Search the Community

The Cheese Monster (website), by Alice Bergen Phillips, is a cool company. She is currently making cheese displays, teaching classes, and creating cheese pairings for others. cheesemonsterdc@gmail.com She did an event for 20 people in my home last night that was just so much fun. We had a seated cheese tasting and wine pairing for the Junior Friends. She picked 5 cheese and we bought the wine to pair with the cheese. She can either pick cheese for certain wines you want to have, or she can come up with a whole tasting, whatever you like. she also mentioned she does a lot of beer and cheese pairings, which would be cool!!! I have attached a picture of our menu. We then had a social after where we ate her delicious and beautiful cheese board. I think it is a social event we might have to have again. I learned so much about cheese that I didn't know before. It was an exciting event and something just a little bit more special than the typical social event and really fun for our members. I realize some people on this board know a lot about cheese, much more than me, it was fun to gain a little knowledge, and delicious. Thanks Alice! Wishing you lots of success on your brick and mortar coming to DC!

I began this topic on eGullet in 2004, but they changed the title (and perhaps merged it with some other posts), so here's a link to the original post, which still stands as being true to this day, 12 years later. Yesterday, as I was buying lousy grapefruit, I stopped by the cheese counter, and bought a wedge of pre-cut, plastic-wrapped, 5-month-old Comté - I gave it a quick smell test, and it was fine. Today I opened it, and it had already started to mold - it was just a speck that I took right off, but it was still mold. I bought two tiny wedges of cheese, paying over $10 for the privilege, and both were firm, mountain tommes; I would *never* buy a soft, creamy cheese from them - never, ever - not unless I saw it being cut before my eyes. I'll say it again, an older and a wiser man: Whole Foods abuses their cheeses.

La Fromagerie is a new cheese shop that will be opening soon in Old Town (corner of King and Payne Streets). From the website, it looks like the focus will be on American products. Anybody have any additional details?

Since there was no thread for this restaurant on its own - there is now. Apparently the 2nd venture for the Lahlou Restaurant Group, their 1st being Lupo Verde Cucina & Bar. Stopped in late afternoon looking for some decent Italian food - the group of people (management) graciously greeted us and welcomed us to their establishment. We had viewed the menu posted outside and wanted to see if they could accommodate Ghocchi for our kids who wanted tomato-based sauce instead of (GNOCCHI 22,ASPARAGUS, WILD MUSHROOMS, FONDUTA, SPRING PEAS, GELATO AL PARMIGIANO), which in unison, they replied "absolutely, we can make anything the way you want it." It did not disappoint and the Gnocchi was outstanding. We also had a PACCHERI 28 BLUE CRAB, SHRIMP, SQUID, GARLIC, SAFFRON BRODETTO which was excellent and flavorful. The fresh-baked bread that accompanied our meal helped me make sure my plate was clean enough to place back on the shelf without washing 😁. We also ordered the tomato and fresh mozzarella pizza to round out the meal. Staff was accommodating and sincerely friendly. This place is tucked away off the main part of the Wharf on a secondary street but easy to find. The food came out promptly and we felt like they appreciated our visit. If in the area and interested in a moderately-priced, fresh Italian meal, give it a shot.

Morris is opening next month (Feb). It will be the sister establishment to Sheppard. Quotes from DC Eater: "Located at 1020 7th St. NW, Morris will be twice as big as The Sheppard and divided into two stories spanning 1,400 square feet. Morris, which is backed by Mendelsohn, business partner Vinoda Basnayake, and Strauss, is now shooting for a March opening." "Potential offerings include: East New York Flip (bourbon, tawny port, honey, egg yolk, cream, nutmeg); American Trilogy (rye, apple brandy, brown sugar, orange bitters); Ivy City Swizzle (vodka, lime, mint, peychaud’s); and Feminist Gent (vodka, luna amara, lime, orange, ginger, soda), among others. Cocktails are priced at $12 each; cheese and charcuterie pairings from local provider Cheese Monster will be available for sale. " Website

Jill described it as a Cheese and Wine bar, but apparently there's going to be even more good stuff according to Counter Intelligence.

