Jill Cheese Lady

Announcing this month's wine/cheese event at Cheesetique: A Mediterranean Cruise! Typically, wines are identified by grape variety with less emphasis on environment. The purpose of our Mediterranean Cruise is to witness how important terroir is in creating unique flavors and aromas. Starting in Spain, arching up through France, down the boot of Italy and ending on the island of Sicily, this tour highlights some of the most cutting edge wineries of today in the world’s most ancient terroir. Our cruise-worthy wines will be paired with delicious cheeses from the same region for a lesson with local flavor. All aboard! Sessions are April 15, 16, or 22, all at 7pm in Del Ray. Read more about the class and sign up here. Hope to see you there! Jill Erber Owner, Cheesetique

Sure, we have the best working atmosphere around, but we also offer full health benefits for full-time employees. And I hear through the grapevine that our servers make stellar tips We are hiring for both locations (Alexandria & Arlington). There are TWO ways to apply: GO ONLINE Get an online application at http://cheesetique.com/about (scroll to the bottom) and simply email it to us. HIRING FAIR: We are having a hiring fair this Friday (12/16) from 10 AM - 1 PM and from 3 PM - 7 PM. Walk-ins welcome! ** Hiring Fair is held at our Arlington location - 4056 Campbell Avenue; Arlington, VA 22206 **

Cheesetique is expanding and looking for top-quality candidates with customer service experience. We are looking for great people who can answer "YES!" to the following statements: • I am outgoing. People would say that I have a bubbly, cheerful personality • I enjoy being part of a team and helping wherever I'm needed • I have a passion for cheese and wine -- these are my two favorite food groups! • I love to cook and to entertain people in my home • I enjoy being busy and can work at a fast pace; sedentary jobs aren't for me! • I enjoy getting to know new people - I have lots of friends and love to socialize • I am self-motivated - I can see what needs to be done and do it • I enjoy learning new things, even on my own time • I am great at multi-tasking • I am looking for a job that I can commit to _________________________________________________________________________ DETAILS: We are hiring: -Supervisors, Cheesemongers, Servers, Hostesses, Line Cooks, Kitchen Prep, Bussers, and Dishwashers -Full and Part-Time (min 15 hours per week) -For both the Del Ray Alexandria location and the soon to be opened Shirlington Village location. We offer: - Cheese and wine education and tastings - Competitive pay - Great growth potential - Employee discounts - Health benefits HOW TO APPLY: Go to http://cheesetique.com/about/ Scroll to the bottom of the page and fill out the application for your position of interest. Email the application along with your cover letter and resume to jobs@cheesetique.com. We look forward to hearing from you!

Do you have a passion for cheese, wine and gourmet foods? Are you a motivated, reliable individual who has great customer service skills? Then we need you! Cheesetique is seeking a Restaurant Supervisor for our Cheese and Wine Bar to oversee restaurant operations and staff while ensuring the highest level of customer service. Prior serving experience is necessary and previous restaurant management is a plus. We are willing to train high-quality, dedicated candidates. This position will require a commitment of at least 3-4 shifts a week including lunch, dinner and weekend shifts, opening and/or closing. On the job training will cover invaluable wine and cheese information as well as our serving and supervising styles. A cheerful attitude, great hospitality skills and flexibility are the cornerstones of this position. If you possess these qualities, please respond with a copy of your current resumé and job application - you can email it to us at orders@cheesetique.com. You must be at least 21 years old for this position. To get a feel for our business, please check us out at www.cheesetique.com We look forward to hearing from you!

Cheesetique is looking for energetic, dedicated food lovers to work in our Cheese Shop, Cheese & Wine Bar, and Kitchen. Be part of a bustling, growing business where the products, team, and customers are second-to-none. Visit http://cheesetique.com/about and scroll to the bottom for job-specific applications. We look forward to hearing from you! - Jill and the rest of the Cheesetique Team

So, I'm trying to pick a restaurant for Tuesday night (no particular occassion) and I want to impress my friends who always seem to know of the newest restaurants in the area. It's my turn to choose and I don't want to strike out... In the past, we've enjoyed Eola, J&G Steakhouse, Bibiana, Proof, just to give you an idea. I'd love some Rockwellian advice! Thanks, Jill

Hi there! Going to be heading to Orange, Virginia on a Friday night and I'm looking for an upscale local restaurant for the evening. Any recommendations? Thanks, Jill

Raise your hand if you’re guilty of judging all Riesling as “super-sweet”. Raise your hand if, like the guy in Sideways, you refuse to drink Merlot. Raise your hand if you wouldn’t be caught dead serving wine from a box. If your hand is in the air and you would like to have many of your wine misconceptions dashed, this is the class for you. Explore eight of the most misunderstood wines in the world. Learn how they got a bad rap in the first place and taste some things that will make your head spin (in a good way!) This is the perfect class for wine novices and afficionados alike. As always, the eight wines will be paired with six cheeses and accompaniments for a delicious (and filling) experience. The class will last about an hour and a half. Tickets are $50 per person. Available dates are: March 21, 22, 28, 29, all at 7:00 PM. The only way to reserve a space is to visit the sign up page and book your spots there. This is a PayPal thingee, BUT YOU DO NOT NEED A PAYPAL ACCOUNT TO USE IT. There are instructions on the page to help you through. Click HERE to go to the signup page.

