This week’s North Park Market Selection

Week two of being at the Thursday market in North Park. We think it's going to get better every week and we hope you'll come help in that effort. Here's what we have lined up for this week...

BUCHERON Tangy French goat cheese with a bloomy rind. Great with a drizzle of your favorite honey.

PIAVE VECCHIO Hard cow’s milk cheese from Italy’s Veneto region. A great cheese for a spring picnic!

PILOTA Semi-firm cheese made from a blend of sheep & cow’s milk. From French Pyrenees region.

SILVER MOUNTAIN CHEDDAR We’re excited to introduce this excellent American cheddar from Bravo Farms in Traver, CA. It won gold at the ’08 ACS contest.

BLACK BUTTE RESERVE From Pedroza Farm in Central, CA, the is an excellent seasonal cheese made from raw cow’s milk.

CAVE-AGED GRUYERE Rich and full-flavored, this is one of favorite Alpine cheeses for snacking, mac-n-cheese and grilled-cheese sandwiches.

BEEMSTER XO A customer favorite, this Dutch cow’s milk Gouda is amazing with great butterscotch flavors and nice crystallization.

STILTON From one of England’s finest producers – Long Clawson, this is truly a classic Stilton with a piquant bite and a rich, creamy texture.

POINT REYES BLUE From Point Reyes Station near San Francisco, this raw cow’s milk blue is tangy and sharp - an American original!

Little Italy Mercato "A Foodie's Dream"

Ok, we've said it before but it bears repeating...Little Italy's Mercato is simply the best farmer's market in town - at least for foodies. But don't take our word for it, check out this article that ran last week in the SD Union Tribune's food section ("Little Italy Farmer's Market a Foodie's Dream" )

And after your tastebuds are sufficiently aroused, head downtown and visit the TasteCheese booth! We're located on Date St. right next to Bread & Cie, on the block between Columbia & India.

Every Saturday 9am-1:30pm
Date Street-India to Columbia -North Side
Little Italy/Downtown San Diego
**2 HOURS FREE PARKING!**
@ Washington Elementary (enter at Date/Union)

LITTLE ITALY MERCATO SELECTION - SATURDAY MAY 1st

Fresh Burrata (Made by Gioia in El Monte, CA 2 days before the market, as fresh as it gets!)
Humboldt Fog (Soft goat with a line of ash from Cypress Grove in Arcata, CA)
Purple Haze (Chevre flavored with lavender & fennel pollen also from Cypress Grove)
Andante Acapella (Blended goat's milk & creme fraiche by Petaluma's Andante Dairy)
Selles Sur Cher (Perfectly ripe rounds of ashed chevre from France's Loire Valley)
Cabot Clothbound Cheddar (Best in Show @ACS in '08. This Vermont cheddar is amazing!)
Black Butte Reserve (Seasonal cheese from raw cow's milk made in the Sierra Foothills of CA) Pecorino Crotonese (Aged raw ewe's milk cheese from Sardinia, Italy)
Morbier (Classic French cheese from raw cow's milk)
Pilota (Semi-firm cheese made from blend of cow/sheep's milk. From French Pyrenees)
Cave-aged Gruyere (Swiss classic made from raw cow's milk and cave-aged for 15+ months)
BeemsterXO (Like butterscotch, this aged Dutch gouda is a customer favorite!)
Truffle Noire (Semi-firm Dutch gouda studded with black truffles)
Long Clawson Stilton (Classic English Stilton with a tangy, blue bite and a lasting finish)
Gorgonzola Dolce (Creamy and rich Italian blue with a slightly sweet finish)
Peppadew Peppers (Stuff these sweet & mildly piquant peppers with PurpleHaze - fantastic!)

Hope to see you at the Mercato!

TasteCheese Launches @ North Park FM This Thursday!

We're really excited to be back in our old hood (or at least just up the road from it). The North Park Farmer's Market has been around for a couple years now, and it's definitely had challenges. However, there have been a couple of recent developments that make us very, very optimistic about the market's future and eager to be a part of it.

First, the market has previously been limited by daylight since the lot it's located in did not have power for vendors to add lighting. Recently, that problem was fixed and the market can now offer set hours into the early evening so folks can visit after work. The other development was the recent appointment of Catt White (manager of Little Italy and the upcoming Adams Ave markets) to manage and grow the market. Catt has been a key player in San Diego's food scene for a number of years and with her connections and tireless energy, we expect North Park's weekly market to soon become one of the best in town.

We hope you'll be a part of the growth of this market and will visit TasteCheese often!