2 Park Avenue (32nd Street), New York, NY 10016 Phone: (212) 725-8585 Web: http://www.artisanalbistro.com/ Menus: http://www.artisanal...menus_index.php For years, Artisanal has been my go-to lunch spot anytime I'm near Penn Station or Grand Central, though it's a bit of a hike from both. It's not a cheap lunch, but it has good food and wines by the glass. On my visit last Friday, I sat at the bar and started with six "East Coast" oysters (no place of origin was indicated on the menu or when they arrived) ($18) and a Hugel Reisling from Alsace ($14). The oysters were big and nicely briney, but served with a Mignonette that was basically red wine vinegar. This isn't typical and, regardless, a good oyster is a good oyster. I also ordered The Big Cheese, a killer grilled cheese with Fontina, Tellegio, Gruyere, and Emmenthaler ($15.50), to which I added tomato ($1.50) and bacon ($2.00), and subbed an under dressed green salad for the standard chips. Add another Hugel and the bill was $71 for a big lunch, which admittedly wasn't their finest effort (an anomaly, but still an enjoyable meal). Steep, yes, but you could stick to the sandwich itself or the excellent burger and leave for much less.

Unlike my write-ups about Comté and Manchego, Pecorino - and most certainly Pecorino Romano - is not even close to being the largest-production DOP (Denominazione Origine Protetta) cheese in Italy. Right off the bat, Parmigiano-Reggiano comes to mind, and you also have cheeses (some DOP, some not) such as Mozzarella and Provolone, most of which are bastardized and mass-produced for export, or even made in America, but if you had the real thing, locally, it would be a mind-blowing experience. This reminds me of when I had dinner at Marc Veyrat in Annecy. At the end of the greatest meal I've ever had, a gentleman came by, pushing a cheese cart the size of an upright piano, asking us which cheeses we'd like. Eager to show my love of Haute-Savoie, I chirped, 'We'd like to try an assortment of local cheeses - except for Reblochon, because we can get that in America.' I was met with a moment of silence, accompanied by a look that only the French are capable of producing: The look is a mixture of sympathy, concern, and condescension, all at once, and somehow not conveyed as the least bit condescending. The gentleman looked me dead in the eye, and said, without any hint of expression on his face: "Get the Reblochon." Needless to say, we did, and it was one the happiest moments of my life (I mean that seriously). Never before had I truly eaten Reblochon, and I would have never known had it not been for that gentleman. It was like nothing of this earth - a revelation that ... what the hell am I talking about? Genuine Pecorino Romano must (*must*) be made from the milk of sheep raised in Lazio or Sardinia (yes, Sardinia) - there's also a Pecorino Sardo, but Pecorino Romano can be made in both places). It must be made with the rennet of lambs raised in the same area, and is therefore not vegetarian-friendly. Let me also stress, from personal experience, that real Pecorino Romano is salty as *hell*. Remember this, and don't say you weren't warned! Fulvi is a producer of cheese owned by the Sini family (this webpage has been translated for readability). It is easily recognizable by the ship's anchor used as a logo, indicating sea transportation of their product: Given its saltiness and firm texture - not to mention its proximity to Rome - it's easy to see why this is often used as a grating cheese (hell, you wouldn't need to salt your pasta). Pecorino Romano is saltier, and less rich, than other Pecorino cheeses - it has been made since the days of the Ancient Roman Empire - in fact, it was fed to their soldiers as a means of quick, inexpensive protein. Here's a good, concise history of the cheese that is well-worth the two minutes it will take you to read - that website also has a few links in case you want to dig deeper. How many other cheeses of the world has *Homer* written about? And I'm not talking about this guy:

Since I waxed poetic (or waned pathetic, take your pick) about my little wedge of Comté, the largest-production A.O.C. Cheese in France, I figure I might as well do the same for my little wedge of Manchego, the largest-production D.O. Cheese in Spain. I purchased this El Trigal ("The Wheatfield") Manchego from Whole Foods, at the same time I purchased my block of Comté. These legendary cheeses are both semi-firm, and are more resilient to damage than soft, buttery, cow's-milk cheese (Comté is made from cow's milk, but isn't "soft and buttery"; Manchego is made from 100% Manchega sheep (both words, Manchego and Manchega, mean "from La Mancha"). "Quesos Corcuera," (<--- click for their website, which has a wealth of information available in English) makers of El Trigal, was founded 70 years ago in the town of La Puebla de Montalbán, near Toledo, in the region of Castilla-La Mancha, Spain, by a gentleman named Don Eusebio Corcuera. It has been passed down, and is now run by his daughter, Carmen, after his sons, Ramon and Carlos, passed away. It is now one of the five-largest producers of cheese in Spain, and one of Don Eusebio's grandchildren is actively involved with the company. There are currently 27 D.O. ("Denominación de Origen")-regulated cheeses in Spain, and as stated above, Manchego is the largest-production D.O. cheese in Spain (A.O.C. and D.O. are each country's version of essentially the same thing: government-regulated and protected cheeses (as well as other products)). Again, instead of merely copying down the D.O. requirements, I'll link to them here. The term "P.D.O." is an EU (European-Union) term that's similar to - and might be the same as - "D.O.," but D.O. was around long before P.D.O., so that's the one I tend to focus on; I suspect there's just another layer of bureaucracy associated with P.D.O. status. There are at least three different "ages" of Manchego, all of which are produced by Quesos Corcuera: 1) Semi-Curado (around 3 months) 2) Curado (around 6 months) and 3) Viejo (around 1 year). Manchego *must* be aged between 60 days and 2 years (it can be aged only 30 days for cheeses weighing less than 1.5 kg). The aging requirements are covered in the D.O. link in the above paragraph. There's also a "Fresco" that's produced for local consumption, which is aged for about 2 weeks, but to the best of my knowledge, this isn't found outside of Spain, and isn't a D.O. Manchego. This is the equivalent of drinking a Beaujolais Nouveau - something fresh, fruity, and quaffable; not meant to be scrutinized too closely, but perfectly fine for everyday dining at home (at least, that's my guess). If you put a piece of Comté and Manchego side-by-side, and are told which is which, there's nobody in the world who couldn't tell the difference between the two. If you're a complete cheese novice, you may want to do this as an exercise - you'll see that you "get it," and I promise you that you'll identify them correctly each and every time. There's no "roughness" whatsoever in a Comté, whereas there's no "smoothness" whatsoever in a Manchego - and I'm just talking about texture and appearance. Why *not* embark on your newfound hobby with these two cheeses? They're found everywhere, and despite their ubiquity, are world-class cheeses that even the most insufferable cheese snob would respect and enjoy.

I recently groused about a piece of poorly stored Comté, which was a "Les Trois Comtois 5-Month Comté" - here are a couple other interesting tidbits: * Comté is regulated by the A.O.C. system - its name is protected by law, and it cannot be sold unless it meets nine strict guidelines. * Rather than re-listing the guidelines, I'll link to them - these are the nine things that are required for a cheese to be sold as "Comté." * One of these things is that Comté must be aged a minimum of 4 months. * This particular cheese - "Les 3 Comtois" (which means "The 3 From Comté" and is a clever rhyme) - is aged one month over the minimum, and is a perfectly honorable example of Comté - there's nothing "special" about longer-aged cheeses other than that they take on different flavors - it's like drinking a young Beaujolais vs. a Morgon with some bottle age to it: Both have their time and place. * More Comté is produced than any other A.O.C.-regulated French cheese. Surprise! * There are 175 producteurs (producers) and 188 affineurs (agers) of Comté. * Les 3 Comtois ages 20% of all Comté, and they're responsible for 8,500 *tons* of Comté annually. * Les 3 Comtois is a union of two affineurs (not three, which is odd (**)). Click here to read all about them: Les 3 Comtois pdf file * Les 3 Comtois offers "personalized ripening times," which means you can choose how long your cheese is aged. Needless to say, I suspect this is reserved for high-volume and/or high-dollar customers, and it's not like you or I could just pick up the phone and have them age a wheel for us (unless, of course, you have deep pockets). * The Wikipedia link to Comté says, in the second paragraph, that each tomme (wheel) of cheese measures up to 28 inches in diameter and 4 inches in height, and weighs (this is the part that I find unbelievable) 110 pounds! Think about a wheel of cheese, just over 2-feet long, and 4-inches high, and imagine picking it up - do you really think it could weigh 110 pounds? Think of a 45-pound weight in the gym, and how large those are - that's why this statistic just does not compute, unless cheese is a *lot* heavier than I think it is. (**) I only skimmed that document, so it's possible I misread it.