Frankly, Melissa, it's a husband thing. I won't touch shad roe with a ten foot tenticle. It's essentially the egg sac from a shad. So, picture a thin, veiny membrane filled with about a million tiny fish eggs. If that isn't enough to get your juices flowing, when you cut into the sac, the millions of cooked eggs kind of pour out in clumps. Maybe it's the fact that I'm a mother, but it just disturbs me on some basic level. Plus, it tastes of other things I don't particularly love (liver and briney fish combined in one big mosh pit of flavor). For preparation, it's often sauteed in bacon fat and/or wrapped in bacon. The only saving grace at that point is in fact the bacon (in my opinion). Again, my husband can't get enough of the stuff and seeks it out every spring. Restaurant Eve does a wonderful job with this dish, so I'm told.

Anyone seen shad roe in any local restaurants? Our go-to for shad roe, Restaurant Eve, doesn't have it yet I'd love some recommendations. Thanks!

My husband and I spent an evening at The Jefferson last night and had dinner at Plume. Here are my thoughts: 1. Appearance Absolutely stunning. Small, intimate, opulent. Muted colors. Warm toasty fireplace. Really cool little stools for purses. One of the best features: LOTS of room between tables, which helps you fully enjoy your own conversation without having to enjoy others' If you're in the mood for a romantic destination dining room, this is the one. 2. Service Perfectly attentive without smothering. Subtle, professional, knowledgeable. And they refer to you by name, which is a really nice touch. 3. Food We had the tasting menu, which included soup, salad, foie terrine, scallops, venison. Portions were reasonable for a lot of courses. We were satisfied but not stuffed. The food was perfectly prepared and plated. 4. Cheese Course What an excellent cheese trolley! Lots of choices, though strangely absent were any double or triple cremes (read as "no brie, etc."). But otherwise, a really nice selection spanning the globe. The server went through each cheese like a pro. 5. Wine We got the pairing of wines with our tasting menu and each was perfectly selected. Interesting varietals thoughtfully paired. Overall, an elegant experience. Really classy. And delicious. I recommend Plume for a romantic night out. Additional Note: We had drinks at Quill that afternoon. Totally cool, old-fashioned bar feel. Professional staff. I got the "Master Mind" cocktail, where you tell the bartender what kinds of ingredients you like and they prepare a custom cocktail for you. It was really cool. I ended up with a vodka/rose/black pepper creation. Super interesting. I definitely recommend Quill for anyone who wants an upscale, perfectly run bar experience. Oh - and the pickled veggies were so delectable.

Cheesetique is looking for a special person who wants to spend his/her days surrounded by exceptional food and even more exceptional people. This is your opportunity to work at an independently-owned, super-hip establishment that is on the cutting edge of the food and wine industry. Plus, it smells great! The Assistant Manager position includes the following duties (and then some): Overseeing wellness of retail shop, including inventory management, product display, etc. Managing and scheduling employees Assisting in product invoicing and tracking General oversight of operations along with Manager Selling cheese! What we require: Organized (lots of multi-tasking) Excellent communicator (you'll coordinate about 20 employees) Pleasant but assertive (gotta keep everyone in line) Prompt (late people stink) Cheerful (this is a must for all employees, but particularly for management) English speaking Reliable transportation Previous management experience, particularly in retail, is a HUGE plus Please send an email to jill@cheesetique.com with resume attached. In your email, please explain what about this position is interesting to you. You can read more about Cheesetique on our website: www.cheesetique.com Thank you for reading! Jill Erber Owner, Cheesetique

Hello, Fellow Rockwellians, This is Jill Erber, owner of Cheesetique in Alexandria. I read with great interest this morning’s Washington Post front-page article about the newly-imposed “Roquefort tariff” which will certainly make this outstanding product (and mainstay of our inventory) all but unavailable. I wrote my own response to the article and posted it on my web site this morning and I hope you all take a look (www.cheesetique.com). We also launched a new "free-trade" promotion where we will sell our best-tier Roquefort Papillon at $20/lb. Here is a link to the original Post article: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...AR2009012804071 Best to you all, Jill

Do you Love to Cook? Are you a Lover of Wine and Passionate for Cheese??? Then we are in need of you! Cheesetique is currently hiring a cook to work weekend shifts in our Cheese and Wine Bar. Position includes light cooking of paninis, quiches, sandwiches and salads. Candidates must be motivated, reliable and take pride in preparing quality food with fun products for our loyal customers. Should be comfortable working alone and take direction well. This is a perfect part-time position (~10-15 hours/week) for culinary students or others looking to work in a fun environment with friendly people for a little extra cash. Must have a Virginia Food License or be willing to obtain one Please check out our website at www.cheesetique.com or email maud@cheesetique.com for more information.

Hi, all! For those of you who like to shop at Cheesetique on the weekends, we are now open for lunch on Friday/Saturday (11 AM - 2:30 PM) and Sunday (noon - 2:30 PM). The menu is the same, but it has been expanded to include more salads and sanwiches. Thank you all for your support! Jill