Wisconsin cheese, please, Grommit.

Last summer I had the pleasure of bringing home a big batch o'cheese from various Wisconsin sites. I stopped by the Madison farmers' market for some top-shelf cheese from Bleu Mont and enjoyed it greatly. But I enjoyed some of the value cheese I got from Decatur Dairy* and the UW Babcock Hall cheese store almost as much. I especially liked a cheese from Decatur called the "Ukrainian", a cheese that tasted like a softer and much funkier muenster. Faves from Babcock Hall were the smoked cheddar [PERFECT balance between smoke and cheddar flavors], an amazingly flavorful brick, and a very melty colby. Both places will ship, but it's kinda expensive.

So this is my quest: How do I get my hands on the products of good-quality small cheese makers without going deep behind the Cheddar Curtain, like to the factory store? I'm looking for cheese that has good flavor for its kind, makes good sandwiches, melts well over a burger or in a grilled cheese sandwich. Good jack cheese, cheddar, colby, muenster or brick? Not the ivory or orange waxy blocks of dairy product that I all too often end up with when I try to buy a reasonably-priced block of these cheeses.

Woodman's has a ridiculously large cheese section in Kenosha, but I've had very mixed results bringing random chunks of cheese home. Does Caputo Cheese Castle in Melrose Park have good examples of this kind of cheese? What I'm asking for your opinion on is good-tasting brands of Wisconsin cheese and where can I buy them somewhere in or in-between Chicago and Milwaukee. And without having to eat my way thru a lot of mediocre cheese.

Yours in curds,

Giovanna


*I'm waiting to get a response from an email to Decatur Dairy asking if they sell their cheese anywhere remotely close.

Giovanna wrote:

wg_cheese.jpg

*I'm waiting to get a response from an email to Decatur Dairy asking if they sell their cheese anywhere remotely close.

That's pretty much it. You're not likely to find a single location with a broad selection of local cheese, but contacting the dairies is a good start. Pastoral and Whole Foods may have some of the higher-end cheeses, but a deep selection.

Giovanna wrote:What I'm asking for your opinion on is good-tasting brands of Wisconsin cheese and where can I buy them somewhere in or in-between Chicago and Milwaukee.

Though it's not really detailed at their website, Larry's Market has a really great selection of artisanal, Wisconsin-made cheeses (or at least they did about a year ago when I was there).

=R=

8737 N Deerwood Dr
Milwaukee, WI 53209
(414) 355-9650

Are you familiar with Carr Valley Cheese? I've enjoyed their bleu cheeses and their blended goat and sheep milk cheeses. We usually stop to pick some up in Mauston, WI. I have seen some of their cheeses in Mariano's.

Made my first visit last week to Caputo's Cheese Market in Melrose Park, and came away with the strong impression that if they don't have it -- it doesn't exist. I was specifically after some Bleu Affinee, an aged, buttermilk Wisconsin blue which compares very well to Maytag at less than half the price.

After I picked several pounds of that, I decided to browse their whole selection of cheeses, which took about forty minutes. They have a lot of cheeses. I slipped into impullse mode, and wound up with 75 bucks worth of cheese! All in the smallest available packages. Not that they're expensive; I could barely lift my selections. It was my worst blowout since my last visit to Randy Ream's showroom.

Call to confirm they've got what you want, clear out space in the fridge, take a big cooler, and plan to spend the afternoon. Or, grab what you want and run like hell! You'll save money that way, but won't have nearly as much fun.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/caputo-cheese-m ... lrose-park

Caputo Cheese Market in Lake Forest is the other retail outlet for Wiscon Corporation, a cheese importer and wholesaler. Some fresh prepared foods are available to eat in or on their pretty patio in nice weather.
Excellent and broad selection but I have never been to the Melrose Park store so I cannot comment on whether it is a varied as the as parent corporation location.

Caputo Cheese Market
231 E Wisconsin Ave.
Lake Forest IL 60045
Phone: 849-482-1800

Funny, I clicked on the above link to Caputo's Yelp page and the first thing I saw was a picture of Carr Valley's Creama Kasa.

Carr Valley makes some good cheeses and I know they've received plenty of accolades but I prefer to buy product from farmstead producers (those who only use milk from their own animals and do not buy from outside sources), like Uplands, Love Tree Farmstead, Crave Brothers, Sassy Nanny, Holland's Family, Nordic Creamery, etc.

Also, a couple other local places to buy well-curated and cared for WI-made cheese are Marion Street Cheese Market and Pastoral (3 locations).