Hi folks! Just wanted to make sure you knew about this super funky event on April 3. This is for both food professionals and cheese and beer lovers. This is a great opportunity to taste new cheeses and meet the producers directly! Industry folks: please contact me, Katie Carter, for more information or for VIP tickets to the "Trade Only Hour'. Hope to see you all there! Ripe The DC Artisanal Cheese and Craft Beer Party at Right Proper Brewing Company in Shaw Sunday, April 3 11:30-1pm (Trade Hour) 1-3pm (General Admission) Tickets on sale at DCCheeseParty.com! Presented by Kennedy MTI and Right Proper Brewing Company A fun and rustic gathering of cheesemakers, cheesemongers, importers, chefs, and cheese lovers! Proud to Host: P.A. BOWEN FARMSTEAD - MD CAROMONT FARM - VA CROWN FINISH CAVES - NY VULTO CREAMERY - NY NETTLE MEADOW - NY BONNIEVIEW FARM - VT ESSEX ST CHEESE COLUMBIA CHEESE GOURMINO ROOTS AND BRANCHES CRACKERS - NC DOLCEZZA GELATO - DC Join us for the best cheese event in Washington, DC featuring today's finest cheesemakers, affineurs, and importers! Taste and discover new cheeses Meet cheesemakers, importers, and affineurs Mingle with other local cheese professionals and chefs Drink craft beer made by Right Proper Brewing Company Join the Mid Atlantic Cheese Coalition Chefs, cheesemongers, and retailers: Please contact Katie Carter for complimentary VIP tickets. VIP tickets include one and half hours of "Trade Only" time to meet and taste directly with the cheesemakers and importers before the public arrives. VIP Tickets are limited and will be available upon request via special link. Get your tickets today, they will sell out! DCCheeseParty.com

Attended a Spanish cheese tasting class at Cheesetique over the weekend. The class started with a brief overview of the cheese making process followed by a tasting of 10 different cheeses. Other Spanish goodies (lomo and serrano hams, chorizo, marcona almonds, and membrillo -- quince paste) were on the plate to compliment the cheeses. Cheeses in the tasting were a Nevat, Queso Tronchon, Mahon, Drunken Goat, Tetilla (shaped like the name), Garrotxa, Manchego with Rosemary, Raw Milk Manchego, Torta del Casar, and a Valdeon. My favorites were the raw milk manchego and the torta del casar. The very creamy and earthy torta is a rare raw sheep milk cheese that is completely made by hand. Overall a fun introduciton to Spanish cheeses and worth the $15.

