Today’s food headlines: Oliveto and a foreclosure in Grandin Village
Feb 22, 2012 Front Burner, Restaurant news/reviews
An olive oil spigot at Oliveto. Photo by Kyle Green l The Roanoke Times
I would like to draw your attention to two food- and restaurant-related stories in today’s paper, in case you have not seen them.
The first is today’s Front Burner column about Oliveto, a fairly new shop in Southwest Roanoke County that sells high-quality olive oils and balsamic vinegars.
I learned a lot while researching the olive oil industry for this story. I wish I could say it’s good news, but the corruption within the trade is so bad that I wonder about the makeup of many grocery store olive oils. Unfortunately, with no U.S. standards for labeling of olive oils, we really have no way of telling the purity of the contents of those bottles. So Oliveto is a nice place to shop for olive oils with proven origins and quality. More than that, it is simply a fun outing for any foodie; the chance to taste different oils and vinegars, especially some with really unique flavor infusions, is a treat.
To read more about the olive oil trade, check out this 2007 article in The New Yorker, “Slippery Business” by Tom Mueller. Mueller recently came out with a book about this topic called “Extra Virginity: The Sublime and Scandalous World of Olive Oil.” Read a Q&A with him about this book, also in The New Yorker, by clicking here.
Another interesting source of olive oil news and information is The Olive Oil Times, which is online here.
What do you think about this topic? Do you care if your olive oil is being cut with cheaper oils, so long as they are not harmful oils? Would you pay extra for the knowledge that the oil you’re buying came from a reputable source?
Also in the paper today is a report about an upcoming foreclosure auction of two buildings on Memorial Avenue in Grandin Village, as well as a parking lot. This property houses Norberto’s Italian Ristorante and The Isaacs Mediterranean Restaurant. Both restaurants are under new ownership, and the owners are hoping whoever buys this real estate will let them stay.
The story behind the foreclosure is a complicated and convoluted one. To read more about it, click here.
If I remember correctly, Ben H. Ward was, or is, one of the big kahunas of the Roanoke Tea Party. If true, then it’s ironic that one of these Tea Partyers, with their “government has to live within its own means,” can’t even keep his own finances in order. “Benjamin H. Ward said he may also have to declare bankruptcy…” – the irony smells/tastes so good, it deserves a side of french fries. I also wonder if this is all connected with the recent “predatory towing” that Dan Casey wrote about: http://blogs.roanoke.com/dancasey/2012/02/sundays-column-predatory-towing-in-grandin-village/
Comment by Ray — February 22, 2012 @ 11:02 am
Lindsy,
As a Grandin area resident I am very sorry to hear about the foreclosure. I don’t know the owners, but do know the neighborhood and love the quality and variety of our local eateries!
As for objecting to the cutting of olive oil with other oils, the deceptive labeling on orgins, etc. Yes I do care. I want my beef to be beef, my eggs to be free range and my olive oil to come only from the olives you depict in big print on the bottle…that is true of bottled store oil or specialty in the jug transferred to oter bottle types.
Comment by Win — February 22, 2012 @ 3:16 pm
Oh I would LOOOOOVE to know if Ray’s comment were true!!
Comment by Meghan — February 22, 2012 @ 3:26 pm
This tea party question came up on Dan Casey’s blog today. A reader named “Donut Miser” linked to my story today and left a comment on Dan’s Sunday thread about towing issues in the very same parking lot that is to be auctioned off. Donut Miser wrote:
“Relating to the above article, if I remember correctly, Ben H. Ward was, or is, one of the big kahunas of the Roanoke Tea Party. If true, then it’s ironic that one of these Tea Partyers, with their ‘government has to live within its own means,’ can’t even keep his own finances in order.”
Dan Casey replied:
“I don’t know if Ben H. Ward was ever a ‘kahuna’ in the Roanoke Tea Party. I know he spoke out passionately against the meals tax increase, and I believe that was at a Tea Party event.
He’s also pretty close with Greg Aldridge, one of the former ‘big kahunas’ in the RTP. Ward told me last week that he’s about to begin selling advertising for Aldridge’s company, Appalachian Media Group.”
