Batten down the hatches...a Toronado is coming!

For a couple months now we've been trying to get in front of the decision makers at one of our favorite local beer pubs - Toronado - and today was the day we succeeded...woo-hoo! We met with the owner Ian - a great guy who worked up at the original (legendary) Toronado in San Francisco's Lower Haight for more than a decade before migrating south. ToronadoSD opened on the epicentre of tapdom - 30th Street - just before Memorial Day weekend and they've already become a key stop on the beer lover's unofficial tour of San Diego. (See Pete Rowe's recent San Diego UT article here.

We've scheduled a promotional event on Tuesday, September 23rd. Mark your calendars and plan to come out and enjoy some tasty Taste cheeses with some of the best taps in San Diego.

Event - Complimentary Taste Cheese Sampling
When - Tuesday, September 23rd 7-9pm
Where - ToronadoSD
4026 30th Street
http://www.toronadosd.com/

Point (Well) Taken

One of our most popular domestic blues at Taste is from Northern California. Point Reyes Blue first hit the market about 8 years ago and from the first, it was a hit. Given the credentials of the cheese maker – Monty McIntyre, of Iowa’s Maytag Blue fame – it’s no surprise. Salty, tangy and slightly sour, Point Reyes is a truly great blue.

In the shop, I’ve mostly recommended it as ‘a great salad cheese’ because it pairs so well with simple olive oil/balsamic vinegar (or saba!) dressings. However, a customer recently turned me on to its compatibility with tooth-stainer, big reds like Zinfandels and California Cabernets. After extensive research of my own, I’ve found that it is indeed a great ‘wine cheese’ for the same reasons that make it great for salads – it’s strong enough to handle the acidic vinegar flavors AND the tannic, over-the-top fruit/alcohol of many zins and cabs. So try this excellent cheese as part of your salad course AND as part of your pre-dessert cheese course.

After you do, I think you’ll say…point WELL taken!