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La Fromagerie, Artisan Cheese and Wine Bistro on King Street in Old Town Alexandria


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La Fromagerie is now open and seemed to be doing a steady business during their second weekend. The selection is solid, if somewhat limited, but they did say they'd sold out of some things when we stopped in yesterday. Sebastien and Mary Tavel (the owners) were helpful and quite happy to give samples of their various offerings. The fresh chevre from Sweet Grass Dairy (GA) is delicious - smooth and spreadable and reasonably priced at around $8/lb. We are also enjoying the Big Woods Blue, a sheep milk cheese from Minnesota.

Most of the cheeses are American, with a sprinkling of English, French, Spanish, and Italian choices. There are also several meats in the front case, as well as Trickling Springs milk, yogurts, wine, chutneys, crackers, etc., found throughout the cheddar-colored shop.

Nice to have them in the neighborhood!

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Very exciting changes at La Fromagerie, especially for those of us who are close neighbors. They've rearranged the shop, added seating for about 20, and are rolling out a very nice menu of salads, sandwiches, and other items such as an amazing terrine of beef short ribs and butternut squash. Pending ABC approval, you'll also be able to enjoy wine with your meal, and hopefully later hours. Right now it's a very pleasant spot to stop in for a relaxing lunch or early dinner. Chef Sebastien is making several of the meat items on the menu and in the case - home-cured pancetta looked tempting.

This is a great addition to the Upper King Street area dining options. I already think they have some of the best cared-for cheese in the area!

PS - The 15-year old Hook Cheddar is in stock now, as well as the recently available Jamon Iberico (Pata Negra)

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Very exciting changes at La Fromagerie, especially for those of us who are close neighbors. They've rearranged the shop, added seating for about 20, and are rolling out a very nice menu of salads, sandwiches, and other items such as an amazing terrine of beef short ribs and butternut squash. Pending ABC approval, you'll also be able to enjoy wine with your meal and, hopefully, later hours. Right now it's a very pleasant spot to stop in for a relaxing lunch or early dinner; I love the cheery cheddar-colored walls. Chef Sebastien is making several of the meat items on the menu and in the case - home-cured pancetta looked tempting.

We enjoyed that terrine, served with a salad of nicely dressed chickweed, and a root vegetable (beets and kohlrabi), goat cheese, and pecan pesto sandwich. The sandwich was made with a wonderful Pullman loaf (presumably from Panorama, who provides the bread for sale in the shop).

This is a great addition to the dining options in the Upper King Street area . I already think they have some of the best cared-for cheese in the area!

PS - The 15-year old Hook Cheddar is in stock now, as well as the recently available Jamon Iberico (Pata Negra) at $149.99/lb.

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Am I the *only* one who goes to La Fromagerie!?!

I had another wonderful lunch there on Saturday, the highlight being the rabbit "steak and cheese" - full of tender rabbit with great flavor, caramelized leeks(?), and a cheese that I've forgotten. The +1 and I split this, along with the roasted sweet potato sandwich, which included arugula, pecans, and goat cheese. Both sandwiches were on the daily special menu, but Sebastien mentioned that he's thinking of putting the rabbit on the regular menu. I hope he does :)

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We tend to wind up at Cheesetique when we visit the farmers market and Taqueria Poblano etc. Thanks for putting this back on my radar-- I think I'm missing out!

I do think they are the best affineur in the area. The selection may not be as large as at other places, but the quality and diversity is top-notch. I especially like their focus on domestic cheeses. The addition of dining is the icing on the cake :)

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I had another wonderful lunch there on Saturday, the highlight being the rabbit "steak and cheese" - full of tender rabbit with great flavor, caramelized leeks(?), and a cheese that I've forgotten.

I'm not the only one who likes that rabbit cheesesteak. Endless Simmer featured it on their 2012 list of America's Best New Sandwiches - awesome!

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Uh, yeah, it's me again...

La Fromagerie has made some changes recently (this thread might be more appropriately located in the restaurants forum).

A nice bar has been added with seating for a dozen or so, the cheese cases have disappeared, and a kitchen is visible beyond a pass-through where there used to be a wall. The focus has shifted to dining and drinking, away from the retail side (at least for the cheese). The wine selection is still quite good, and cheese is available for purchase, you just have to ask. Sebastien is still cooking up delicious, fresh items from ingredients that are in season, and frequently from local growers/purveyors.  I had a wonderful spring vegetable 'tabbouleh' that included pearl couscous, fiddlehead ferns, ramps, asparagus, and beautiful paper-thin slices of carrots and chioggia beets, all in a bright lemon-y dressing. The desserts aren't too shabby either - the richness of a chocolate pot de crème was offset by a goat cheese panna cotta topped with a rhubarb-strawberry compote.

Other news: Happy Hour at the bar runs Wed-Fri, 4-7pm, with special prices on wine, beer, and appetizers.

AND La Fromagerie recently received a "Snail of Approval" from Slow Food DC.

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I have liked picking up cheese boards from here in the past, but haven't been in ages.  The new format sounds nice.  I often have a hard time making it to places between Washington and Peyton, just a bit too far from my office to do lunch and when with friends, we often head to places in other parts of OT now for HH.  I need to make an effort to get back here!