North Park Farmer's Market
Every Thursday, 3-7pm
Located in rear part of the CVS parking lot @ University Ave & 32nd Street

NPFM Weekly Selection - Thursday April 29, 2010

Humboldt Fog (soft goat from Cypress Grove in Arcata, CA)
Purple Haze (goat w/lavender&fennel pollen also from Cypress)
Pecorino Crotonese (raw ewe's milk cheese from Sardinia)
Morbier (Classic French cheese from raw cow's milk)
Chimay Biere (Beer-washed cheese made by Belgium monks)
Tipperary Cheddar (Tangy cheddar from the Emerald Isle)
Cave-aged Gruyere (Swiss classic made from raw cow's milk)
BeemsterXO (Like butterscotch, this Dutch gouda is a fave!)
Truffle Noire (Tasty Dutch gouda studded with black truffles)
Roaring 40's Blue (Everyone loves this tangy Tasmanian blue!)
Peppadew Peppers (Stuff these w/PurpleHaze - fantastic!)

An Afternoon with Stone Brewing

We were invited to participate in a pair of classes up at Stone Brewing World Bistro this past Sunday and it was a great time.

Our friend Marnie Clarke (who is planning to open her own cheese shop up in LA County later this year) joined us for the classes and also added a great dimension of her own. She recently spent time making cheese at Winchester Cheese Co. up near Temecula and also hails from an extensive line of dairy folk – her grandfather founded Alta Dena Dairy – so her insights on the process of making of cheese were a great addition.

Stone’s Education Director Ken Foster and our favorite cheese monger George Palmer were miked up and gave introductions to each of the six tasty flights. The groups were raucous and made for a grand time. The first class was joined by the ‘Arrogant Bastard’ himself, Stone founder Greg Koch, who had some nice words to share and took a few snaps he then tweeted to his massive group of Twitter followers. Always spreading the love!

With the beautiful backdrop of Stone’s lush gardens, the setting was almost as perfect as the menu! Here’s what you missed…

1) Stone Sawyer’s Triple paired with Winchester Cumin Gouda
2) Stone Pale Ale paired with Bellwether Carmody
3) Stone IPA paired with Piave Vecchio
4) Stone Smoked Porter paired with Pecorino Nocino
5) Arrogant Bastard Ale paired with Purple Haze Stuffed Peppadew
6) Stone Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale paired with Noord Hollander

Malheur & Cheese Tasting with O'Brien's Pub

We are thrilled to join our friends from O'Brien's Pub for a very exclusive event featuring a lineup of incredible beers from Belgium's Malheur Brewery. If you've attended a few of our beer and cheese classes with O'Brien's, then chances are, you've sampled at least one of these rare, bottle-conditioned brews. As it happens. O'Brien's is the #1 Malheur account in the western US and as such owner Tom Nickel has been able to pull together an unprecedented lineup of 5 distinct Malheur brews for this event including the rare Malheur 6, as well as the 10, 12, and the champagne-style Brut, and Dark Brut. The brews will be paired with an equally exceptional menu of fine artisan cheeses from Taste. Add the lively and informative discussion lead by Tom and Taste cheese monger George Palmer and you have an incredible evening in store. Don't miss out - we expect this to sell out quickly! Sign up at either O'Brien's or Taste.

Malheur & Cheese Tasting $40
Sunday, July 19th, 6:30pm
***Second Class Just Added!***
Sunday, July 26th, 6:30pm
O'Brien's Pub
4646 Convoy Road, San Diego

Spirits & Cheese Pairing at Wine Vault & Bistro 5/6

A while back we got together with our friends Chris and Mary Gluck, proprietors of one of San Diego's finest wine-centric eateries - Wine Vault & Bistro to plan our first foray into pairing cheese with spirits (as in hard alcohol). We had discussed it over dinner a few months earlier and in our wine enhanced moods, we thought it would be a great idea. As we gathered to actually plan the menu though, we had begun questioning whether we'd be able to create enough interesting pairings to make an event out of it.

As it turns out, we were all surprised at how easy it turned out to be! In just under an hour we came up with more pairings than we needed. After a bit of discussion and debate, we ultimately narrowed the menu down to these 6 pairings...

1) Grey Goose Vodka & Arina Goat Gouda
Crisp, clean vodka pairs really well with the mild creaminess of the cheese

2) Corazon Blanco Tequila & Idiazabal (Smoky Spanish cheese from sheep's milk)
The tequila's earthiness is a perfect match with the cheese's rich, slightly smoky flavors

3) Sarticious Gin & Peppadew stuffed with Purple Haze Chevre
This was everyone's favorite pairing! The sweet/spicy peppers and the chevre's infusion of lavender and fennel pollen are an off-the-charts pairing with this exceptional gin

4) Knob Creek Bourbon & Winchester Cumin Gouda
The Gouda is studded with whole cumin seeds and the fruity, spicy flavors are perfect with the bourbon's caramel notes

5) Laphroig 10yr Scotch & Beecher's Flagship Reserve Cheddar
This rich, earthy cheddar from Seattle and the smoky, malty aged scotch are made for each other

6) Hardy Cognac & Beemster XO (xtra old Gouda)
The nutty, sweet butterscotch flavors of the Gouda and the deep flavors of the cognac make for a huge pairing that we all felt was the perfect way to close out the menu.