Hello folks! Just wanted to let you know about an exciting new wholesale cheese program in the DC area. After over a decade working as a cheesemonger, cheesemaker, and educator, I am now selling cheese wholesale with a small specialty food distributor called Kennedy MTI. We bring outstanding cheese made by highly skilled artisans to DC area chefs and cheesemongers. We work with very talented but smaller cheesemakers and importers, and some are exclusive to Kennedy MTI in this area. The cheese in our portfolio is made by hand in small batches by skilled artisans and aged by either the producers themselves or trained affineurs (cheese agers). They are very special and are not widely available. But we have some for you! Please email me at katie.kennedymti@gmail.com for more information. Check out some of our producers: Vulto Creamery is relatively new to the cheese scene but has quickly gained in recognition of chefs and mongers. The one man operation is run by Jos Vulto, a quiet and focused Dutch gentleman who moved to the US twenty five years ago as an artist. Jos, a resident of Brooklyn, New York, makes four cheeses in small quantities in his Walton, New York creamery with raw cow's milk (Jersey, Holstein, Montbelliard breeds) from a local farmer. I can't stress how small his production is in comparison to other cheesemakers; he makes cheese only twice a week. His work is rarely found outside of New York. Of his cheeses, we carry Ouleout, a soft washed rind; Miranda, a smaller format cheese made with extra curds from Ouleout and washed in absinthe; and Walton Umber, a semi-firm tomme style. The fourth, an Alpine style named Andes, will be ready next spring when they reach proper maturity. Read more about Vulto Creamery here! Crown Finish Caves is also a very new project out of Brooklyn, New York. Crown Finish Caves is a cheese aging facility located 30 feet undergound in a former beer lagering tunnel in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. Currently, they are aging cheese from just one producer but plan on working with other cheesemakers. Affineur Benton Brown and his wife Susan Boyle have spent years renovating and modernizing the underground cave, outfitting it with specialized equipment specific to cheese care. The farm they are working with is Parish Hill Creamery, a small creamery in Vermont run by the great Peter Dixon. Peter Dixon is responsible for helping to start many creameries in Vermont including Consider Bardwell Farm. He also consults for many, many cheesemakers around the country and has authored a few cheesemaking books, as well. Parish Hill is making raw cow's milk cheeses inspired by Italian classics. At the moment, we carry their Humble Herdsman, Reverie, Suffolk Punch, and Kashar. Here is a bit more on Crown Finish. Caromont Farm is one of our local gems! Cheesemaker Gail Hobbs-Page is a former chef who makes excellent cheese with milk from her own herd of goats and with a neighboring farm's cow's milk near Charlottesville, Virginia. Her award-winning Esmontonian is an aged raw goat's milk cheese, and offers a clean herbaceous flavor profile with a delicious minerality. Her Red Row is a semi-soft raw cow's milk cheese that is washed in Albemarle Ciderwork's hard cider. She makes a killer fresh chevre, as well. Essex St. Cheese Company was started by one of my early cheese mentors, Daphne Zepos, in order to import better (and now arguably the best) Comte into the U.S. They travel every six weeks to the caves at Marcel Petite Fort St Antoine in France to personally select each wheel of cheese that comes to us based on a specific flavor profile, not age or price. Daphne wrote of their Comte, "Aromas of hazelnuts, fried onions and spring berries shine over an undertow of cut grass, wet earth, and straw. There is a humble, everyday perfection in these wheels; herbaceous and fruity, and kissed with deep, heavy cream, this Comté has you coming back for more." Essex also hand selects and imports L'Amuse Signature Gouda, Brabander Goat Gouda, Wilde Weide, Cravero Parmigiano, and Manchego 1605. These are just a few of the great cheeses we are working with. We strive to support cheesemakers and importers whose work is exemplary and exciting. Give me a shout if you're a chef, cheesemonger, or retailer looking to serve superb cheeses. Thank you and have a wonderful day! Cheese for Life. Katie Carter

Tria does have a really cool vibe about it. You'd think there would be a comparable place in DC ... cheese, wine, beer. It just makes sense.

Popular Georgetown gourmet retailer needs to add a quality cheese/charcuteriemonger to its team. Great product line thats ever evolving. Low stress, easy hours, employee discounts. Serious inquiries only. Email me at john.pearson@deandeluca.com

Hello! Just wanted to make sure you all knew about a very special event we are putting on with Society Fair and Essex St Cheese on Monday, June 22 from 6-9pm. The producers from Essex St Cheese Company will be in town for a very rare meet-and-greet, guided tasting, and class. If you have ever tasted any Essex St cheeses, such as L'Amuse Signature Gouda, Brabander Goat Gouda, Wilde Weide, Manchego 1605, Cravero Parmigiano, and Marcel Petite Fort St. Antoine Comte, you know they are in a completely different league than their typical counterparts. Their textures, aromas, and flavors are truly next level. Find out how these producers, agers (affineurs), and selectors achieve this perfection and why they dedicate their careers to creating extraordinary cheese. I highly recommend that any food professional, whether cheese is your focus or not, attend this awesome event. You will learn, have fun, and taste amazing cheeses! And if you're simply a cheese lover, by all means, come get down with us and enjoy this rare experience. Tickets can be purchased at: store.societyfair.net for $35 each. Homage to Fromage: An Evening with Essex St. Cheese Company Monday, June 22, 6-9pm Society Fair 277 South Washington Street Alexandria, Virginia Come meet the producers, affineurs, selectors, and importers of Essex St Cheese Company! The event includes: Meet and Greet Welcome Punch Cheese Seminar with Guided Tasting Q & A Session Cheese Inspired canapes and desserts Featuring: Giorgio Cravero of Cravero Parmigiano Betty and Martin Koster of L'Amuse Signature Gouda Benoit Prince of Marcel Petite Fort Saint Antoine Jose Luis Martin of Manchego 1605 Go to Store.SocietyFair.net to purchase your tickets! Space is limited and will sell out soon! Hope to see you there! Katie Carter