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La Fromagerie does have a nice happy hour, Wed-Sat, $5 wines by the glass and some $5 small plates. It's a quick ride from the waterfront on the free King Street trolley :) ).

I'm going to recommend (again) that this thread be moved into the Restaurants forum, as the retail aspect is now mostly limited to wine and the focus is definitely on the restaurant. Cheese/charcuterie are still available for purchase, but they aren't prominently displayed, as they were in the past. We had a(nother) delicious meal last week: roasted cauliflower hummus, a homey pappardelle alla carbonara (the house cured bacon is amazing), and a rave-inducing hanger steak.

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Had a lovely, long, and leisurely dinner here the other night. A delightful, descriptive wine list. A well put-together cheese and charcuterie plate (man, that ham hock pate). Here again, the cheese menu was very descriptive. Entrees were clams and chorizo with a killer broth and a hanger steak.

This is most definitely now a go to neighborhood place and no longer really a retail shop (though bottles are for sale). So, yes, I think this ought to moved into the Restaurants forum.

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26 minutes ago, istuffmyface said:

This is most definitely now a go to neighborhood place and no longer really a retail shop (though bottles are for sale). So, yes, I think this ought to moved into the Restaurants forum.

Being a semi-regular at Cheesetique Wine Bar (I just had dinner there three nights ago), goldenticket's implications that La Fromagerie may be better has made me really take notice (sorry it took so long!) - I've not only moved it into the Restaurants and Dining Forum, I've rated it in Italic (blind), and placed it #2 in its neighborhood behind Nasime, which is now the best restaurant in all of Alexandria (incidentally, a recent dinner at Vermillion has knocked that restaurant pretty far down the list; a semi-recent dinner at Brabo was good enough to maintain its high ranking; a recent lunch at Eamonn's was somewhat disappointing, but not enough to lower its rating).

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On 6/17/2019 at 12:41 PM, DaveO said:

Cheesetique Ballston just closed.  I always get a kick out of the commentators, though I doubt one of them had a sense of the place.

I had dinner here probably three times, usually when driving down Glebe Road and thinking of a place for a quick bite - this was often the top choice, more so than Mussel Bar, just to get a large Cheese Plate with all the condiments, and a halfway-decent bottle of wine.

La Fromagerie in Old Town had (has) a far-better cheese plate for the money, but in full disclosure, the last time I had it there (probably a month ago), our server went so far as to *apologize* for its presentation, adding that the chef was making the plate that night, and he wasn't the best person to make it. Look at this - the difference in quality is obvious, but this picture was taken two-visits ago:

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11 hours ago, DonRocks said:

La Fromagerie in Old Town had (has) a far-better cheese plate for the money, but in full disclosure, the last time I had it there (probably a month ago), our server went so far as to *apologize* for its presentation, adding that the chef was making the plate that night, and he wasn't the best person to make it. Look at this - the difference in quality is obvious.

I agree, I just hate trying to get to this location and/or find parking around La Fromagerie at anytime around rush hour, or on weekend nights, although I go with a friend who lives nearby and park at her place.  I can walk (previously to Ballston, now to Del Ray) to Cheesetique, which gives it an important leg up for me.  

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Stumbled on this little gem while the wife was having her hair done about a block away. Very nice assortment of curated natural wines, and a lovely little menu that matches up nicely with the wines, and that charcuterie plate is worth the visit on its own. The friendly and knowledgeable staff adds to the cozy neighborhood feel of the place. I'm happy to take my wife to her hair appointments at any time in the future.

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21 hours ago, Kibbee Nayee said:

Stumbled on this little gem while the wife was having her hair done about a block away. Very nice assortment of curated natural wines, and a lovely little menu that matches up nicely with the wines, and that charcuterie plate is worth the visit on its own. The friendly and knowledgeable staff adds to the cozy neighborhood feel of the place. I'm happy to take my wife to her hair appointments at any time in the future.

Kibbee, does it still resemble the one I photographed above?

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5 hours ago, DonRocks said:

Kibbee, does it still resemble the one I photographed above?

Almost identical. Plus you're welcome to build your own charcuterie board from the extensive menu. I also like some of the nice touches, such as advertising that all employees are fully vaccinated, and the monthly terroir menu -- this month it was Portugal, with 7 Portuguese wines by the glass and the bottle.

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On 12/25/2021 at 3:11 PM, Kibbee Nayee said:

Almost identical. Plus you're welcome to build your own charcuterie board from the extensive menu. I also like some of the nice touches, such as advertising that all employees are fully vaccinated, and the monthly terroir menu -- this month it was Portugal, with 7 Portuguese wines by the glass and the bottle.

Can confirm. We eat there pretty regularly, and our boards always look great.

They're also opening a wine shop next door!

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17 hours ago, ElGuapo said:

Can confirm. We eat there pretty regularly, and our boards always look great.

They're also opening a wine shop next door!

There may not be another better fromagerie board in the city for the price, perhaps not even close. I haven´t found one.

Would anyone else please chime if they feel La Fromagerie's cheese board is exceptional for the price?

I suspect I'll be back here sometime next week.

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