Intoxicating Vinegars, Zippy Oils At Crushed Olive

Tina Spitz hurried around the newly opened Crushed Olive on Main Street, Huntington, on a recent afternoon.

As Spitz, of Huntington Bay, moved through the store, a gallery where artisnal olive oils and vinegars are sold, sampling an extra virgin olive oil here, a balsamic vinegar there. After several tastings she settled on 200 ml. bottle of blackberry ginger balsamic.

As employee Maryanne Castiglia filled a glass bottle from the spigot of a stainless steel urn, called a fusti, capped Spitz’s purchase and then crowned it with a gold plastic capsule, using a blow dryer to meld it to the glass, Spitz remarked, “You could spend your whole day here tasting.”

Indeed, there are so many oils and vinegars that Castgilia admitted she hadn’t tasted them all - yet. “I only started last week,” she said.

Opened just two weeks, Crushed Olive stocks 33 olive oils, unadulterated or infused -- mostly Italian, but also French, Spanish, Greek, Portuguese, Tunisian, Californian  and Australian.  Some are mildly flavored buttery oils, like Portuguese Arbequina and Greek Athenolia. Also, there’s Tunisian organic Chemali with a black-peppery finish, zippy Chipotle-flavored, wildly spicy Harissa-flavored and decadent black and white truffle-flavors.

Robert Rossero, co-owner with his wife, Mona, recommends the garlicky Tuscan herb oil on top of pasta - hot or cold. “I have it at least twice a week.”

There’s more. The store has 22 vinegars, including a winey, traditional 18-year-old Balsamic; a velvety apple flavored rendition and intense dark chocolate, fig and expresso balsamics, so intoxicating they’ll send you into a swoon. I’m tempted to drink them.

 “The beauty of this is you can taste some or all of them,” said Mona. It‘s not like going into a store and picking a bottle off the shelf.”

Descriptions of each hang on the fustis. Patrons use disposable cups to sample and bread nuggets are handy to clear the palate.

Recipes for such goodies as brownies with expresso balsamic and other foods are on the store’s web site.

Oils and vinegars are sold in 60 ml., 200 ml. and 500 ml. bottles. Samples are $4.95. Most large bottles are $16.99, but that earthy white truffle oil is $34.99,

The Rosseros, former Huntington residents who moved four years ago to Conover, N.C., after careers as restaurant and tavern owners, opened Crushed Olive near their new home last year after Robert said he'd become restless in retirement. Inspired by olive-oil bar he’d seen in California, he “decided to give it a shot.” 

The Rosseros’ North Carolina store took off as customers came from as far as 60 miles to shop.  “It’s become a destination,” said Robert.  Six months later, their rapid success convinced the couple, whose children live on Long Island, that “this would go great in Huntington.”

Already, the Huntington store has become a place for downtown strollers to stop in weekends to explore the offerings. “It’s a lot of fun,” Robert said.

Indeed, it is.