I have used it for this purpose somewhat in the past, but we will be avoiding butter in a big way. Using the oil I cook with on bread, I notice some bitterness. Looking through some of the more expensive flavored oils at the grocery store, I notice they contain canola oil. Can you recommend a brand?
Thanks
The bitterness is from acidity, which you will notice with those greener oils. Green-tinted olive oil is crushed from green olives and it gives a distinctive taste to the oil. Some folks like it this way.
Try finding a “yellower” olive oil, which is crushed from riper olives. I go to middle eastern markets and try to find Greek olive oil, which is usually fruity and mellow. I like the flavor of it raw better than any other oil. When I find it, I buy a big can for use both in cooking and to drizzle on top of bean soups and pasta dishes.
ETA: Whole Foods markets carries its own brand (named “365”) of olive oils, and they come from various countries and are labeled as such. They’re also a good buy.
Moving thread from IMHO to Cafe Society.
Thanks! I’ll ask the Greek guy who runs a little neighborhood store.
Does it need to be said that you choose only Extra-Virgin Olive Oil? I can’t remember why, but at some point I became convinced that this was Important. I’m sure there’s a cite somewhere. 
It is pretty easy to find a decent-enough olive oil to cook with, but it’s harder to find one you’d be eager to sop your bread in. Getting a recommendation from your neighborhood merchant is perfect. If he will let you sample a couple of different kinds, even better! I would avoid “flavored” oils. It seems to me that flavors are added to cover up that the quality of the oil isn’t that good to begin with (and jack up the price). How hard is it to throw a few herbs or some garlic into your oil anyway?
Once I was told to avoid olive oils that come in clear glass bottles because good oils can go rancid quickly, and light (and heat) hastens this process. I’m not sure how much to be concerned about this, but when I see those bottles of olive oil sitting on outdoor restaurant tables in the dead of summer I die a little inside.
One of my favorites must have been ten years ago now - some imported Italian brand of very, very green, unfiltered EVOO. It was dynamite on bread but somehow I lost the name and have never found it again. 
NO no no no no no no.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil is expensive and is wasted if you use to to cook in. EVOO is idea as a condiment, perfect for dipping in bread and drizzling over pasta and veggies or just about any grilled food. However EVOO has a very low smoke point and will break down and become bitter if you use it to saute with or if you use it on a hot pan to sear or grill something. Regular old light olive oil is great for that. And in many applications you’re just as well using Canola because you wouldn’t be able to taste the nuance of the olive oil.
While cooking, fine. Just don’t bottle it (final paragraph).
Uh, isn’t the OP asking about Olive Oil as a condiment?
Yah, I didn’t want to be the one to ask if Extra Virgin Olive Oil was being used. I just assumed.
When you find the brand you’re happy with I have some suggestions. If you use it on bread then buy a spray bottle. They make one just for olive oil and it has a pump built into the cap. I routinely toast bread with EVOO, rosemary, basil, and oregano. mmmmmmm. If you can’t find a good toasting bread use hamburger buns. They toast up light and crispy and can be used for croutons.
Now where is that recipe for Manhattan clam chowder.
I always heard that the higher quality olive oils come in tins for that reason. I just bought a new tin but haven’t opened it yet, so I have no idea if it is really excellent or not. I do know it was very expensive - about $18 for a roughly quart sized tin imported from Italy (too lazy to run to the kitchen and look at the size and name). I’ve been trying to find some good Spanish oil in my local grocery stores but no dice.
I keep a little gladware container of extra-virgin in the fridge. It congeals up so you can spread it on whatever. It melts very quickly, but stays solid long enough to get it to the toast if I’m quick.
I used to keep a lesser quality olive oil for cooking and a better one for drizzling raw, but I was getting fed up with too many cans and bottles cluttering up my small kitchen. Now I just buy the aforementioned Greek evoo quite cheaply at the middle eastern market and use it for both purposes. I know, sacrilege. But you can make yourself crazy being a foodie sometimes.