A great night at Olio

Last evening we had our first "Richmond Food Bloggers" get together at Olio, located in the Fan at Main and Meadow. I'd like to thank Jason Guard for organizing the gathering and for Jason and the staff at Olio for being so hospitable.

It was great meeting everyone and putting faces with names, names with blogs and getting to know one another. It's my hope that these gatherings become a regular occurrence.

Now, onto the food. I love the menu at Olio. Part market, part antipasto and salad, parts sandwiches, part pizza and a lot in between. The market is full of temptations and if I lived in the Fan, I would be there at least several times a week. For me, I'll have to settle for scheduling trip there and being grateful my hair salon, Imago, is only a few blocks away.

Jason got the party started by ordering a Grazing Goat pizza. A lovely thin crust (with just the right amount of char) topped with fresh Chevre, roasted red peppers, garlic hummus & fresh basil ($12.95) this was near perfection. My contributions were the bruscetta with lemon olive oil, white beans and tomatoes ($8.95) and The Parma antipasto with prosciutto, fresh mozzarella, roasted tomatoes, dolce gorgonzola, assorted olives & grilled breads, drizzled with balsamic ($14.95). Both items were made with the highest quality of ingredients and were rich and flavorful without being heavy. There are so many things I want to try on the menu but it also will be a challenge not to order the same thing again.

Olio is a Fan treasure and worth the drive for a great casual meal or to pick up stuff for home. Thanks again Jason and Jason. And cheers to our food blogging community! www.oliorichmond.com