Olive oil

Part of the fun of traveling, even close to home, is the serendipity of a great discovery -- like the one we had this weekend in Frederick when we stumbled onto the Lebherz Oil and Vinegar Emporium (L.O.V.E.). It's the most fun I've had shopping for olive oil since A L'Olivier in Paris.

L.O.V.E. is brand new, with a spare and elegant decor of hardwood flooring and dark green walls allowing the dazzling array of stainless steel vats to occupy center stage. The uniform vats contain two dozen-some olive oils and about 17 balsamic vinegars. Customers can sample any of the oils and vinegars by holding a little paper cup under the spigot for a quick shot, then dipping bread into it. Once you find what you like, you take one of the empty bottles (375ml and 750ml) and fill it up. They will seal the cork in tinfoil when you pay and you tie a pre-printed little tag around the neck of the bottle to label your choice.

It's all completely charming and the products are good. The 375ml bottle of oil costs $17 and of balsamic vinegar $16. Balsamic vinegar of course can mean virtually anything, but proprietor Maggie Lebherz shops for hers in Modena, the home of the real traditional balsamic. This selection does not fit the definition of aged balsamic but they are pretty darn good for salads, marinades and other uses. We got the ripe peach white balsamic (!) and it was heavenly on a salad of summer greens, heirloom tomatoes, avocado and tarragon from the garden. Can't wait to use it to marinate some strawberries for dessert.

The olive oils are more diverse in origin, alike in being crushed within hours of picking. The shop has oils from Italy, Spain, Greece, France, Chile, Tunisia and California. We got a bottle of the Arquebina oil from California -- a full-flavored olive oil on the darker side that worked perfectly to drizzle on steak fiorentina. Our favorite oil so far has been the McEvoy brand sold at Cowgirl Creamery -- a Tuscan style blend also produced on a California ranch.

We had gone to Frederick to shop for furniture but it turned out to be more satisfying on the culinary front. After our pleasant interlude at L.O.V.E. we strolled down North Market to look at the menu at Volt, but found a $25 prix fixe luncheon menu a bit more food and time than we were ready for, so we ended up at the Tasting Room for lunch. The big-window, sleek modern decor was perfect for a summer lunch and the food was excellent, bursting with freshness. We ordered a grilled-chicken salad that had avocado, corn, bacon and a lime cilantro dressing that was just the perfect thing for a hot day, and a salad Nicoise with pan-seared sushi tuna that was very elegant and just ample enough. The challah-style bread had a crispy, light crust that was delicious and the brewed iced tea was refreshing. It was an altogether pleasant experience at what is now the No. 2 Zagat-rated restaurant in Frederick since Volt opened.

The glass partitions separating the dining area from the bar have short descriptions of some basic foods stenciled onto them -- salt, bread and, coincidentally, olive oil. We returned to Washington without any furniture but a feeling that Frederick is a nice little gourmet oasis and hardly more than a half-hour from our upper NW starting point.