Really good, fresh cheese?

Are there places where one can purchase cheese that's fresher, richer, and just better than what's readily available at most stores?

Caputo Cheese Market.

I love the cheese selections from http://thecheesepeople.com/. They sell cheeses at farmers markets around Chicagoland from May-Oct, and then sell online from Nov-April and will ship to you door during the Nov-April timeframe.

Recommendations: Midnight moon (which is a goat's milk gouda) and the pistachio log (soft cheddar combined with bleu and rolled in nuts). Many of the cheeses are made in Wisconsin.

nsxtasy wrote:Caputo Cheese Market.

Count me as a fan of Caputo's. If their cheese prices [insert banned word here], their wine prices even better, and their fresh mozz some of the best, I would not call it a place to get what is not available at most stores.

I mean how 'bout going to the Dane County Farmer's Market. Think you can find that Fantome Farm 2 day old goat cheese elsewhere? Or the selection of BleuMont Dairy? I mean find me a better cheddar than Willie's?

I know that the Wisconsin Cheese Market at the new French Market/Metra market has not drawn much other raves, but I also do not know much better cheeses than their Capri St. Pauline or Holland Family Farms Marienke Gouda.

.
I'd add Great American Cheese Collection to the list.

I think that most cheeses at Pastoral are quite fresh. And during the holiday season you can also find some very decent ones at Binny's on Clark.

Marion Street Cheese Market in Oak Park.

The Regionrat wrote:Are there places where one can purchase cheese that's fresher, richer, and just better than what's readily available at most stores?

When you say most stores, which stores are you looking at and not finding what you want?

I assume the reference is to Jewemicik's.

nr706 wrote:I assume the reference is to Jewemicik's.

If that's the case, there are plenty of options to improve upon it. A lot have already been mentioned. Whole Foods has a very good cheese section, esp the Peterson location.

I, too am confused by the original post. Aside from cheese that is freshly-made and meant for immediate consumption, I'm not sure that "fresh" makes sense in the cheese context. Perhaps he means a place with a high volume or turnover, but in the context of fine aged cheeses, for example, "fresh" is an odd adjective.

spinynorman99 wrote:I, too am confused by the original post. Aside from cheese that is freshly-made and meant for immediate consumption, I'm not sure that "fresh" makes sense in the cheese context. Perhaps he means a place with a high volume or turnover, but in the context of fine aged cheeses, for example, "fresh" is an odd adjective.

I think it is fairly obvious that the OP is simply asking where to get better cheese. While "fresh" may refer specifically to the crap in the dairy case at Jewel (which is only "fresh" in the sense that it has not passed the expiration date), the rest of his post makes clear that he is asking for advice about where to buy better cheese. I think if the OP had your cheese vocabulary, he/she wouldn't be asking about a place to shop.

I'm looking for better cheese. The "fresher" reference doesn't make much sense now that I think about it. Thank you for the sugestions.

The Regionrat wrote:The "fresher" reference doesn't make much sense now that I think about it.

Hi,

Have you ever tasted well aged Cabrales or Blue de Bresse? Those types of cheeses need to be fresh.

Tim

Knowing your location, on your profile (so it shows up under your username next to all your posts) or in your query, would help, since you might not want to travel across the entire Chicago area to shop for cheese. If we knew where you were, we could recommend places that are close to you.

Caputo is in near west suburban Melrose Park, with a new location in far north suburban Lake Forest. Pastoral's original store is in Lakeview on Chicago's North Side, with two additional locations in the Loop, including the new French Market in the Northwestern Station. Fox & Obel is just northeast of the Loop in River East.

For example, I'm located just north of the city. When I want cheese and I don't want to go all the way to one of those, my local "go to" places for cheese are Schaefer's in Skokie, and in Evanston to Whole Foods and Foodstuffs, both of which have additional locations elsewhere. All three are decent, but not as impressive as Caputo, Pastoral, or Fox & Obel.

If you don't live near Caputo, Pastoral, or Fox & Obel, there are probably some stores in your area that will do when you don't want to travel to those. Just like in mine.

Darren72 wrote:Whole Foods has a very good cheese section, esp the Peterson location.

I'd agree Whole Foods Cicero/Peterson has a very good selection of cheese, though the main reason to visit that WF location is Matt Parker, one of the more knowledgeable cheese men in the city and former owner of The Cheese Stands Alone

I'd agree Whole Foods Cicero/Peterson has a very good selection of cheese, though the main reason to visit that WF location is Matt Parker, one of the more knowledgeable cheese men in the city and former owner of The Cheese Stands Alone

I go there for the cheese selection and it doesn't hurt that I live close by. It's where I was introduced to the Cabot Clothbound Cheddar from Jasper Hill; my current gold standard for cheese (and only a little less expensive than gold).

spinynorman99 wrote:

I'd agree Whole Foods Cicero/Peterson has a very good selection of cheese, though the main reason to visit that WF location is Matt Parker, one of the more knowledgeable cheese men in the city and former owner of The Cheese Stands Alone

I go there for the cheese selection and it doesn't hurt that I live close by. It's where I was introduced to the Cabot Clothbound Cheddar from Jasper Hill; my current gold standard for cheese (and only a little less expensive than gold).

Just before Christmas, I was in this Whole Foods, and they had the Jasper Hill Cheddar on sale, for some un-godly cheap price, like $22/lb. Such a deal, I had to abandon my locavore dictates.

Of course, if you DO want to go local, for something close, try Brunkow's Avondale Trunkle or best of all, and maybe the best cheese eve-ah , the BleuMont Dairy Bandaged Cheddar I mentioned already in this thread.

On the fresh tangent: fresh chreve and fresh mouton, are at their best when freshest. Look out some time for Prairie Fruit Farms mouton frais to see. And mozzarella makes its best showing pretty much right out of the pot.

nsxtasy wrote:Knowing your location, on your profile (so it shows up under your username next to all your posts) or in your query, would help, since you might not want to travel across the entire Chicago area to shop for cheese. If we knew where you were, we could recommend places that are close to you.

You should know where the OP is from just from his username!

viewtopic.php?p=299373#p299373

Yeah, "Regionrat" tells us a lot.

[quote=quote]http://lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?p=299373#p299373[/quote]
You must have a photographic memory such that you can remember every post that everyone ever made. You sure are lucky!

The point in my post remains true. If you want people to help you with suggestions which are conveniently close to you, the easiest way is to put your location in your profile. Or, you can mention it in every topic you create. Or, you can ask to post a snide remark along with a link to one of your old posts in which you once mentioned where you live.

Actually it does, or at least that's what some people believe. My post wasn't directed at you. I guess you didn't read the adjacent posts in the linked topic.

People made comments about "The Region", which is part of the OP's username. Your snide response to me supports my belief that "The Region" is only known to people in Indiana, a portion of the south suburbs in Illinois, and a small portion of SW Michigan.

Folks,

If one is looking for information it is always a good idea to fill in as many blanks as possible, general location being one.

Enjoy,
Gary