Olive oil isn’t usually served for sipping at a dinner. The meals Wednesday and Thursday at Antonio’s Italian Ristorante included small shots of silky oil. Mario Rizzotti, an expert on Italian food who has been an “Iron Chef America” judge on Food Network, urged those at the meals to swirl the liquid in the cup and warm it before slurping it.

They complied and some started coughing as the grassy, earthy liquid hit the back of the throat. One of the many things he taught on these nights is that if you keep your mouth closed for five seconds, the coughing will stop.