=R=

Pastoral (Lincoln Park)
2945 N Broadway St
Chicago, IL
(773) 472-4781

Pastoral (Loop)
53 E Lake St
Chicago, IL
(312) 658-1250

Pastoral (French Market)
131 N Clinton St
Chicago, IL
(312) 454-2200

Marion Street Cheese Market
100 S Marion St
Oak Park, IL 60302
(708) 725-7200

Add Prairie Fruit Farms in Champaign to the list as well--great stuff!

Paulina Market has a nice selection. I'm especially fond of the Hook's 12 year cheddar. I can't tolerate many cheeses (lactose intolerance), but apparently I can handle the good stuff. I'm no food scientist, but my guess is that the lactose is long gone after 12 years.

Paulina Market
ww.paulinameatmarket.com/‎
3501 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago, IL 60657
(773) 248-627

And add Standard Market in Westmont*, which probably has, in my observations, the largest selection of high quality WI cheeses.

Still, the great thing about WI cheeses is that there are so many great ones, that you don't really need to try that hard to find. I mean not to diminish the idea of farmstead cheese, but there's plenty of very good stuff, even at the commercial level. For instance, some of Bel Gioso's stuff holds up, and Sartori and Stravecchio are even better. Likewise, the purchase of Roth Kase by Swiss giant, Emmi, has not done much to lower the quality (I think). So, start at Jewel.

Then, Whole Foods, Eataly, mixed in to their selections, are many of the cheeses cited above too. For instance, I saw a few from Saxon @ Eataly a few weeks ago.

Finally, there's the farmer's markets. Joe Burns and Brunkow make some outstanding cheeses. Look him up for sure.

Believe me, this is an easy quest.

*No opinion on Standard in the city.

kaminokidori wrote:Paulina Market has a nice selection. I'm especially fond of the Hook's 12 year cheddar. I can't tolerate many cheeses (lactose intolerance), but apparently I can handle the good stuff. I'm no food scientist, but my guess is that the lactose is long gone after 12 years.

Paulina Market
ww.paulinameatmarket.com/‎
3501 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago, IL 60657
(773) 248-627

Many firm, aged cheeses contain no lactose: parmigiano reggiano is the prime example, look for aged goudas...what does your twelve year cheddar look like? Good cheddars fracture, certainly, but they crumble beyond a certain point; I remember a visit to -tourist trap- Mars Cheese Castle and sampling their super-aged cheddars which (and I prefer a sharp cheddar) were so sharp that all they did was fizz in the throat, almost like a szechuan peppercorn.

As you noted in your original post, farmers markets are great sources. The Green City Market currently lists six cheesemakers on their website: http://www.greencitymarket.org/farmers/ ... asp?type=2

Vital Information wrote:... Still, the great thing about WI cheeses is that there are so many great ones, that you don't really need to try that hard to find. I mean not to diminish the idea of farmstead cheese, but there's plenty of very good stuff, even at the commercial level. For instance, some of Bel Gioso's stuff holds up, and Sartori and Stravecchio are even better. Likewise, the purchase of Roth Kase by Swiss giant, Emmi, has not done much to lower the quality (I think). So, start at Jewel.

It's not only kind of fun to read the results of the U.S. and World Cheese Competitions (which I'm proud to say my employer helped sponsor this year), but it's a useful tool for learning the names of cheesemakers whose products are generally safe bets. By the way Emmi Roth won at least one gold medal last month, for their wonderful Gran Queso.

Regarding Woodman's -- it can be a good place to get some of the good stuff for a nice price if you pay attention to the names on the labels but to my tastes the J&S-branded 'cut and wrap' product that they sell is ... not good.

Here in Milwaukee the Balistrieri's Sendik's stores do their own cut & wrap, and in my experience they choose the product with care and it's tasty stuff that fits the bill quite nicely for OP's request for "Good jack cheese, cheddar, colby, muenster or brick". And their mozz is actual pasta filata mozz that pulls apart in strings like God intended, something that isn't guaranteed anymore with low-cost mozzarellas since they figured out how to make mozzarella the same way they make cheddar.

But, yeah, Sendik's is all the way up here.

World Cheese Championship Results 2014
U.S. Cheese Championship Results 2013

Christopher Gordon wrote:

kaminokidori wrote:Paulina Market has a nice selection. I'm especially fond of the Hook's 12 year cheddar. I can't tolerate many cheeses (lactose intolerance), but apparently I can handle the good stuff. I'm no food scientist, but my guess is that the lactose is long gone after 12 years.

