France 44 Cheese and Saint Paul Cheese Shop

If I had wanted clouds all the time I would have moved to....

noreply@blogger.com (Benjamin, France 44) — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 14:48:00 +0000

These gray days are bringing me down. Though down is an okay place to be when you have cheese. Last week we featured the cheese of the British Isles and we've decided to continue featuring them until the sun comes out. They are for sure great gloomy weather cheeses. Nothing light and airy about these guys.

The big winner this past week has been the Lincolnshire Poacher. What a cheese! Big fruit flavors, mostly pineapple and a little bit of pear. Just tangy enough to tickle the tip of your tongue. Chewy, savory and delicious.

But don't forget about Poacher's cousin from Wales, Hafod. Made from the same basic recipe but with incredibly different results. More grassy than fruity, it has a long finish that compels you to eat more.

If straight up cheddar is your thing we have the Keen's open right now for your snacking pleasure. It's tart and zippy and gives away maybe just a tiny tiny bit of sweetness. I love this cheese and I am not afraid to say it.

Of course there are the English blues Stilton and its cousin Stichelton--the raw (gasp!) milk version. Nothing not to like about either one of these guys. I'm not going to bother with descriptions, they're just delicious.

Oh, and Wensleydale! Yogurty, buttermilky, and fluffy. Refined and not as bold as its countrymencheese, but oh so satisfying.

So lucky you that it is still cloudy. Come try 'em all and save 15%. There might not be sun until next week...

surprise?!

noreply@blogger.com (Benjamin, France 44) — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 23:14:00 +0000

We make a lot of sandwiches. I just needed to type that and come to terms with it. We sell a lot of cheese but we also make a lot of sandwiches. At applewood in Brooklyn the menu changed just about every other day. It was a lot of fun to try new things and also a challenge to keep up with the changes.

I wish we could change the sandwich menu as frequently here but for logistical reasons it would be a total nightmare. Too many employees making sandwiches, and really after all we're a cheese shop. So we have rotating specials on our sandwich menu which helps satisfy my need to make something new.

Yet that wasn't quite enough. I dug deep into my brain to a great meal I had at a little restaurant in Cambridge, Massachusetts called Craigie Street Bistro (now Craigie on Main). Tuesday through Thursdat after 9pm you could go and have a tasting menu at a reduced price, but the catch was that they wouldn't tell you what you were going to eat. It was, well, you know, a surprise.

And so we decided it would be fun to have a surprise sandwich. Something that could change from day to day and even customer to customer. We'd charge only $7 to entice people to take a chance and if it wasn't their favorite sandwich ever they wouldn't feel entirely disappointed. We try very hard to make it different than our other sandwiches--different combos than we might normally try out.

Thus far the response has been great. Apparently people like surprises. Some folks try and ask what's on it but our response is always the same: "It's a surprise". It's hilarious to watch people hem and haw over taking the leap or not. I totally understand because a bad sandwich can really ruin your day.

Both shops are making surprises and each shop has its own idea of what is delicious. Feedback on your surprise is always appreciated.

Vermont Butter and Cheese Cremont

noreply@blogger.com (Benjamin, France 44) — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 21:57:00 +0000

Some of you might remember the rapper from the 90's Dr. Ocatagon (some of his other monikers were Kool Keith and Dr. Doom) formerly of the Ultramagnetic Mc's. One of his more well known songs in which he raps about a mythical beast that is half shark, half alligator, and half man. Of course the math doesn't really add up, but the point is that a 3 parted beast is pretty darn cool.

Mixed milk cheese always seem to remind me of that song (or vice versa) as they often have that mysterious frankenstein feel to them. I'm probably not making my point particularly clear, but the idea is that mixed milk cheeses are yummy.