The event is coming up next Tuesday May 6th at Wine Vault & Bistro. The pairing is only $20! If you want to eat some great grub before diving into the pairing, they're offering a char-grilled skirt steak dinner for just $12. No wonder we love the Vault!

Hope to see you there! Reservations are suggested and you can make them by calling (619) 295-3939

New Cheese Classes @Taste!

Cheese classes at Taste are a lot of fun - hopefully as much fun for the students as they are for us! We've met some great new folks at our recent classes and look forward to seeing them - and you - at an upcoming class or two. And we've even given a bit of incentive to get folks to enroll before the end of April. Sign up for either the May 12th or June 3rd classes before April 30th and save $5 off the enrollment fee. Enjoy a great evening of cheese and wine for just $40!

In addition to the great lineup of classes listed below, we've been invited to participate in a Spirits & Cheese pairing on May 6th at Wine Vault & Bistro and to join our friends up at Stone World Bistro & Gardens in a pair of Beer & Cheese classes on June 14th. Check their respective websites for details and enrollment information and be sure to let them know we sent you!

And without further ado, here's the schedule for Taste classes over the next couple months:

Springtime Beer & Cheese
w/O’Brien’s Pub

**3rd Class Just Added!**

Sunday, May 3rd, 6:30pm

@ O’Brien’s Pub

$40

Once again we have sold out of the two scheduled sessions of our biannual Beer & Cheese classes with our friends Tom and Lindsey Nickel from O’Brien’s Pub in Kearny Mesa. And by popular demand, we have added a 3rd and final class to be held at O’Brien’s on Sunday, May 3rd. If you thought you missed out, think again! But not for too long – this class is also filling fast. To enroll, stop by Taste or O’Brien’s or call us at (619) 683-2306. If you miss out this time, you’ll have to wait until fall!

Wines for the Blues**

Tuesday, May 12th, 6:30pm

$45 (**$40 if you enroll by 4/30)

At Taste, we love the blues. From sweet Gorgonzola Dolce, to fruity Cashel Blue, to decadent Roquefort Carles - if it's blue, we're a fan. And likewise, we love wines. Pretty much any style has a place at our table. And so we decided to pull together a class that marries 2 of our favorite things...hence 'Wines for the Blues'. From sparkling wines to lush whites to fruity reds and luscious ports, we'll introduce you to some incredible blues to pair with your favorite wines. We'll give 'singing the blues' a whole new definition!

Whites & Knights**

w/Rey Knight of Knight Salumi Co.

Wednesday, June 3rd, 6:30pm

$45 (**$40 if you enroll by 4/30)

We've been loving the incredible meats from San Diego's Knight Salumi Co., and by all accounts, so have our customers - it's been tough to keep stocked up! So we've invited the producer himself - Rey Knight - to join us for a fun class where we'll match his salumi with tasty white wines and artisan cheeses. This class is definitely non-vegetarian! Meat eaters rejoice...and plan to join us for a tasty tour of San Diego's finest salumi!

DIY Taste Cheese & Wine Class!

Call Taste to schedule a date!

From $45 per person (Minimum 6 guests / Maximum 10 guests)

What's that you say? Missed out on one of our great Cheese101@ Taste classes? Well then, let us help you create an event just for you and a few friends! DIY Taste Cheese & Wine Classes are custom events we create with you. Just pull together a group of 6-10 people, pick a theme (or call for suggestions), and schedule a date. Your group will have a private, in-shop event, hosted by Taste cheese mongers George and Mary Palmer. Prices start at just $45 per person for cheese and wine classes! Call or email Taste for more information.

Preview of "The History of IPA" Class 3/24

Cheese Selection & 2 of the Featured Beers

Next week we're excited about hosting our first event with Scot Blair of San Diego beer mecca Hamilton's Tavern, and Chuck Silva, award-winning brewer from Green Flash Brewing Co. The class is called "The History of IPA" and I think you'll see from the pairings we have planned, it's a pretty extensive history and an ambitious menu.

Last Thursday we met with Scot and Hamilton's general manager Dennis Borlek to set the menu. And believe me, it was no small task given the intense flavors of the beers!

