Olio is a really fun market and bistro, on Main near Meadow, where you can pick up gorgeous olive oils, vinegars, truffles and wines as well as salads, sandwiches, soups and pizzas- all made to order. The RFC was very glad to see the focus on local producers- Olio is a drop of site for the Avery's Branch milk share program, and many of their veggies are from Victory Farms in Hanover.
The food was great- I loved their use of (home made?) dried tomatoes and white beans on their bruchetta, as well as the flat bread on their pizzas. The drinks are inexpensive and the menu at Olio is fresh and varied, which makes it a great spot for a quiet dinner (if you don't go when the raucous food bloggers are there.) If you want to order in, Olio offers free delivery for orders over $40.
It was fantastic putting faces to the voices of the local food blogs. I loved hearing the stories of food activism from RVA Foodie , aka Jason Guard, who writes Caramelized OpinIONS and is the co- creator of Eating Richmond- the food blog aggregate that brought us all to this bistro for drinks and antipasto. I got to talk with Brittany of Eating Bird Food about her trip to San Francisco at the Food Buzz Convention- I was seriously jealous! And, I always enjoy sharing drinks with John Haddad, food writer for Style Magazine and his blog, Epicuriosity. John is helping to start the Slow Food RVA chapter, and it has been really fun to see how that is shaping up. I was a bit surprised to find myself talking with Bacon Grease (not his real name) of Eating Video Games about preparing and eating pig heads. I would not lie- check out the posts. Part 1 is here, part 2 is here.
So thanks, Jason for getting us all together- I look forward to many more crazy conversations with y'all about our adventures in food and elsewhere.
Love the picture!
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