Enter the Vermont Butter & Cheese Cremont. Cremont combines creamy+vermont to convey the double creaminess of this cheese. This cheese is part cow/part cow cream/part goat. I love the description from the VBC website so here you go:

Cremont is a mixed-milk cheese combining local fresh cows’ milk, goats’ milk and a hint of Vermont cream. This cheese is a celebration of Vermont Butter & Cheese Creamery’s terroir: Vermont cream, goats’ milk, cheese know how and good taste for luscious cheese.
Twice a week we drive across Vermont to the 20 Family Farms to pick up fresh goats’ milk. Our cows’ cream and milk comes from a local Coop of 500 family dairy farmers in northern Vermont. The cream is separated in the morning and delivered fresh — within few hours — to the creamery. We believe that pure milk makes the best cheese. Vermont land, the pasture and soil, the seasons, the special care of the goats and cows can all be tasted in our cheeses.
Milks and cream are blended together and then pasteurized. Then a special cocktail of yeast and mold are added to create its unique flavor and naturally coagulate the milk overnight. The next day, the fresh curd is shaped by hand into Cremont-size cylinders. Fresh cheeses will first be moved into a drying room to prepare the rind to grow and slightly dry the surface of the cheese. After 1 day, cheeses are then moved into our aging room where thegeotricum yeast will slowly grow on the surface of the cheese to create its unique wrinkled cream colored rind.
Cremont, also called the Cream of Vermont, combines the nutty taste from of our crème fraîche, the creamy texture of our Bonne Bouche, and the wrinkled geotricum rind of our Bijou.
An American original crafted in the bucolic Green Mountains of Vermont that has already found its place on the cheeseboard.

This cheese has become an immediate favorite in the shop. It cries out for a little fig spread or a smear of honey. Let it sit out of the fridge for a good long while and wowee wow.

Construction? Again?

noreply@blogger.com (Benjamin, France 44) — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 22:05:00 +0000

Okay, let's just be clear from the start: We love our France 44 Cheese shop just the way it is. We're not changing anything about the existing shop. We'll keep making delicious sandwiches and selling incredible cheese. Of course we understand why some folks might think we're changing things up.

Lunch business is booming and we've out grown our 4 small tables that we have down there. So we're borrowing a little space from the mothership to make more room for more people. Instead of seating for 10 we'll have space for nearly 30.

We're also going to be phasing in some additional parts to our business, but we'll have to talk more about that later. In the meantime we're excited to have more space for more customers to enjoy our sandwiches.

New Items in the Shop

noreply@blogger.com (Benjamin, France 44) — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 22:18:00 +0000

It's been a while since we featured a few of the new items kicking around the shop:

Poschiavo Pasta: Straight out of the mountains of Switzerland, in a region just north of Lombardy, Italy, this is some serious spaghetti. Made in a mill started by Augustinian nuns, 5 generations of the Fisler family have been working at this mill. Semolina durum wheat is coarsely ground and mixed with water from a nearby mountain spring. The pasta is then slow dried in the mill's attic before being hand-packed into beautiful wrapping.

Ames Farm Blooming Prairie Honey: A brand new offering from our friends in Watertown, MN. The bees have been hard at work and wait until you taste what is inside the jar. Creamy, floral honey that is made for spreading on sandwiches or smearing on a chunk of cheese. Try a little bit of this spread on a grilled cheese sandwich and you'll think you discovered the holy grail of deliciousness.

Rogue Chocolatier Piura: Extremely limited edition chocolate from local chocolate maker Colin Gasko. The amount of deliciousness contained in this bar is epic. The idea that only 4,000 bars of this chocolate will be made is utterly depressing. Beautiful letter press packaging contains a deeply satisfying chocolate eating experience. Worth every penny.

Tyrrell's Potato Chips: In England they call them crisps, but somehow through the magic of globalization they come to us as chips. Whatever they're called, these are some seriously yummy chips. Fun flavors like Sweet Chili, Cheddar & Chive, and Cider Vinegar. They even put the variety of potato used on the packaging.

Rick's Picks: We are proud to be carrying the originator of the pickle craze. Rick started making pickles in his Brooklyn apartment before anyone knew that pickle making was cool. He has some awesome and unique varieties such as phat beets, smokra (smoky pickled okra), and spicy mean beans. Try them with cheese or on burgers or wherever. These are addictive and don't say we didn't warn you.

Pay to Play

noreply@blogger.com (Benjamin, France 44) — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 16:03:00 +0000

Being reviewed and receiving press about your establishment is an inevitable part of any retail business. Sometimes it works out great, sometimes not so great. We try the best we can and if someone doesn't like us then it's our responsibility to do better.

