Rolling in Dough

EVOO Marketplace's Butter Olive Oil

The EVOO Marketplace might be the most unusual culinary destination in town. For anyone whose experience with balsamic vinegar is limited to the small bottle of sour, burgundy liquid languishing on restaurant tables, the EVOO Marketplace will be a revelation. Offering more than 40 olive oils and balsamic vinegars, these are gems that go far beyond the salad plate. Use them as dips, marinades, sauces, in recipes and mixed drinks. They are even delicious over fruit and ice cream. Mix and match flavors to become known as a culinary genius in your own right.  

In addition to their first press olive oils, they have a number of fused oils, where fruits and spices have been pressed with the olives. Some favorites are garlic, Tuscan herb, walnut, blood orange, and wild mushroom and sage. Their admirable list of Italian balsamic vinegars include a sweet 18 year- old and tangy 12 year- old from Modena, Italy, and flavored varieties like cinnamon pear, strawberry, honey ginger and dark chocolate.  

Their newest addition is Butter Olive Oil. It's heavenly, with a rich and luxurious taste. With all of the health benefits and anti-oxidants of olive oil, it still has all of the depth and flavor of butter, plus it's dairy-free for you lactose-adverse folks. 

Butter Olive Oil would be amazing on pasta with a good dose of freshly grated Parmesan cheese. You could pop popcorn in it. Spread it on pancakes or English muffins. Dip roasted corn on the cob in it. You could even freeze it to make it solid and use it just like butter. Just imagine the possibilities.  

EVOO Marketplace 1338 15^th Street, Denver – 303-974-5784

Fuel Cafe's House-Made Limoncello

In Sorrento along the Amalfi Coast, Italians have long been concluding shady patio lunches with a chilled shot of Limoncello. In Denver, house-made versions of this crisp and refreshing aperitif can be found at Gaetano's, Rjoja, Lala's Wine Bar and Marco's Coal Fired Pizza, mixed into gelato, margaritas, even over chicken wings. My favorite is at Fuel Café, a quirky off-the-beaten-path-but-totally-worth-the-trip place in the RiNo Arts district. Chef Bob Blair learned the art of making Limoncello at an Italian cooking school, and he uses crates of seasonal fresh fruit to create his secret recipes, using not only lemons, but also grapefruit, clementines and blood oranges. The fresh, sunny flavors are tangy, sweet and achingly good. Try their signature Limoncello martinis or order yours straight up in a chilled glass and enjoy it on their cool, tree-filled patio.         

Fuel Cafe 3455 Ringsby Court #105 Denver - just three blocks off of the Platte River bike path. 303-296-4642