Paulina Market
ww.paulinameatmarket.com/‎
3501 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago, IL 60657
(773) 248-627

Many firm, aged cheeses contain no lactose: parmigiano reggiano is the prime example, look for aged goudas...what does your twelve year cheddar look like? Good cheddars fracture, certainly, but they crumble beyond a certain point; I remember a visit to -tourist trap- Mars Cheese Castle and sampling their super-aged cheddars which (and I prefer a sharp cheddar) were so sharp that all they did was fizz in the throat, almost like a szechuan peppercorn.

Thanks, Christopher! I have found that I can also do parmigiano--I'll have to try aged gouda. As for the Hook's--it's still sliceable, but it breaks (or flakes) into cube-like chunks. The calcium has calcified (or something has) and it seems to have added some crispy bits. They also do a 15 and a 10 (as well as other less aged cheddars and other cheeses--the blue is wonderful). I haven't done a side by side comparison of the old guys lately, so I'm not sure which I prefer. Maybe the 10.

http://www.hookscheese.com/

You are welcome. My favorite cheddar(though I am unsure of the lactose content) is the bandage-wrapped Isle of Mull available thru Neal's Yard. It has that medicinal quality I learned to appreciate in many aged cheddars before they(imo) go a bit too far. An acquaintance of mine(since-departed) was a cheese specialist with a Chicago WF. He once procured a tower of artisanal British Isle cheddars much to the chagrin of mgmt. That's where I first tried Isle of Mull and initiated an interest in complex, curated cheddars. Another favorite is Beecher's Flagship Reserve...alas, as it is rubbed with butter in the process, it is beyond your requirements.

kaminokidori wrote:

Christopher Gordon wrote:

kaminokidori wrote:Paulina Market has a nice selection. I'm especially fond of the Hook's 12 year cheddar. I can't tolerate many cheeses (lactose intolerance), but apparently I can handle the good stuff. I'm no food scientist, but my guess is that the lactose is long gone after 12 years.

Paulina Market
ww.paulinameatmarket.com/‎
3501 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago, IL 60657
(773) 248-627

Many firm, aged cheeses contain no lactose: parmigiano reggiano is the prime example, look for aged goudas...what does your twelve year cheddar look like? Good cheddars fracture, certainly, but they crumble beyond a certain point; I remember a visit to -tourist trap- Mars Cheese Castle and sampling their super-aged cheddars which (and I prefer a sharp cheddar) were so sharp that all they did was fizz in the throat, almost like a szechuan peppercorn.

Thanks, Christopher! I have found that I can also do parmigiano--I'll have to try aged gouda. As for the Hook's--it's still sliceable, but it breaks (or flakes) into cube-like chunks. The calcium has calcified (or something has) and it seems to have added some crispy bits. They also do a 15 and a 10 (as well as other less aged cheddars and other cheeses--the blue is wonderful). I haven't done a side by side comparison of the old guys lately, so I'm not sure which I prefer. Maybe the 10.

http://www.hookscheese.com/

the crispy bits are lactate crystallization...umami pop rocks, if you will...natural MSG like mother's milk or tomatoes

The world cheese results are fascinating. Has the US (or North America - lots of Quebec stuff, too) cornered the competition for serious cheese, similar to beer? I'd wonder if the lack of French and Italian products makes the competition suspect, but France did well in the butter categories, while the Alpine countries, New Zealand, Ireland, and Denmark all have solid marks here and there. Lots of competition from far flung places, it would seem. Feeling pretty good about the local beer and cheese situation with the products coming from WI, MI, IN and to a lesser extent, IL. Of course, OR, VT, Upstate NY and Northern CA aren't too shabby in the beer/cheese department, either. Experience would seem to support the various experts' opinions on these things.

Yes, I too was pleased to see how well Québec cheeses fared in the results. This emergence of world-class local cheeses in the Province is a recent thing. We've lived in Montréal for a little over eight years now, and when we first got here, local cheese wasn't available anywhere but at the cheesery's store. Now even the large supermarkets are bragging about Québec cheeses and offering a selection. Costco now carries a nice selection, too.

Most fun are the various cheese festivals, where a whole touristic region (Québec has twenty-two designated tourist regions) will sponsor a regional food fest, including cidre, wine, produce, livestock, and, of course, cheese, if it's made in the region.

Geo