My understanding of reviews are that they happen anonymously. A critic arrives at your venue under the cloak of secrecy and evaluates what is what in your establishment. Occasionally a place might pitch a story and invite a food writer to their place. Or a local food writer/blogger might approach a business about writing a feature on them. That happens too.

One thing that should never happen is a reviewer/writer receiving something for free. An astonishing moment in my restaurant career came when a local reviewer in Brooklyn approached my employers about paying for their meal. We all reacted with incredulity. How could that be impartial if you are receiving a free meal? It defies all logic.

If you can't afford to pay for the meal/product you have no business reviewing/featuring it. It diminishes the value of the item. The power dynamic changes from "I'm interested in your product and it is good content for my paper/blog/newsletter" to "I'm doing you a favor by reviewing your establishment/product". There is no room for quid pro quo in this dynamic. If it isn't mutually beneficial then the relationship shouldn't exist.

I know that there are producers of products out there who send samples of their products to media hoping that someone will take notice and feature them. That's their prerogative (an a calculated business decision) if they want to give away their product. It can be a very savvy option and I place no judgement if that is how they choose to promote their product. The ocean of specialty food products is vast and it can be difficult to be spotted.

We've received some wonderful press. Every reviewer that we have interacted with in the TC has been professional and none (to my knowledge) have expected anything for free. In my utterly humble opinion I think we've presented some interesting things to write about. I hope we continue to and that local media/bloggers/pamphleteers continue to find us compelling.

On turning 1

noreply@blogger.com (Benjamin, France 44) — Sat, 29 May 2010 17:44:00 +0000

Every one who has ever opened a business has had the same anxiety: you're going to open the doors and no one is going to show up. We loved the location we picked for the St Paul shop. Obviously you don't go into business thinking it's a bad idea, but still there is that nagging anxiety.

When we opened the doors one year ago today we announced it on this new fangled thing called twitter. And people came. It was amazing. The trickle of customers accelerated to a stream pretty quickly. It helped that we had a model we already liked and all we needed to do was tweak it a little bit to fit the Saint Paul crowd.

One year down and we have a few things figured out. Still we feel like there are so many things we can do better, and with the help of our customers hopefully we will just be more and more awesomer.

I know there are stores in the world people shop at because they feel like they have to. These tend to be really cheap or really convenient. Folks spend their hard earned money at our shop because they want to. That's amazes me every day.

A million times thank you to every one who has supported us in our fledgling year. We hope to see you all soon.

What kind of cows produce orange milk?

noreply@blogger.com (Benjamin, France 44) — Fri, 21 May 2010 18:15:00 +0000

We're featuring our orange cheeses this week. Orange cheese gets a bad rap because it is often associated with some pretty desperate, rubbery stuff. Truly it doesn't have to be like that. The color of a cheese should not be an indicator of quality. Though that brings us to an interesting point. This explanation is lifted from The Straight Dope:

As near as cheese historians can make out, the practice originated many years ago in England. Milk contains varying amounts of beta-carotene, the yellow-orange stuff found in carrots and other vegetables. Milk from pasture-fed cows has higher beta-carotene levels in the spring and summer, when the cows are munching on fresh grass, and lower levels during the fall and winter, when they're eating hay. Thus the natural color of the cheese varies over the course of a year. So cheese makers began adding coloring agents. Nowadays the most common of these is annatto, a yellow-red dye made from the seeds of a tree of the same name. Dyeing the cheese eliminated seasonal color fluctuations and also played to the fact (or anyway the belief) that spring/summer milk had a higher butterfat content than the fall/winter kind and thus produced more flavorful cheese.

Pretty cool, huh? I'd say my favorite orange cheese is probably Double Gloucester. It's great for snacking and is fantastic when melted on an open faced sandwich. Orange cheeses also add great color and contrast to a cheese plate, though I don't think entirely necessary to make a beautiful plate.

Oh, and some of those washed rind cheeses have a delightful orange crust from the b. linens and we're happy to extend the deal to those as well.

Look, mommy, I made a pizza all by myself!

noreply@blogger.com (Benjamin, France 44) — Wed, 19 May 2010 21:58:00 +0000

Full disclosure: I may have been brought up in Massachusetts but my pizza aesthetic comes from visiting Brooklyn nearly once a month for the first 17 years of my life.