Hey Folks! Just want to take a moment to invite you all to Ripe. A DC Artisanal Cheese Party on March 22, 2015 from 1-3pm at Right Proper Brewing Company! Ripe is a fun and rustic gathering of cheesemakers, cheesemongers, chefs, and cheese lovers at Right Proper Brewing Company in DC's historic Shaw neighborhood. Join us in celebrating talented artisanal cheesemakers and the delicious products they craft by hand. Learn more about the cheeses you love and discover new favorites while mingling with the who's who of local cheese and enjoying craft beer by Right Proper Brewing Company. Five local cheesemakers and importers will walk you through their very special, handcrafted products. Right Proper Chef Sarah Biglan will be creating delicious grilled cheese sandwiches and cheesy bites. Right Proper Cheesemongers Tim Lake and Caleb Shoenhard will man fondue and raclette stations. A beer and cheese education station will offer guides to the perfect pairing. Plus! Taste the first ever cheese washed in a Right Proper beer by Crown Finish Caves. This is a great opportunity for any food professional or cheese lover to taste and learn a ton about cheese from the producers and importers themselves! Chefs and retailers will receive special discounts on cheese orders placed at Ripe! Here are the cheesemakers/affineurs/importers attending the event so far: Caromont Farm (VA) PA Bowen Farmstead (MD) Vulto Creamery (NY) Crown Finish Caves (NY) Essex St Cheese Company (importers of L'Amuse Signature Gouda, Marcel Petite Comte, Cravero Parmigiano, and many more) Columbia Cheese (importers of Challerhocker, Mycella Blue, Der Scharfe Maxx, and many more) Ticket price is $25 per person, including all you can eat cheese, 3 beer samples, tax and gratuity. Space is limited, so sign up soon! To learn more about Ripe, click here! Thanks folks! Hope to see you there! Katie Carter

Not exactly a 911, but not sure where else to put this. Cleaned out the two refrigerators and freezers today, and discovered that I have a couple of gallon sized Ziploc bags full of rinds from Parmigiano Reggiano. What to do with them? Edited to add: we are making bone broth today. Wonder how parm rinds would go in bone broth?

BelGioioso has been available in my crappy Giant for years. I don't think it's anything special. Unless I'm confusing it with another product that has a very similar label.

Which are your favorite sites for buying cheese online? So far, all we have tried is Murray's, which is fine, but I would like to try others. Thinkin about igourmet. Anybody used them? Others? Bonus question - if I order burrata online, say, from iGourmet, how will that compare for freshness with, say, getting it from the cooler at Cheesetique? It seems risky to order something that needs to be kept cold online.

I'm starting this thread because of a bizarre passage in the Wikipedia article on Colby Cheese. Go to the second section entitled, "Properties," and note the first sentence: "Colby is similar to Cheddar but does not undergo the cheddaring process." (Incidentally, either Wikipedia (1874) or the Wisconsin marker (1885, see below) is wrong.) Okay, this is odd to me. I thought the cheddaring process was what made cheddar, cheddar (or as my French MIL says, shay-DAHR (yes, that's honestly how they say it - the first time I heard her say it, it took me ten minutes to figure it out, and the next ten minutes to try and stop laughing)). So how can a cheese be "similar to Cheddar" without being cheddared? I promise, I'm not trying to be smug, or a "foodie douche," or anything of the sort, I honestly just don't know. Incidentally, I had a Whole Foods brand vegetarian Colby cheese slice (okay, three) tonight that wasn't all that bad. I assume by vegetarian, they mean "not using animal rennet" because this was clearly a dairy product. Wisconsin historial marker for Colby cheese

