Katy Rose Oilery, Lakewood Ranch

I love special olive oils and balsamic vinegars for salads. The place where I normally purchase them is Katy Rose Olive Oils (http://www.katyroseoliveoils.com/) on Lakewood Ranch Main St. They have a wonderful variety of superb olive oils and balsamic vinegars, as well as a couple of other oils, some hard-to-find pastas, and some interesting wines.

I recently purchased a terrific Greek Mycenaean olive oil, a wonderful raspberry balsamic, and a fantastic 19-year aged balsamic from Modena, the home of great balsamics.

The folks at Katy Rose said that the Mycenaean olive oil comes from the Greek property of a Lakewood Ranch resident.

You can taste all of their balsamics and olive oils. 

While I initially balked at paying their prices, I discovered there's no comparison between the products they sell and the bottled versions I've purchased from other stores.

I do not use Katy Rose olive oils for cooking. Instead, I use the less expensive Pompeian Extra Virgin Olive Oils. (Despite their Italian name, the small print shows they come from mixed destinations - Tunisia, Morocco, Spain, and Chile.)

I recommend giving Katy Rose a try

For anyone interested in etymology, the origin of the word "vinegar" is Old French, and means "sour wine."

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