D’Avolio

So… I’ve been to the one in Lewiston and on Elmwood and both are lovely stores, but I tried several oils and every one of them was rancid. I know this may not be discernible to a lot of people immediately, but hold it in your mouth for a second and you will taste that hint of turpentine that comes from bad oil. I’m not trying to be mean I want so much to like this place. If you don’t agree with me get a good bottle of oil from Première and compare them. Also, on many of the fruit vinegars there is a definite commercial flavoring as opposed to a natural flavor, especially in the strawberry.

Came here on a whim during my Elmwood adventures on Saturday. I had heard about D’Avolio and tried it often at different Buffalo festivals. Right when I walked in, the associate was so helpful and friendly. She showed me all the different kinds of oils, and I was given samples of the different things.
Because I do 0% of the home cooking, I wanted to get Brad a gift that he could use in the kitchen. I played it safe and got the garlic olive oil. It was $ 9 for the bottle, which I thought was a good price.
I will definitely come back and try something else!

I love D’Avolios. As I type this I am enjoying some coconut balsamic vinegar that is just to die for. This shop on Elmwood is so quaint inside. Hardwood floors throughout and loaded with delicious oils, vinegars and spices. They have bread and popcorn to sample the different flavors. Some of my favorite vinegars are the cinnamon pear, espresso, grapefruit, oregano and red apple. The oils I love are the basil, blood orange, garlic, wild mushroom and sage. They have little gift packages as well, it’s the perfect place to shop for the holidays. They give punch cards as well for a little incentive. I think this place is just so charming!

If you love using oil and vinegar for Salads, Marinades, or just for a bread dip, this place is worth checking out. I had a gift card given to me and am definitely glad I did. I don’t know if I would have stopped in without it.
Lots of flavored Balsamics and Oils from Pomegranate to Lemon to Chilli to Mushroom and Sage. And the best part is you can taste most before you buy. I took home a Barrel Aged Pinot Noir red wine vinegar and their Organic California Mission Oil. I also like the Harissa which is infused with chili peppers, garlic, caraway, coriander, cumin and has a nice spiciness to it.

Do you like being surrounded and enveloped by olive oil and balsamic vinegar? And then do you like being offered to taste them? If you answered yes to both, then what are you doing sitting there?
It seems a couple other reviewers were astonished by the lack of reviews for this place so I am happy to help them rectify this little situation.
They have several different flavors of just plain olive oil from different places in Italy and Greece. And we haven’t even talked about added flavors yet. You can taste the nuances just between the straight olive oils. What comprises a majority of their selection though is a ton of different herbal accents added to their oil. There are too many to list. The same is true for the balsamic vinegar though not in such massive variety.
I was thinking about why there are so few reviews. Perhaps people don’t know what to do with a place like this? Well, here is what you do. You go there, you taste some different things and buy your favorite olive oil and favorite balsamic. Then you go home and make this salad.
Put green leaf and/​or red leaf lettuce in a salad bowl. Add the following according to your taste:
2 parts olive oil
1 part balsamic
1 part sea salt and/​or 1 part garlic powder.
Mix well in addition to any other vegetable or salad accoutrements.
*Be careful with this. If you have too much of one ingredient, especially the sea salt, then hopefully you have more lettuce to add.
Another great thing to do with good olive oil is use it for dipping with good bread. Pour some olive on on a small plate. Sprinkle some sea salt, basil, oregano, whatever you like on top. This is great for homemade pizza as well. Just dip your pizza in your oil concoction as you eat. It adds a whole new dimension and leaves you feeling much more satisfied afterwards.
I hope this helps you make more out of this wonderful place.

How does this place not have more reviews?! For what it is – a smörgåsbord of delightful gourmet Olive Oils — there couldn’t be a more perfect store! There are literally hundreds of different flavors for you to try and choose from. The atmosphere in this store is very laid back and you can vend some oils for yourself to try and use tongs to get small pieces of white bread to dip these flavors into. I can spend twenty minutes here deciding and choosing what to buy or be in and out in a few minutes. It’s also a place I often frequent when looking for a gift as they have different sampler packs of olive oils which make for a great gift (and they were all out of them during the holiday season — they went quick!)
The black truffle oil is delicious and packed full of truffle flavor althougha little pricer, but from the regularly-​priced options I personally enjoy the Frantoio — Chile oil. It has a subtle grassy flavor which makes it nice, earthy and dare I say… divine.
The one thing that would make this store even better is if they opened up a kitchen and make sandwiches like they do in the Williamsville store — please tell me that is coming soon!

I’m surprised there have only been 2 reviews of this place. I can’t say enough good things about it. They carry a very large selection of their own olive oils and vinegars, and although they don’t carry the super high-​end kind, these are very good everyday oils and vinegars. Their prices are great for the quality of product they have. I’ve been to both the Buffalo and Williamsville locations. The staff at both locations are always very helpful and friendly. If there’s anything you want to taste, just ask. They are very knowledgable, and they remember their regulars. When they first began their frequent customer punch card, the woman behind the counter remembered me and gave me a few extra punches because she knew that I had been there a bunch of times before. This is an excellent retail store altogether.

Better than the last time. Purchased a garlic infused olive oil in addition to my white truffle standard. OMG. The garlic oil is like nothing I’ve ever had. I made my own for years however garlic gets really strange when placed in oil for extended periods.
Will go no where else. I eat what I like and I like this.

Infused olive oils, vinegars and truffle oil. All available to test out before you buy.
The selection is pretty big for such a small store. You can test out the olive oils (flavored or not) with some bread or popcorn. The truffle oils and vinegars are behind the counter, but are also there to test. You just have to ask.
The woman running the store when I was there was polite and made sure everyone was tasting everything they wanted to.