Olivella’s at Hillside Village, Mockingbird and Abrams, opens Monday at lunch time.

The new pizzeria brought to us by Charlie Green, owner of Neo’s pizza in Victory Park and another Olivella’s near SMU, had a friends-and-family preview Sunday.

The menu includes sandwiches and salads, but we just sampled the pizzas. Neapolitan-style and cooked in a wood fire oven, they lived up to the Olivella’s reputation—USA Today named it one of the 50 great pizzas in America, Zagat called it “The First Real Pizza in Dallas” and Rachel Ray called it the most delicious pizza you’ll ever eat and put it in the top 64 in the U.S.

Perhaps the best of the bunch I tasted was the mozzarella, mushroom and truffle oil pie. (I had to ask what made it so heavenly. Truffle oil was the answer.)

Mint and prosciutto and big ripe tomatoes are just a few of the ingredients that made for outstanding, complex flavors. Looks like they have a nice wine list as well.

Green has made extensive updates since Pizzaria Venti occupied the space, most ostensibly to the patio. The remodeled outdoor area will hold 40-50 guests, he tells us. As of Sunday, there were not yet tables out there, so diners may have to wait for al fresco seating.

The all-you-can-eat soup and salad restaurant chain Sweet Tomatoes opens April 2 in Old Town Shopping Center, 5500 Greenville (Greenville north of Lovers), right next to our longtime advertiser Another Broken Egg.

If you can’t wait until the “official” opening, you can stop by for a $5-per-person sneak peak (no reservations, all you can eat) from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. and 5-7 p.m. Friday, March 30, and from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, March 31.

A Sweet Tomatoes spokesman says all proceeds from the March 30-31 event benefit the North Texas Food Bank. The restaurant will typically be open from 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday.

I have finally figured out why Americans don’t drink more rose, and it’s not what I thought — that we confuse rose with sweet pink wines like white zinfandel. The real reason? It doesn’t taste like red wine.

How else to account for the odd reviews for the Le Cirque ($11, purchased, available at Spec’s) on CellarTracker, the blog’s unoffical wine inventory tracking software? Several of the writers complained that the wine was too light, and they were exactly right — if they were reviewing cabernet sauvignon. But since the Le Cirque is rose, that’s a good thing. Roses are supposed to be light and refreshing.

In fact, my only complaint about this rose, which is from southern France, was price — I thought it was $9 and not $11 when I bought it. Having said that, it was very nicely done: Bone dry, with lots of cranberry fruit that gave it a pleasant acidity to balance the fruitiness. In this, it is a good example of what a grape like grenache can do for a rose. Pair this with salads and even lightly spicy foods, since there’s enough fruit to handle the spice.

And yes, chill it and drink it on its own and ponder the metaphysical question of why more Americans don’t appreciate rose.

Rain, rain: go away, because the White Rock Local Market is back this weekend and we prefer to do our shopping in the sun.

The WRLM begins its forth season in the parking lot near Green Spot on Buckner near White Rock Lake, 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday.

You can seriously feel good about the food you buy at the White Rock Local Market, especially now that founders, Sarah Perry and Mary Norvell,  have implemented a new growers-only policy by which farmers may only bring what they’ve grown themselves or what they can accurately label from other farmers.

Also, look for new vendors Latte Da Dairy, Three Happy Cows, Citas Salsa, Corked in Texas, Hypnotic Donuts and Noble Coyote Coffee Roasters in the mix.

Saturday, March 10, is the WRLM “everything” market where both food and goods vendors are on hand. The market is held the second and fourth Saturdays of the month during spring and summer. The markets alternate between “everything” and food-only days.

While you’re there, register to enter the 2012 chili cook off, which will be held March 24 and judged by chefs Jeffery Hobbes (Sissy’s, Suze), Graham Dodds (Central 214) and Bryan Luscher (The Grape). We will bring you more details as they are available.

All of our stories about the White Rock Local Market.

Click for larger photo. Submitted by Society Bakery.

Society Bakery, home of the most sinful cupcakes and whoopee pies, now has a full-bakery food truck, designed by San Antonio-based Cruising Kitchens.

Society owners tell us this is Texas’ first mobile bakery food truck, complete with onsite oven.

Society Bakery has two standstill stores, one at 3426 Greenville and the other inside Medical City hospital, 7777 Forest.

Keep up with them on Twitter or Facebook for news about the whens and wheres of the shiny new truck of goodness.

So much for wondering about the quality of California wine. Or thinking that wine prices were going to increase this year.

Which says pretty much everything that needs to be said about the Maxwell Creek ($10, purchased, available at World Market), which is apparently a second label from St. Supery, a long-established and classy Napa producer. Wineries do second labels to sell cheaper versions of their better known wines without having to discount the latter. Second labels are usually made by the same winemaker at the same facility, though the grapes may not be of the same quality.

In this, second labels are usually a value, and the Maxwell Creek is a ridiculous value. It’s top-notch Napa wine; think of it as a much simpler version of something like St. Supery or Grgich sauvignon blanc, but with the same attention to detail and reflection of terroir. Look for California grassiness and some minerality on the finish, with a bit of citrus zest. This is a crisp and refreshing wine, yet surprisingly subtle. And, though it’s a little thin in the middle, it’s not thin enough to make a difference at this price — or at $15 or $18, for that matter.

Chill this and drink it on its own, or with almost any grilled seafood or chicken dish. Highly recommended — which is saying something, because the main reason I bought it, honestly, was that I didn’t think it could be any good and so could write something curmudgeonly about it.

The founder and president of Quesa-D-Ya’s Paul Oltman says a new location could open soon in the White Rock area.

Today Oltman confirmed, “We do have a Lake Highlands (area) franchise in the works … we are working to get (the franchisee) through funding and will be finalizing a location as soon as the lending is complete. His funding should be completed in the next month, and a location chosen soon after.”

Oltman says they are looking at both “Buckner-Garland Road and Northwest Highway-Easton intersections as viable areas to place the store.”

Quesa-D-Ya’s currently has stores on Greenville Ave and in Coppell.

Here’s an Advocate review of the place.

The new Cici’s Pizza at Timber Creek Crossing hosts a grand opening celebration today at Skillman and Northwest Highway. Expect to enjoy their signature buffet pizza, salad and desserts and hear the familiar “Welcome to Cici’s!” greeting from peppy employees. Doors open at 11am.

Feeling in a party mood? Maybe you’re in a shopping state-of-mind? Hoping for a cupcake?

You can satisfy your urges for all three this Thursday through Saturday when The Store in Lake Highlands celebrates their tenth birthday. They’ll have party favors, door prizes, special sales and an old-fashioned “cake walk.” Best of all, “Bubbles” from Trailercakes will be on hand Thursday from 11am to 2pm serving their delicious cupcakes. (If you’re one of the woefully uninitiated, “Bubbles” is the name of the Airstream trailer (shown) now used as a traveling food truck, delivering yummy happiness all over Dallas.)

The Store carries clothing lines including French Dressing Jeanswear, Nomadic Traders, and Tianello, gifts like Vera Bradley, Tyler Candles and Willow Tree angels, and many other fun things.

The Store is located in Northlake Shopping Center, Ferndale and Northwest Highway, and is open 9:30am to 5:30pm Monday thru Saturday. They’ll stay open til 7 Thursday night, and you’ll almost always find owner Cheryl Calvin there to help you find the perfect gift – except during LH baseball season, which began this month. When the Wildcats walk onto the red dirt of The Cat (as the LHHS baseball fields are known) she can be found in the bleachers cheering for her son Gregg and the rest of our guys. Go Cats!