Say Cheese! (#86)
I recently conquered #86 on my 101 list - visit a cheese shop. I've been meaning to do this one for quite some time, so it was a very satisfying trip.
It was lunchtime when we walked into the Artisan Cheese shop in Studio City. Once faced with a counter full of delicious and intimidating dairy products, I wasn't sure what direction to go. I opted for a five variety cheese plate and the very nice cheeseman said he could pick the cheeses for me if I wanted. After a brief discussion about my specific cheese likes/dislikes, I went off to find a beverage and settled on a tasty Virgil's Rootbeer. Soda in bottles always tastes better.
Several minutes later, a beautifully arranged cheese plate (or should I say slate) arrived. Cheeseman named and described each variety, but I only caught the pertinent details of each description. My favorite was a creamy cows milk cheese that had the consistency of brie, but a sweeter aftertaste. It paired especially well with the grapes in my opinion.
Second favorite was a firmer cows milk cheese that had a mild, almost nutty flavor. Third was the goats milk cheese, although, like most goats milk cheeses, it was very crumbly and messy for me to eat. The other two cheese were a swiss and a cheddar, both of which I thought were too...sour? I thought they left a bitter aftertaste, but they turned out to be George's favorites, so that worked out well. As you can see, we cleaned our cheese plate including most of the rinds.
This has been one of my favorite list items so far - fun and tasty! Really though, nothing beats a great cheese plate in my opinion. I can't wait for another cheese shop visit in the future!