I am deferring to Dan because I didn’t find any reference to Ben Ward and the Tea Party in Roanoke Times print archives. The only connection I’ve found was made on Dan’s blog when he wrote about Ward being a guest speaker re: meals tax at a Tea Party event.
Comment by Lindsey Nair — February 22, 2012 @ 4:01 pm
Ben Ward may not have been a “big dog” of the Roanoke Tea Party, but he did speak at their rally in 2010: http://youtu.be/M1yLFauptdA
So he was active in the local Tea Party.
Comment by Donut Miser — February 22, 2012 @ 4:01 pm
OK, as you can see Donut Miser left a comment just as I was also responding.
Comment by Lindsey Nair — February 22, 2012 @ 4:03 pm
Finding pleasure in someone else’s financial distress/bankruptcy is wrong, regardless of how you feel about their political affiliations or even their personal faults.
It’s unfortunate that three new restaurant owners are at great risk due to this mess, and I hope the new owners are fair to them. I also hope the Isaacs gets their liquor license soon. It would be a great loss to the neighborhood and the city if they had to close.
Comment by tass — February 22, 2012 @ 4:19 pm
I love eating at The Isaacs and Norberto’s (and Pop’s and the C.I and Grace’s Place) and hope they are able to continue after this auction. It is tough enough to make it in the food business today without this kind of worry on top of everything else. I wish them all the best of luck and look forward to enjoying many great meals in the future. Having these dining spots in The Grandin Village along with The Grandin Theatre adds a lot to living in Roanoke and there is no better place to spend an evening with family and friends. I hope everyone will continue to support them.
Comment by J.C. — February 22, 2012 @ 4:45 pm
Tass is right on point. Taking glee in others’ misfortunes is really bad form.
Re. your question on olive oil. It does matter. Oliveto is a great store, a nice addition to our food scene. Try the balsamic with expresso over vanilla ice cream.
Comment by Jim D — February 22, 2012 @ 5:19 pm
I have eaten at some of those restaurants and they are great! I read Dan Casey’s Blog too, and it sounds like Ward got screwed by the tax man. Unfortunately, it is happening more and more these days. And as long as he isn’t trying to indoctrinate people in his restaurant; who cares what his political beliefs are? This is still a free country isn’t it? I can tell everyone as an outsider; Roanoke desperately needs more ethnically diverse restaurants. The ladies I saw working there looked middle-eastern to me.
Comment by Kyle — February 22, 2012 @ 5:20 pm
Issacs created all of their own problems and now they’re dealing with the fallout. I don’t relish in that fact, but I don’t know why anyone would pity them. They’ve done this to themselves people. You don’t just drive a business that’s doing well into the ground by magic.
The only one here to pity is the new owner of Norberto’s. It would be such a shame he gets screwed because of other people’s mistakes and poor business practices.
Comment by S.M. — February 22, 2012 @ 6:06 pm
Very interesting article about the olive oil. I had no idea that we generally aren’t getting what we pay for at the store when we purchase olive oil and that’s disappointing. While I do not live in Roanoke I do have a store like Oliveto in a nearby town and I will be paying it a visit. I wish the Oliveto owner much success!
Comment by Kim — February 22, 2012 @ 8:50 pm
I’m thrilled to see a mention of Oliveto here! While it’s a touch pricey, the store is absolutely amazing, with a welcoming, inviting atmosphere and staff who are friendly and attentive – but they allow you the freedom to roam unhindered. We recently used some of Oliveto’s olive oil when cooking (beautiful) beef tenderloin (from O’Brien’s in Salem). I can’t tell you how much it enhances the flavor. Absolutely and utterly mouthwatering.
No, I’m not a shill for Oliveto – I’m just incredibly excited about our locally owned businesses.
Comment by Mary J. — February 22, 2012 @ 11:46 pm
In re: S.M.Said:”You don’t just drive a business that’s doing well into the ground by magic”
S.M. Has obviously never owned multiple businesses and can’t quite grasp the concepts put forth in Dan’s blog.
Comment by Kyle — February 23, 2012 @ 3:55 pm