i went to an italian restaurant the other night, where they served
olive oil, seasoned with herbs and balsamic vinegar.  it was great, and
i was wondering if anyone out there had a recipe for this.  all the
herbs were fresh, and it did not look like basic salad dressing. thanks
in advance,

Dear Listfriends,
I, too, have been served this delight at an Italian restaurant and also
at another fine restaurant that was not Italian.  I have no recipe, but
I remember trying analyze this delight as I was eating it (we eat out
rarely, so I try to duplicate exceptional culinary experiences at
home...sometimes I do pretty OK!!).  I believe the olive oil contained a
light seasoning of fresh basil and fresh oregano and a touch of lemon,
but the balsamic vinegar previously mentioned sounes great..a touch of
zing with a little sweetness!  I thought I tasted a hint of fennel, too,
but saw no telltale seeds.  By the way, the oil was very light olive
oil.  For those concerned with processed foods, California Oil has a
nice line of natural expeller pressed olive oils and olive oil blends
(no solvents) that are not too expensive as olive oils go.  We do find
them in our local health food store, but usually buy them through a
pre-order buying co-op, where we save oodles of money on this and other
health products, including soy and rice milks and supplements, as well
as some breakfast bars by Barbara's Bakery that are dairy free.

Good luck on the herbed olive oil...it sounds like such a wonderfully
elegant thing to put on some good bread!
Shalom,  Dale Robin Lockman