I cannot think of a single ingredient that is more abused than blue cheese in restaurants. It is quite possible that I'm in a very small minority, but for my palate, blue cheese is something to be used in very limited doses, ideally as part of a cheese plate after dinner. (Yes, I know that's old-school French, but it's how I like mine the best, and even on a cheese plate, I only want *one* of the cheeses to be blue). Blue Cheese is everywhere. It's in appetizers, it's in pizza, it wouldn't shock me if I saw it in a dessert. I find it to be an *extremely* strong taste - right up there with whiskey - and it's best used in small doses or not at all. This is not something you serve chunks of in a salad with walnuts to begin a meal with, or at least not to me. Or as a stuffing for chicken wings, leeks, or anything else. Even as a pizza topping, it's usually just too much. I do enjoy it as a component of a sauce for a steak-frites, as long as the flavor of it isn't overwhelming. Do I stand alone here? I'll go so far as to say that blue cheese is the single-most overused ingredient in restaurants that I can think of. You can make your arguments for beets, goat cheese, kale, charcuterie, etc., but those are at least milder, less-offensive flavors. Even after eating it for the past several decades, it can still very easily make me wince, and I'm actually wondering if I have an extreme sensitivity to it: Even on a cheese plate, I prefer it in very small doses. So is it a vile trend, or is it just me? I'm perfectly willing to accept the latter.

I'm wondering if there's any cheddaring ("to cheddar" is a verb) going on with Kraft individually packaged Cheddar slices. If you handed me a slice of this, and asked me what it was, I would probably guess it was American. This cheese simply does not resemble a cheese that has been cheddared. How are they allowed to call it Cheddar? Assuming this is all a big fraud, I want to offer an apology to our U.K. Brethren for the crime we've committed against them.

What is Sona Creamery? Sona will be DC's very first creamery, producing fresh and aged cow's and goat's milk cheeses. We also have a cheese and wine bar, a cafe, and a world class cheese counter. We are looking for outstanding candidates in the serving, cooking, bartending and cheesemonger areas. If you are ready to be a part of the Sona family, send your resume to cheese@sonacreamery.com. Hope to hear from you, Thanks!

The Pure Wine Cafe is one of many places that we enjoyed, but rarely found ourself revisiting. Now is the time to eat there again -- especially if you can try their new patio in the fleeting nights of the year when we can eat outside. Pure Wine started as a tiny place on Main Street in Ellicott City. Small plates. Good wines. But such a tiny space that they didn't take reservations, and it often took second place to restaurants where we knew that we could get parking and a seat. Now, they've blown through a wall and spread upstairs into a second dining room and a stone patio overlooking Main Street. It's beautiful space and -- like the new patio at Portalli's -- a real reason to explore downtown Ellicott City. The patio. Pure Wine has always had a fun kitchen. A small, seasonal menu of maybe a dozen items. On Sunday nights, some dishes even sell out because they only buy what they expect to use. It's also a fun joint. We arrived on one of those Sunday nights when all the outdoor seats were filled. The hostess set us up on two chairs a few steps above the patio. We drank wine and a cider from Millstone Cellars in Monkton, then slid into a table once one opened. We missed some sliders that looked terrific, but we ate well. A salad with spinach, peaches and goat cheese. Some fish tacos. And a terrific charcuterie plate headlined by salami and an amazing blue cheese. The cheese was creamy with a blue flavor, but milder so that it went well with everything else on the plate. Sitting outside gives a new feel to Pure Wine. You overlook the Old Columbia Pike intersection. It's almost a city feel. The entire new space is modern. A sleek bathroom. A wine cellar built into the bedrock with glass walls so that you can see inside as you walk upstairs. A new second-floor dining room where 10 people were watching a pair of guitar players perform while we ate. With original bar on the first floor, you now have three really different options -- and they take reservations. When we were there, the Pure Wine folks were talking about heaters to extend the season. It's all new. They're figuring it out.