Pizza is near and dear to my existence. Previous to my life here in Minnesota I was living in the epicenter of all things pizza, Brooklyn. I'm not going to argue pizza pedigree or street cred or even philosophical differences. I'm just going to state that I have high standards for pizza deliciousness level.

It's hard to get psyched about making home made pizza when I pass Punch on my way home from work. Although it isn't New York style pizza it's a pretty damn delicious treat and not unreasonably expensive. Plus they have those cards for a free pizza and well that's kind of awesome.

Still, making your own pizza is like giving birth, or so I hear. You create something in a big mess and then 9 months (or minutes later) something kinda beautiful pops out of the oven. Of course I spend every day in a shop surrounded by delicious pizza making ingredients so there is great temptation to access my inner pizza-making artist self. Huh?

My food ethos is buy the best ingredients you can afford and don't muck them up. Our sandwiches are a great example of that. Simple, delicious ingredients combined to make something even more deliciouser. Here's what happened on my pizza:

Italian burrata ($12)
DOP San Marzano Tomatoes ($5)
Castel di Lego Olive Oil ($27 for the whole bottle)
Fresh Basil
Parmigiano Reggiano
Fra'mani salametto

That's it. I'd say the burrata and the san marzanos were the key. Oh and of course owning a good pizza stone. My oven only goes up to 500 degrees (though has anyone else considered trying to cook it on the self cleaning cycle--I suppose you'd have to unplug the oven to get the door to unlock) however the crust had a nice crisp edge.

Certainly I was satisfied with the two pizzas that I made and they were just as delicious as anything I could buy and the cost was probably around $10 a pizza and I had left over san marzano tomatoes to use in salsa. Not super cheap but I haven't seen too many burrata pizzas around town. And if you used our fantastic calabro whole milk mozzarella then you'd probably cut your costs in half.

10 Things you need to know about beef tongue

noreply@blogger.com (Benjamin, France 44) — Fri, 14 May 2010 02:28:00 +0000

It's delicious
It isn't scary
The tongue cannot taste you back
If you like corned beef you will love beef tongue
This is 100% grass-finished beef tongue
We took the membrane layer off for your dining pleasure
Sliced thin is nothing like the chunks in the tacos
So soft, so tender
Lean, mean, packed with protein
You might become addicted

English Blue Cheese Awareness Month

noreply@blogger.com (Benjamin, France 44) — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 20:12:00 +0000

Back in the swinging days of May 1988, the Board of English Cheesemakers sat down at their annual meeting to devise ways to boost flagging sales of traditional English blue cheese. Legend has it that ideas included everything from illuminating Big Ben in blue lights to temporarily renaming some of the Tube stations after different blue cheeses. Eventually a more traditional approach was settled on: a blue cheese awareness month.

To honor English Blue Cheese Awareness Month we've put all 3, that's right all 3, of our English blue cheeses on special. All three come to us from Neal's Yard Dairy in London. They include:

Colston Basset Stilton--the classic
Colston Basset Shropshire Blue--the beauty in orange
Stichelton--the elusive raw milk newcomer

These are some of our very favorite blue cheeses and we are pleased to be offering 15% off these cheeses for the next week.

Life in the Pyrenees

noreply@blogger.com (Benjamin, France 44) — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 16:45:00 +0000

Imagine sitting on top of a wind swept mountain surrounded by frolicking sheep. A man speaking French (or is it Basque, you have no idea) comes up to you and says something that sounds vaguely menacing but you have no idea because you're a dirty American and you only speak English. But really what does it matter when you're in such a beautiful place? He may have told you that he thinks the sheep have a crush on you or it could be that you're sitting on his hat.

You follow the barnyard aroma to the barn and you see milkmaids....

Oh, never mind, it's not working. We're stuck here in the flattest of the flats and everyone says "you betcha". Best I'm going to do for you is sell you some delicious sheep's milk cheese from the Pyrenees. We have two on special this week--Abbaye de Belloc and P'tit Basque. Both have incredible, smooth texture and mild, milky flavors. These are some of our absolute favorite cheeses. Abbaye de Belloc is on my short list for desert island cheese.

