Cheese of the Month, the first of twelve installments

I fantasize that one day I will move to Paris, and be one of those elegant Parisian women who throws sophisticated dinner parties in my impeccably decorated apartment. The morning of my soiree, I would leisurely peruse the local markets, examining the shiny flesh of an eggplant, a marbleized leg of lamb, the little glass jars of honey, choosing only the finest ingredients. On my way home, I would stop by the fromagerie to choose three perfect cheeses to serve my guests. I would spend the afternoon cooking in my small, yet cozy kitchen (which would look something like the above), a glass of wine by my side and some Astrud Gilberto in the background. There might be olives or tapenade. Caviar or foie gras and toast. Dinner would be served on a long wooden table, topped with a white linen tablecloth, a vase of wildflowers, and votive candles in blue glass jars. Conversation would flow, and guests would dine on a nice gigot d'agneau (leg of lamb dressed with garlic, olive oil, salt & pepper, and other herbs), a simple green salad, a basket of warm bread (and more wine, of course). Before dessert (an almond tart), I would serve the cheeses I had picked out earlier that day. Everyone would be having such a wonderful time that no one would want to go home, but I would finally kick them out so that I could settle into a a nice hot bubble bath. (In my fantasy, someone else does the dishes!)

As I mentioned in a recent post, Jason gave me a membership to the Artisanal Cheese of the Month Club for Christmas, and my first package arrived today. Opening the box, I was struck by a feeling of well-being, the three beautiful cheeses within evoking promises of dinner parties to come and good times to be had. The bounty? A buttery Hudson Valley Camembert, The Fog Light Goat's Milk cheese (similar to the widely-adored Humboldt Fog), and a strong, tangy Petite Munster. I sampled a bite of each tonight, a sort of apres-diner indulgence, and a taste of the wonderful times (and cheese deliveries!) to come in 2009.

Thank you, Jason. You are totally invited to my next dinner party.

Photo is from Laissez Faire Design blog, which has got lots of lovely pictures and other fun things to look at.

A tale of two cheese shops

So enamored am I with the decidedly delightful addition to the Penn Quarter neighborhood, Cowgirl Creamery, that I've had to actually restrain myself from blogging about it. The reason for my self-imposed delay? I decided that the only responsible thing to do would be to scope out Alexandria's Cheesetique in the Del Ray neighborhood for a bit of comparative due diligence. Well, as I suspected, both of the artisan cheese shops are veritable gourmet playgrounds, and I am now pretty equally enamored with both. Below are some vital stats.

Cowgirl Creamery
Open Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Location: Easily accessible via Metro Center or Gallery Place/Chinatown Metro stops
Selection: Cowgirl Creamery boasts the more extensive selection of the two shops. You can find everything from Nubian goat Alleghany Chevre, to the creamy sheep's milk Cave Aged Marisa, to cow's milk Marin French Triple Creme (as decadent as it sounds). Also, if you're looking for a particular cheese, their website offers a search function, allowing you to input milk type, treatment, etc. Cowgirl beats out Cheesetique if you're looking for a rare or very specific type of cheese.
Staff: Cowgirl Creamery was the better staffed of the two shops, with a whole host of friendly cheese enthusiasts ready to assist us with any questions or requests for samples. The staff at Cowgirl appeared truly passionate about the cheeses. When we asked one staff member about good fondue cheeses, she helpfully pointed us toward their pre-assembled fondue kits, and she made suggestions about what kind of wine would work well in the fondue.

Cheesetique
Open daily from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Location: Cheesetique is not quite as accessible as Cowgirl Creamery, but it's easily reachable by car.
Selection: Cheesetique has a perfectly respectable selection of artisan cheeses, including the ever-wondrous Humboldt Fog (pictured above). It's not quite as extensive as Cowgirl's selection, however. On the other hand, Cheesetique offers a broader array of complimentary non-cheese items, most notably a nice wine selection, as well as imported beer, gourmet salts, artisan honey, jams, crackers, cookies, and even serving dishes.
Staff: The salesperson who was working at Cheesetique was perfectly nice and helpful, although I noticed with amusement that she seemed a bit taken aback at the amount of cheese and cured meat we ordered. "Are you having a party?" I believe were her exact words. Um, no, we weren't having a party. We were, however, gathering ingredients to make this inarguably festive sandwich.

Depending on what kind of cheese shop experience you're looking for, both Cowgirl Creamery and Cheesetique offer much to recommend. Thankfully, there seems to be ample room in this town - and on my plate - for the both of 'em.

Photo of Humboldt Fog cheese by Flickr user Cheezemaster.

