will burn easier and it's strong, fresh flavor is lost in the heating process.  But nothing beats fresh extra virgin olive oil draped over a finished pizza or on a salad or any other vegetable after it has been cooked.  Think of extra virgin olive oil as a "finishing sauce" that should be added to food after it has been cooked or if it doesn't need cooking at all.

[Pete-zza]

What is not generally known about Italian olive oils in general is that a good part of the olive oil exported from Italy actually comes from olives grown in Spain, Greece, Turkey and Tunisia—not only Italy—as most commonly believed. Sometimes the sources of the olives used to make the olive oil are identified on the labels on the bottles (like "a product of Italy", and maybe a named region), but sometimes the sources are disguised by using the vague phrase “Imported from Italy”. So, the first thing I look at when I am trying out a new olive oil, whether from Italy or elsewhere, is the label to see whether it is based on olives grown in the exporting country or elsewhere. There's nothing necessarily wrong with using olives from other places to make olive oil, since many of them are quite good in their own right. It's just that I'd like to know as a consumer so that I can decide whether I want the product or not and whether the price I am being asked to pay is a fair price for what I am getting.

Peter