"sf" > wrote in message
...
> On Sun, 16 May 2010 12:53:42 -0500, "Jinx Minx" >
> wrote:
>
>>
>>"sf" > wrote in message
. ..
>>> On Sun, 16 May 2010 15:51:39 GMT, "l, not -l" > wrote:
>>>
>>>>No, that's not what I mean. You may be right that I overstated the time
>>>>period a bit. Upon reflection I would ammend that statement to 20-25
>>>>years;
>>>>most likely around 1986, since that is when I began travelling to San
>>>>Francisco regularly. The first time I recall EVOO for dipping was at an
>>>>up-scale Italian restaurant in San Francisco, mid-to-late 80s. It was
>>>>on,
>>>>or just off, Columbus Ave.; was somewhat dark and had cured hams hanging
>>>>throughout the restaurant. The EVOO was brought to the table with the
>>>>bread
>>>>basket and bread plates; the server poured a bit of EVOO in the bread
>>>>plate
>>>>then used a pepper grinder over it. The bread was foccacia, though
>>>>other
>>>>places, other times the bread for dipping has been crusty Italian.
>>>
>>> You're probably talking about the North Beach restaurant, which has
>>> been remodeled since then. They cure their own hams and hang them
>>> downstairs in one room. One restaurant is not a trend.
>>>
>>
>>It was also offered in non-chain restaurants here 20 years ago as an
>>accompaniment to bread. Not sure I'd label it a "trend", but definitely
>>not
>>an anomaly.
>>
> I'm saying olive oil was not commonly *ON* the table 20 years ago.
> Sure, you could *ask* for it but it was not put on the table first.
> Butter was the default for all bread, including North Beach Italian
> restaurants.
>
> EVOO on the table is not common now either (I usually have to ask for
> it), but it's slowly becoming the default that comes with bread in
> more Italian restaurants. The *trend* I like is that I can request it
> in non-Italian restaurants and get it now.
>
> --
> I love cooking with wine.
> Sometimes I even put it in the food.

You didn't have to ask for it. It was brought *with* the bread, which was
brought to the table on first visit by the waitstaff before taking your
order. It was for bread, not salad. Butter was not given, but perhaps was
available for the asking. It certainly was not the default. I'm not
talking about mom and pop spaghetti/meatballs/red sauce/dark interior/red
checkered tablecloth Italian restaurants. l, not -l's experience is not
unique to that one particular restaurant as even here in the slow to trend
ya you betcha midwest it wasn't unheard of. That's all I'm sayin'.

Jinx