Secolari – Artisan Oils & Vinegars
A Little Bit of Napa & A Bit of Umbria in Bethesda,
Maryland
Once
one has tasted truly great olive oils, Modena balsamic vinegars and artisan
vinegars with top quality ingredients, there is no going back to ordinary and
certainly not the garden varieties available in a local supermarket.
Until
recently, finding beautifully aromatic oils and rich balsamic vinegars required
a trip to Napa, a vacation in Italy, or the occasional sojourn to an Italian
market that generally had one or two good quality aged balsamic vinegars for
premium prices.
Now,
there is a destination in Bethesda, Maryland for foodies looking for variety,
excellent quality and a reasonable price. Secolari opened for business in
October 2011. Were it not for my husband
working in Bethesda, it would still be a closely guarded secret, known only to
those living and working in the vicinity.
He stumbled across the shop looking for someplace to eat lunch and
brought home a garlic infused olive oil, a basil infused olive oil, a white
balsamic vinegar, a dark raspberry balsamic, and a traditional balsamic.
On
one of our date nights, we stopped by to taste some additional oils and
vinegars and left with five more! One of
the most flavorful is a Tandoori infused olive oil that brings the rich taste
of the east to any salad or roasted vegetable. We also tried a mixture of the
orange infused olive oil with the Champagne Mimosa Vinegar. I cannot imagine
anything tastier on a summer salad.
I
heartily urge anybody living or visiting the area to stop in, taste and take
home a couple bottles. There are testers
available for tasting every flavor. I want them to stay in business. So I’m spreading the word. Hopefully they will
branch out and start offering mail order.
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