I like Sur la Table, but this is just dumb.

They're selling extremely expensive imported Extra Virgin
Olive Oil past the date on the bottle. I don't have the
name of the stuff, but the packaging is distinctive. It's
in a bordeaux wine bottle (the kind with the shoulders)
with a brown paper label that has handwritten dates on it.

They're also selling a new brand called Marca Verde
Azienda Oliera de Chianti that has a number of things
printed on its back label that are translated in a variety
of languages. But one of the things it says is only
in Italian, and as best I can make out it says that the
markings, pictures, and names on the bottle do not indicate
the region of origin of the olive oil inside. The website
admits that greek olives are included with the Italian
ones, but looking at the bottle in the store you have
no way to tell.

Now, neither of these things says that either of these
oils are bad. The post-dated oil may be good for a couple
of years. But it has already have lost the distinctive
portion of its flavor that got it priced so high. And the
cheaper stuff should say where the olives were grown and
not hide the disclaimer behind a language barrier it
crosses to tell us other things.

On the other hand, they had 250 ml cans of turkish EVOO
with expiration dates in late 2007 on the clearance shelf
marked down from $7 to $3. And I got one. So I still
like SLT. Mostly.

--Blair