Throw it on a grilled cheese, or with a juicy pear, or like a piece of pizza. These are some fine cheeses.

A week of washed rind

noreply@blogger.com (Benjamin, France 44) — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 22:21:00 +0000

Tomorrow's the last day of our week long washed rind special. Believe it or not this has been quite the educational week for me. We've only been in the cheese game for two years in Minneapolis and one year in Saint Paul so we still have a whole heck of a lot to learn about our cheese buying clientèle.

So the week 'o washed rind taught me that folks like their stinky cheese. All we had to do in both stores was put a sign out front that said "15% off Stinky Cheese" and the people flocked like flies to, well, stinky cheese. Some folks were curious about what we meant by stinky cheese which I thought was kind of cool. It seemed like they knew it existed but weren't quite sure what it looked like or even smelled like. Other folks came in and thought maybe we were talking about limburger cheese and were stoked to find that there we had at least a dozen choices in the stinky department. Then there were the ones who said they didn't like stinky cheese, tried some, and then bought a chunk. Awesome.

It also helps that we are selling some kick ass cheese. The Von Trapp Oma and the Cato Corner Hooligan have been amazing people with their richness and fattiness. The stinky cheese vets have been gobbling up the Epoisses and Camembert Au Calvados faster than we can merchandise them in the case.

We're encouraged by this response to challenge level cheese. Usually we lament the amount of gouda and cheddar that leaves are case but this past week we've seen Twin Citians reaching out for the full flavored, gooey stink bombs. Yummo.

Ramps!

noreply@blogger.com (Benjamin, France 44) — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 17:42:00 +0000

Yeah, okay, ramps are over done. I'm fine with that. Still doesn't change the fact that they're delicious. Call them foodie elitist commie ingredient all you want--just means more for me. I'm not so worried about whether something is cool to eat or not just if it's yummy. We're not honoring mother earth, or celebrating spring, or getting in touch with our former hunter/gatherer selves--we're just eating good food.

Today we're making a sandwich of ramps, goat cheese, and honey (and duck pancetta for the meat eaters). Frankly it is satisfying to eat something green that grew close to home. Beyond that I don't give it much thought.

Soon we'll be pickling them, making pesto, and maybe even a little ramp butter. Works for me.

Coming soon to a cheese case near you

noreply@blogger.com (Benjamin, France 44) — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 21:09:00 +0000

We're expecting a substantial cheese delivery tomorrow. I'm expecting a whole bunch of domestic cheese that we're happy to have back in stock. Look for:

Cato Corner Bloomsday, Bridgid's Abbey, and Hooligan (peeeee-u!). Mark is still one of my favorite cheesemakers because he makes delicious cheese and is an all around nice guy.

Consider Bardwell Pawlet (and if the cheese gods smiled on us some Manchester and Dorset). We've been missing cheese from this farm for some time and are excited to see them back in our case.

Cabot Clothbound Cheddar

Jasper Hill Winnimere (peeeeee-u!) and Bayley Hazen Blue

Cobb Hill Ascutney Mountain

For all the Kunik lovers out there: word from the farm is that kidding season went a little late this year so we might be short on goat cheese from Nettle Meadow farm. Rest assured the girls will be back at work and delicious cheese will be forthcoming.

Dunbarton Blue: Love at first bite

noreply@blogger.com (Benjamin, France 44) — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 22:46:00 +0000

I'd been hearing some time about this new blue cheese out of Wisconsin that had been garnering some high praise. Cheese ideas come and go and I don't always follow through on what I've heard. But a couple of weeks ago Andy Hatch from Uplands Dairy was in town and reminded me that I should seek out the Dunbarton Blue from the Roelli Cheese Company.

So I called up Chris Roelli and asked him if he could pop a couple of wheels in the mail for us. A few days later two beautiful wheels of cheese showed up at the Saint Paul Shop. Because I am still very much like a 5 year old child I instantly opened one wheel for a taste.

Dunbarton Blue is a bit of a misnomer because the cheese is not particularly blue. There are of course some blue striations in the cheese, but blue cheese flavor is not the predominate factor in this cheese. What you'll notice about the paste is the satisfying buttery creaminess that is intensified by the little bits of salty blue. It's so perfectly textured that it is near impossible not to go back for a second, third, fourth....bite.