Hot food for a cold day

Oenophile that I am, I've been super excited to check out DC's newest addition to the wine bar craze, Cork, and had made plans to go after work yesterday. Few things can compete with my mildly obsessive interest in chronicling the best this city has to offer in the way of wine flights, cheese selections, and charcuterie. (See previous post on Dupont's Veritas). As if I needed further incentive, Cork's menu boasts a pretty decent selection of entrees (or what they call "hot plates"), and dishes like Red-Wine Braised Lamb with pomegranate, radicchio, and spinach beckon.

But yesterday, it was cold. And windy. And to be completely honest, I just didn't feel like trekking across town for my dinner, delicious as it might've been. So, although few things can compete with wine and cheese, fabulous Indian food is most definitely one of those things, specifically the elegant fare turned out by Heritage India in Dupont Circle.

So we turned our wind-burned cheeks to the north and braved the nasty weather for the couple blocks between my office and the restaurant, the promise of warm naan and spicy curries sustaining us through the chill.

Once inside Heritage's uniquely decorated dining room (think soothing peach tones, low lighting, and a giant bronze Buddha statue), we settled into a table for two and ordered drinks (a SoCo Sour for Jason, and a Maharani cocktail for me - made of peach schnapps, orange juice, Grey Goose, and white sparkling wine.) With the drinks warming our cheeks, we turned to the menu, which is a rather intriguing mix of contemporary Indian tapas-style dishes (like grilled Tandoori mozzarella, tomato, and basil), and more traditional offerings like kabobs and curries.

We started with an order of pleasantly salty Garlic Naan, and from there, I ordered the Chicken Tikka Masala, and Jason went with the Lamb Vindaloo. The chicken was unbelievably tender, accented by the tang of the creamy and spicy masala sauce. And lo and behold, Jason's Vindaloo was sufficiently fiery, which is a victory in and of itself. I can also vouch for the Tandoori Chicken, marinated in a savory tomato-yoghurt sauce, which I enjoyed during a previous visit to the restaurant.

Our server (who was attentive without being overbearing, by the way) brought us dessert menus, but there simply wasn't room. It was that good.

Good to know: Heritage India is located at 1337 Connecticut Ave, almost directly across from the South entrance of the Dupont Circle Metro on the Red Line.

Photo of Heritage India's Saag Paneer by Flickr user Il Primo Uomo.

A Veritable Wine Bar

Really, is there anything better than wine and cheese? Well, actually there may be. Try three wines paired with sumptuous cheeses and some well-chosen charcuterie, served in a cozy, dimly-lit bar with the casual strains of Jimmy Buffett and Van Morrison playing in the background. Thus is the winning formula at Dupont's new wine bar, Veritas, where Jason and I found ourselves warming up after our Saturday expedition.

Having found Veritas intimate (read: tiny) space completely packed the previous evening by 8 p.m., we decided to try again on Saturday at 5 p.m. Sure enough, we snagged a seat with ease on Saturday but by the time we left at 6:30, it was already filling up, so eager vinos should be prepared to come early or wait for a table. Indeed, Veritas' exposed brick setting measures only 800 square feet, but, rest assured, some very good things come in this small package.

Veritas serves wines by the glass or bottle, but perhaps the best way to sample a few varietals is to order one of the flights - three half-glasses grouped together by theme or region. With playful monikers like "Allied Powers," (a trio of red blends, two from France, and one Californian), Veritas doesn't take itself too seriously, in spite of its sophisticated premise.

I started with the "Three Blancs" flight, a smart trio of whites, including a Chenin Blanc from Washington state, a Pinot Blanc of Alsatian provenance, and a Californian Sauvignon Blanc, each one smoother than the last. Jason, meanwhile, ordered the "Underrated" flight, composed of three earthy reds, all Californian, including one Merlot, and two Cabernet Sauvignon varietals.

The wines were wonderful. But what's wine without some cheese? we asked ourselves. Thankfully, Veritas offers non-wine samplings as well. Our cheese flight consisted of a smooth-as-butter Brillat-Savarin, a creamy Humboldt Fog goat cheese, and a semi-hard Manchego-like Spanish Idiazabel. I think I died and went to heaven, and that was before the charcuterie, which consisted of a chicken pate, spiked with champagne and a spicy Italian salumi. The cheese and charcuterie come with crusty sourdough bread, as well as marinated olives, pickled gherkins, and rasberry jam. Now that's what I call a snack.

Good to know:
Veritas is located at 2031 Florida Avenue, a short walk from the Dupont North Metro stop. After exiting the Metro on the North side, walk up Connecticut Ave. Veritas is located on the left side of Connecticut Ave. at Florida Ave.

Wine flights will run you betwen $14-$23 for three half glasses. You can order three cheeses or two charcuterie selections of your choice for $11.

Atmosphere is casual chic.

Image taken from Veritas' website.