Some of the beers we considered

After tasting and debating pairings for a couple hours, we were all quite pleased with the 8 (yes, that is a lot!) pairings we selected for the class:

Flight One - English Pale Ale
Bass Pale Ale w/Cave-aged Gruyere
St. Peter’s Organic Ale w/4-mo Mahon

Flight Two - English India Pale Ale
Bellhaven Twisted Thistle w/Valdeon Blue
Meantime IPA w/Old Quebec 4yr Vintage Cheddar

Flight Three - American India Pale Ale
Anchor Liberty Ale w/Reblechon
Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale w/Fiscalini 18-mo Cheddar

Flight Four - A New Generation
Green Flash West Coast IPA w/Purple Haze Stuffed Peppadew
Green Flash Imperial IPA w/Winchester Cumin Gouda

There are still a few seats left for this class, but it will fill up. If you're interested in attending, don't delay, call the shop (619-683-2306) today!

Taste Presents...
"The History of IPA"
w/Hamilton's Tavern & Green Flash Brewing Co.
Tuesday March 24th 6:30pm
@ Taste Artisan Cheese & Gourmet Shop
$40

We hope to see you there!

Mary's new favorite cheese

Almost daily, I'm asked by a customer or two what my favorite cheese is. I generally say something flip like 'what does it matter what I like - it's you we need to please!'.

When pressed for an answer, my favorite - I mean ABSOLUTE favorite, is really ripe camembert. Generally, I would say that meaning French camembert, I mean, is there really any other kind? As it turns out, yes there is. We just discovered it last week and it's from a surprising locale - Tasmania, to be exact.

Tasmanian Heritage Camembert. It's won international awards over the past few years and is just now becoming available. It's insane. In fact, I'm gonna go out on a limb and say it's the best darn camembert I've tried.

So, I guess my new favorite cheese is not just ripe camembert, it's ripe Tasmanian camembert. Wonders never cease.

New Cheese Classes on the Calendar

We've just announced some great new cheese classes...check them out! Pre-enrollment is required and we've already had a good response so sign up soon if you're interested. Send us an email (Manager@tastecheese.com), call the shop (619.683.2306) or stop in soon.

CHEESE101@ TASTE PRESENTS…
The Wild, Wild West – Wines & Cheeses from California, Oregon & Washington
Wednesday, March 11th, 6:30pm@ Taste$45
We’re excited to present our first exploration of the excellent wines and cheeses from the states of California, Oregon and Washington – aka The Wild, Wild West! Join us as we take a 90-minute tour of our favorite wines and cheeses from this fertile region. We’ll sample a variety of wines, and discover the variations – some subtle, some not so subtle – in wines, some stylistic, some terroir-based. We’ll pair the wines with incredible cheeses from small, independent producers from each of the three states.

TASTE PRESENTS...
The History of IPA with Hamilton's Tavern & Green Flash Brewing
Tuesday, March 24th 6:30pm@ Taste$40
Join us as we welcome two of San Diego's beer icons and explore the history of the beer style that put San Diego on the beer map - IPA (India Pale Ale). We're excited to welcome Scot Blair, proprietor of beer mecca Hamilton's Tavern and Chuck Silva, award-winning brewer from Green Flash Brewing. They'll be joined by our favorite cheese monger George Palmer as they take us through a guided tour of IPA's then and now, paired with some of our favorite artisan cheeses. This class is offered for one night only - space is very limited.

CHEESE101@ TASTE PRESENTS…
Cheese & Wine On a Dime
Wednesday, April 15th, 6:30pm
@ Taste $35
April 15th is Tax Day so we thought it was a good time to explore cheeses and wines that stretch your dollar further. We’ll sample a range of wines from lesser-known regions like Argentina, Chile and others offering excellent wine values. Our favorite cheese monger, George Palmer will dig Taste’s selection of artisan cheeses to create pairings that are as easy on the budget as they are on the palate. And for this special class, we’ve knocked $10 off the enrollment fee…and no taxes required.

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!

Welcome to Shredded Blend!

Welcome to Shredded Blend, an occasional blog from the mongers of Taste Artisan Cheese & Gourmet Shop. At Taste, we make ‘shredded blend’ from a mix of all the small pieces of cheese from miscuts and the end of wheels. Each batch we make is unique and filled with shards of incredible artisan cheeses that together, make for a wonderfully eclectic mix of flavors and textures.

Like the blend, we hope our blog will be an ever-changing mix of tasty tidbits and information that will add to your enjoyment and appreciation of fine artisan cheeses, wines, beers and other delights. We hope you’ll let us know if you like (or dislike) something you read here and welcome suggestions on cheeses or other products you’d like us to explore in these pages. Thanks for reading!