We have Dunbarton Blue available in both Minneapolis and Saint Paul shops. We blew through a wheel in two days but don't fret we'll be ordering more soon.

Hey Robiola A 2 Latti, I'm going to eat you!

noreply@blogger.com (Benjamin, France 44) — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 18:24:00 +0000

There are certain cheeses out there that are just so damn tasty that I find it hard to describe them. I'm not so good with the tasting notes on food. Maybe my taste buds are permanently damaged from years of Kraft singles, but I just don't do the "tastes like freshly churned butter with a hint of Derek Jeter".

Robiola is just a rock star of a cheese. Creamy, unctuous, full-flavored. Nothing boring about it. When ripe it has a wee bit of a nose on it, but nothing that's going to scare the kids.

Fra'mani Mortadella Haiku

noreply@blogger.com (Benjamin, France 44) — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 17:37:00 +0000

Fat chunks of pork fat
Bold flavor no baloney
Fried transforms the prize

What I talk about when I talk about cheese

noreply@blogger.com (Benjamin, France 44) — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 03:26:00 +0000

A whole bunch of cheese landed on our doorstep this week. Also this week there have a couple of mention of our sandwiches on the interweb and in print. Since the new St Paul shop has opened it seems that most of the recognition we've received has been for our sandwiches.

Of course I'm not going to complain about positive response to any of our offerings. We work hard to source great ingredients to put together on delicious sandwiches. Nothing makes me happier than a good sandwich and we're incredibly pleased that people seem to enjoy them. But I've got to say that I am a little puzzled by the reaction by some to our cheese case.

First I should say that there are lots and lots of folks who come to our shops and purchase cheese. We're cheese shops who make sandwiches, not the other way around. There seems to be an obsession out there with the size of a shop's selection. I'm not sure what exactly this is about but I'm sad to report we don't have any immediate plans to increase the size of our selection. More will never be better in my mind. I don't say this to be defensive, only to clarify our philosophy. If you want a huge selection there are many places in town who will be happy to take your money.

So what are we after? Our goal is to source delicious cheese. If Song and I don't think a cheese is delicious we're not going to sell it. I don't care if it's local, cheap, popular, made by magical gnomes, will save humanity (okay, maybe then) we're not going to sell it unless we think it is yummy. First and foremost cheese is a food that needs to taste awesome. It doesn't have to always be something I would take home--it's not totally about me--but it needs to be well made.

Of course there are many other factors that go into the cheeses we select. For example we don't sell cheese with BGH. We look for pastured based dairies. Variety is important--flavor, country of origin, texture, price. Also I'll admit that we look to sell cheese that no one else does--that's fun for us.

Folks who come into our shops with their heart set on one particular cheese might leave disappointed. But anyone who comes in with a flavor in mind or a kind of cheese will leave happy. Our case is full and varied enough to find a cheese for any taste. I don't need 300 cheeses to find you your cheese.

That being said, we have some yummorama cheese in our case right now. Easily our best case since before Christmas. Come on down and we'll show you what we do best.

On love and cheese and surprises

noreply@blogger.com (Benjamin, France 44) — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 00:58:00 +0000

Valentine's Day is this weekend and I'll admit up front that I am a jaded ex-restaurant worker who has no love for the holiday. I don't think I am shattering any innocence by stating that Valentine's Day at restaurants is often over hyped and over priced.

In my retail life I want to be the opposite of that. Now I understand that sitting at home in the living room with a nice cheese plate isn't quite as romantic as a dimly lit room with service abound, but I think with a little imagination you could find some spectacular treats in our shops.

There are cheeses in my case that I know very well that are a constant revelation to me. Not to sound overly dramatic, but there are some cheeses that I taste and taste again and am amazed by how delicious they are. Every time I pop a piece of Sweet Grass Dairy Green Hill in my mouth I can't help but think "Hot damn that's delicious". Cheese can be one of the most savory mouth watering foods I can think of.

