Cheesaholics Anonymous

Living the cheese dream

Ken Liss is a dear friend and fellow Artisanal intern. He showed me the ropes when I first got into cheese, like how to maneuver Artisanal’s fabulous cheese caves. Ken is now officially my hero, as he is fearlessly plunging into the world of cheese retail, and finally realizing his dream. Ken has had a lot of roles in life, including Captain in the Navy, academic advisor for U of Minnessota, family man and father of two. I have no doubt he is going to kick ass as a cheesemonger, knowing his high standards and tireless passion for all things queso (and bourbon – just an aside).

The Premier Cheese Market opened on August 11, 2006, and has been featured on Fox 9 News with Chef Andrew Zimmern. The Premier Cheese Market offers a wide selection of artisan cheeses, as well as a whole array of yummy things, like scones and biscotti. If you live nearby, drop by the market, located at 5013 France Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55410 (just south of 50th on France Ave), Tel: 612-436-5590. And tell Ken that Nadia says hi.

Ken (third from the left) and his team

List of Cheese Shops

For a list of cheese shops I recommend, check out Cheese Shops under the Resources heading. If you have any to add, please send me an email!

An institution, revisited

Little Italy in Manhattan has gone through a lot of changes over the years, namely losing precious real estate to the ever-encroaching Chinatown. One neighborhood institution we are hoping will never change is the specialty foods shop DiPalo’s on the corner of Grand and Mott Streets. DiPalo’s is one of those places you assume every Manhattanite knows about—but I find myself talking to a lot people who have never actually shopped there. Get over there people! This is the best Little Italy has to offer, since their doors opened for business in 1910.

Sampling the goods at DiPalo’s is an exercise in patience for most New Yorkers. Take a number at the door and be prepared to hang out for a while. The fine folks behind the counter love their products, and will spend as long as you’ve got chatting about the provolone, prosciutto or whatever it was you planned on buying that day. Cute little old ladies will walk right up to the counter to chat to Lou DiPalo, fourth-generation proprietor, about the latest news from the homeland. Surrender to the moment and you’ll find yourself dreaming of a caffè in the Piazza, with Giancarlo and his snazzy Vespa…

DiPalo’s specialty is cheese, with partially cut wheels overtaking every available surface. Glance up and you will find strings of mouth-watering sausages gently drying next to impressively large balls of waxed provolone. In the back, stringy curds are pulled into gorgeous mounds of milky-fresh mozzarella. They also make their own ricotta and marinara sauce, and offer the best Italian brands of olive oil, coffee, pasta and much more. Samples of cheese are willingly and generously distributed, so try before you buy. And trust their recommendations—these guys know their formaggio.

Waldemar & Nadia will be featuring cheeses from DiPalo’s for their upcoming event Formaggio e Vino at Aroma Kitchen & Winebar.

DiPalo’s is located at 200 Grand Street (at Mott Street), 212-226-1033.

One-stop shop

My business partner Waldemar was recently in Chicago and visited a fantastic cheese shop, Pastoral, located in the East Lakeview area. It’s rare to find a standout cheese retailer who sells only artisan cheeses, so when I find one I figure I should let you all know about it.

Pastoral specializes in artisan cheese, bread and wine. What a great concept. One-stop shopping. The space is attractively rustic, with wines stacked to the ceiling and cases overflowing with partially cut wheels of cheese. Waldemar picked out a small handcrafted goat’s milk cheese (photo left) decorated with tarragon and lavender. It’s one of the few artisan cheeses being produced in the state of Illinois, but if this retail outlet is any indication of interest, there will be a lot more where it came from.

Pastoral offer cheese and wine classes and some free in-store tastings. If you are in the neighborhood, check out the calendar of events on their website.

Pastoral is located at 2945 N. Broadway, Chicago, IL 60657. Tel: 773-472-4781.
http://www.pastoralartisan.com

Aix marks the spot

So there I was in the main square in Aix en Provence, wolfing down yet another perfectly flaky croissant in the glorious morning light, when my sister-in-law Cler utters the magic words - want some cheese? Do I ever. In France eating cheese is not reserved for the select few “gourmands” or for certain times of day. Cheese is revered by all for being the fabulous foodstuff that it is – rustic, full of character, and down right delicious.

