Extra Virgin

In a twist of a hearty chuckle, "Mr. and Mrs. MacAulay" (my brother and myself) attended an Olive Oil Tasting Class at Mario Batali's emporium extraordinaire.  Unless you've been caught under something heavy, I would expect that Eataly is not foreign to your gastronomic lexicon.

To my delight, the spotlight began with the olive tree itself lead by Nick, our oil guru.  It was fascinating. (Although, Mr. MacAulay may have been more consumed by the head chef.  He was our culinary DJ, spinning an amuse bouche playlist of all things "oily").

For the remaining class time, we swirled oil in our palms, noisily slurped it through our teeth (think trips to your dentist) and picked up insider tips of what is considered to be the best oil on the market.  Here's my take away... in all Batali restaurants, they only use the following:
Frantoi Cutrera: Primo D.O.P. Monti Iblei- from the region of Chiaramonte, Sicily
(25.4 oz bottle- $34.80 at Eataly).
Enjoy the tidbit but highly recommend the experience.