Olive That and More...

Leaving Escondido, I drove on toward Temecula.  The northeastern corner of San Diego County is filled with spectacular scenery:  rugged boulder-strewn mountains, Indian reservations, the Lawrence Welk resort, and, just after Riverside County, a graceful bridge spanning over the freeway. 

Although I had visited the wine country before, this was my first visit to Old Town Temecula.   I must say my first impression was a bit bewildering.  One block after leaving the speedway that is the I-15 freeway, I found myself in another world. 

Well, not entirely.  The first thing I saw upon entering Old Temecula was a Starbucks on the corner.  (If I ever travel to the moon, I won’t be surprised to see one there, too.)  On the opposite side of the street was a psychic. 

The main street was bumper-to-bumper traffic, which gave me plenty of time to sightsee, noting the many antique shops along the way.

It was a week before Thanksgiving and although the thermometer in my car registered 93 degrees, Temecula was already in the Christmas spirit.  I parked along the street and as I stepped from my car, I heard the distinctive voice of Bruce Springsteen singing “Santa Claus is Coming to Town.”  Thinking it was playing on a car stereo, I looked around.  Now it seemed to be coming from a shop across the street. 

No, it was coming from a speaker mounted on a lamppost outside the shop.  Actually, it was playing on every lamppost on the entire street.  Oh no, I had entered a giant outdoor mall.  As I went to close my car door, I heard jingle bells.  I turned in time to see a horse-drawn carriage coming along the street.  It was Santa!

Santa waved at me as he passed, accompanied by a wagon full of carolers, including the Grinch.  Bruce finished his song and then Bing Crosby crooned, followed by a rap song.  Quite a variety of music, I thought, something to appeal to everyone.  No, my mistake, the hip-hop music came from a group of motorcyclists sitting in the traffic behind Santa.

I set off down Front Street involuntarily humming “White Christmas” and wondering if I had stepped onto a movie set at Universal Studios.  This feeling was further reinforced when I went searching for a restroom.  I turned a corner and found myself in front of the Temecula Jail.
 

Back at the corner of Front and Main Street, I found the Temecula Olive Oil Co. I half-expected to open the door and find nothing but desert on the other side.  But no, there were real, live people inside and the shop was doing a bustling business.  Two women stood behind the counter packing bottles of olive oil into boxes.  A sign over a doorway indicated the tasting room in the back.

Given my recent experience at the bakery, this time I decided to play tourist, hiding behind other customers and snapping pictures with abandon.

The tasting room was filled with shelves full of gourmet products, many of them produced locally: salsas, mustards, sea salts, jams, honey.  After tasting honeys and sea salt (the strangest was a black sea salt from India which tasted like hard-boiled egg), I made my way over to the bar. Thom Curry, the owner, asked if I wanted to try some olive oil.  Of course I did!  (Does anyone else drive an hour just to taste olive oil?)

He poured a sample for me into a small plastic cup. I began with a mild, buttery Mission olive oil, harvested in February of 2005 (the end of the season when the olives were fully ripe and black).  Next was a Fall 2004 Harvest Rotture di Oro, a Tuscan-style oil made primarily from Frantoio olives.  This one was pale green-gold in color and definitely had more of a peppery bite at the back of the throat. 

I tasted my way through every oil they had, including two infused oils, roasted garlic and blood orange citrus, and a dipping oil, made with chili flakes, garlic and parsley.  Their balsamic vinegar, with added fig and vanilla, proved both too sweet and too harsh for my taste, but I could see using it for vinaigrette, perhaps, or in desserts. 

My favorite oil, however, was the same one I had tasted the week before at the Wine and Food festival: Le Caprice de Nature.  Since it was harvested only a few weeks ago, while the olives were still unripe, it had a wonderful fresh, green grass smell and a bright, green olive taste.   

I then wanted to start over and compare several of the oils side by side.  Having already tasted more than half a dozen, my mouth was coated with oil and I was having trouble distinguishing between them.  Thom, who sits on the Taste Panel for the California Olive Oil Council, told me his trick: eat slices of green apple between tastes.  The acidity from the apple cuts through the oil and clears the palate.  I’ll remember that for next time.

I’m embarrassed to tell you how many bottles of olive oil and cookbooks I bought, but after I had staggered back to my car to drop off my bags, I wandered around for a few blocks.  My first impression of the town—kitschy—changed somewhat when I began to realize that the buildings were indeed real, not just Disney-like façades.  The town reminded me a bit of Julian, only larger, and closer to the freeway. There is quite a bit of interesting history to be found if you take the time to stop and look here.

Granted, much of the town has been rebuilt, as many of the buildings had been abandoned over the last century or damaged by the 1993 flood that swept through Temecula. The entire business district was recently redeveloped and improved, with an emphasis on historic preservation. 

I learned that the space currently occupied by the Temecula Olive Oil Company, the Welty Building, over the years has served as a barbershop, hotel, saloon, brothel, and even a boxing ring where Jack Dempsey once fought.

Walking along the wooden sidewalks I noticed many other restaurants and food shops: Sweet Lumpy’s BBQ. Rosa’s Cantina.  Hamburgers.  Ice cream and coffee shops.  Coming soon—Arriba Grill—Caribbean fusion?  If it’s dried meat you want, the House of Jerky sells beef, buffalo, venison, ostrich, and turkey. 

I had to be back in San Diego for an appointment, so I didn’t get to spend as much time in Old Town Temecula as I would have liked.  But I will definitely come back, even just to taste that olive oil again.   I had a great time talking to Thom and also Catherine Pepe, another one of the owners who was “bartending” that day. Making artisanal olive oil was their dream and not only are they making a good product, but, just as importantly, they really seem to be enjoying themselves while doing it.  It is a real family-run operation: Thom’s mom in the back wrapping bottles, other friends and family members out in the front room running the cash register and packing boxes.  Despite the seasonal rush, everyone I encountered was friendly, energetic and looked happy to be there.  It was hard not to share their enthusiasm.   

Comments

[kirk]

Hi Angie - Great writing and photo's as usual. We used to do some shopping in Old Town Temecula when we first moved to San Diego - good thing we had a rather small vehicle and couldn't fit too many large furniture items in the back.

[LisaSD]

Angie--For once, it pays to be in north county...I'm much closer to Temecula! Thanks for the wonderful write-up. I think I need to take a trip north. As much as I like Target, I do dream of a world with more mom & pop shops and people plying artisanal trades that would otherwise be lost to the mega-lo-mart, "made in china" world, and I try to support smaller producers when I find one I like. Heretofore, I haven't been a big fan of olive oil, but I suspect that's from my own ignorance more than the product. I bet someone at Temecula Olive Oil Co. could help educate me...

[Angie]

That's the fun part about going there--you get to taste everything and invariably find something you like (and dislike). The owners behind the bar are very helpful, not only talking about how the oil is made, but also giving recipe and serving suggestions.

Just curious--what is it about olive oil you don't like--too strong/heavy?

[LisaSD]

Hmmm...just never thought it tasted GOOD. But I don't mind it in cooked dishes. By itself, though, could never see the attraction. Perhaps I just haven't found my type yet.

[Angie]

I know, I always feel funny drinking olive oil--I wouldn't eat a pat of butter by itself--but it is the best way to compare oils. And it does taste good drizzled on bruschetta or pasta.