A few blocks away we encountered the unassuming storefront (I have to admit I was so excited that I didn’t catch the shop name, but I do have the address and phone number lest anyone find themselves in Aix craving some fromage: 33 rue de Cordeliers, tel: 04 42 27 26 57). Right away I was struck by the love the storeowner must have for cheese. The smaller cheeses were thoughtfully arranged by type, and all in peak perfect condition. Monsieur Fromage (the storeowner) greeted us shyly but once he saw how excited we were about his wares he proudly lit up and proceeded to point and talk so conscientiously that it was all I could do but nod and smile and pretend I understood every word. Fortunately Cler did some translating for me, and it turns out Monsieur Fromage does a lot of affinage (cheese aging) in the back of his little shop, an activity not uncommon in the best cheese shops in Europe.

Twenty minutes (and a lot of ooing and aahing later) we were presented with a tidy package of four cheeses – a Saint Marcellin (considered almost “local” as it comes from the nearby Dauphine region), a Banon (also from Provence), a Selles sur Cher (from the Loire valley) and a local airy goat’s milk cheese the size of a large walnut.

We carted the cheeses around with us all day until we were bursting with anticipation (and suitably prepped with a few bottles of rose wine and a crusty baguette). At this point we had made it to Cannes but rather than ogle the celebs on the film festival red carpet, we elected to set up a tasting while waiting in the hardly-moving taxi line. The cheeses did not disappoint, and we’re pretty sure everyone else in line wished they had gone to see Monsieur Fromage.

Merci bien Monsieur Fromage – a bientôt!

A new cheese destination

The Essex Street Market in the lower east side of Manhattan has been around for some time, supplying groceries and produce to neighborhood residents. But now other Manhattanites have reason to make the trek to this ever-evolving market, for what other reason but CHEESE.

Daphne Zepos was first to the scene when she opened the Essex St. Cheese Co., selling one (yes, just one) cheese – Comté Saint Antoine, a cow’s milk cheese from the Jura mountains in France. Daphne is a big believer in the quality of the Comté she gets – it is hand selected by her cheese partners in France and the UK, and is perfectly aged to meet her high standards. It’s a seriously versatile cheese, and for those wary consumers out there, it’s a great intro to true artisan cheese. Greg Blais, formerly of Bedford Cheese Shop, manages the stall and is happy to hand out samples and chat to you about the cheese (sold at $14.99/lb).

Daphne's Comté Stall


Samples of Comté

A few stalls down is a relative newcomer to the cheese retail scene, Anne Saxelby (formerly from Murray’s Cheese Shop). Her stall, Saxelby Cheesemongers, is solely dedicated to American artisan cheeses. Her focus on this category means that Anne carries fantastic cheeses that might not be picked up by bigger retailers. Anne had me try the Cow’s Milk Tomme from Twig Farm in Vermont ($19.99/lb). A raw cow’s milk cheese, aged at least 3 months, this perfect looking tome produces fruity and buttery flavors that are at once sublime and completely approachable. Anne’s stall is complete with an aging room (“cave”), and tasty looking breads from Sullivan Street Bakery.

Anne at her stall


Inside the cheese cave

The Essex Street Market is located at 120 Essex Street, New York, NY 10002. For vendor hours, contact them directly at (718) 389-0207 (Essex St. Cheese Co.), and (212) 228-8204 or visit http://www.saxelbycheese.com/ (Saxelby Cheesemongers).

Food market extraordinaire

Just off the London Bridge tube stop is one of my favorite food destinations in the world - Borough Market. Go hungry and don’t be shy to sample everything on offer: olives from Morocco, chorizo from Spain, and some of the best examples of cheese in the world. Most vendors are used to tourists not buying anything and are still happy to talk to you about their products. Market hours: Fridays 12pm-6pm and Saturdays 9am-4pm.

Mountain of Comté (France)

Daylesford Organic Cheddar (England)

Perfectly aged Parmigiano Regiano (Italy)

Caerphilly Cheese Stall (Wales)

Selection of Swiss favorites

London's calling

Last week I was in London and had the opportunity to visit with the people from Neal's Yard Dairy. They are consolidators and affineurs for some of Britain's greatest cheeses (affineur is the term for someone who ages cheese). I have attached photos of us trying the cheese, to test its ripeness. A stainless steel trier is inserted in the wheel, and a plug of cheese is removed. We cut off and taste the tip of the plug, and put the rest back in the wheel, sealing it with a bit of paste. In this way the affineur can determine how the cheese is getting along without disturbing the aging process.

If you are ever in London be sure to visit the Neal's Yard Borough Market or Covent Garden stores. And ask your local cheese monger if they carry Neal's Yard cheeses (Colston Bassett Stilton and Keen's Cheddar are among my favorite).

 

To see more photos click here.