So if I were composing a Valentine's treat for my beau and I it'd probably go a little something like this (don't forget we do cheese Bento boxes for two people for $20): a little wedge of Green Hill, a couple of nice wedges of Comte, a dollop of Stickney Hill Chevre de Terroir, Rogue River Blue, a handful of hazelnuts from Piedmont, and a nice wack of Ames Farm Honey Comb. I'd probably slice up some Jamon Serrano just in case I was feeling a bit weak or anemic. On hand for dessert we always have Rogue Chocolatier chocolate in the house but I might bring home a Cake Eater cupcake just in case we need even more sugar. Even with cupcake, the chocolate and some of the other fanciness I could easily feed two of us for $40 or less. Now that's sexy.

Cheesemonger Sandwich: A forgotten favorite

noreply@blogger.com (Benjamin, France 44) — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 17:47:00 +0000

We received a nice bit of press recently from the Pioneer Press about our fennel salami sandwich. I will say that I really do enjoy that sandwich and it is often one of my choices for lunch. However there is one other sandwich that I feel like is just as worthy: the cheesemonger.

Those of you who remember the dark days of the Minneapolis cheese shop recall that for some time the only sandwich we had was the cheesemonger. And the only reason we had that sandwich (and the reason we call it that despite the fact it is not a cheese only sandwich) was because I would often make myself one for lunch. I am a big enough man to admit that a cheese shop without a nice sandwich menu was like a dive bar without a dusty jukebox. Huh?

Anyhow, I enjoyed a cheesemonger sandwich for breakfast today. It was delicious. Truly. Rich, delicious salami from Salumeria Biellese in New York City, a couple of slices of salty provolone from Wisconsin, and our awesome pepper-onion relish. 3 simple ingredients all working together in harmony. We've progressed to sandwiches with more than 3 ingredients but I still stand by the idea that it less is more and you just need to find the best ingredients you can and try not to mess them up.

Cheese Shop Mythbusting Episode #2: Pricing by the half pound is deceptive

noreply@blogger.com (Benjamin, France 44) — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 23:54:00 +0000

Okay, it's time to roll around in the dirt a little bit. Ready?

We've been accused of being dishonest because our cheese tags list the prices of our cheese by the half pound. Of course we hope that every one knows that is far from our intentions. I won't lie to you, we obviously save some sticker shock on some of our cheeses by pricing them in half pound increments. But really the point is help the customer understand that the cheese we sell in not necessarily meant to be purchased in whole pounds. More on that later...

Some of you might be familiar with Thomas Kuhn's Structure of Scientific Revolutions in which he discusses at length the idea of paradigm shifts. So I submit that is what we are a part of: a shift away from the whole pound as the dominant paradigm for measuring cheese.

Our average size chunk of cheese at France 44 or Saint Paul Cheese is about 1/4 of a pound or 1/3 of a pound. Only very, very rarely do customers purchase an entire pound of cheese or more. We are trying to provide a realistic frame of reference to our customers about the price of what they might expect to pay for their cheese purchase. In some sense I'd almost rather price by the 1/4 pound (like I've seen several well known cheese counters do) but we decided the half pound made the math easier.

My hunch is that when shoppers grab a precut chunk of cheese at the grocery store they are mostly looking at the final price on the tag and not the price per pound. They want to know that chunk A of cheese is going to cost them $5. That's where we want to be. We want our customers to leave with the cheese they want in the quantity they want. It is irrelevant if they are looking for $8 a half pound cheese or $19 a half pound cheese. We still are always shooting for the same outcome: delicious, well taken care of cheese.

Herve Mons Camembert

noreply@blogger.com (Benjamin, France 44) — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 21:18:00 +0000

Renowned food writer Harold McGee wrote an article recently about a delicious pasteurized Camembert. Of course pasteurized versus raw milk is an age old debate in the cheese world. If I had a nickel for every time a customer complained about the bland US version of Camembert...

Enter Herve Mons Camembert. First thing first is that this cheese is seemingly sold almost exclusively at Whole Foods (apparently there are a couple of exceptions). So don't bother asking me if I can get it because it seems so far I cannot.

Of course if the NY Times says something is good then it must be. So I decided I should go to the Whole Foods down the street and buy a little cheese--gotsta see what the fuss is all about.

First thing is that the Camembert were stacked up in the cooler next to the lettuce in the produce department. Kind of a weird place but I figure WF must know what they're doing. I opened one up and noticed it was pretty darn soft and smelled nice and ripe. The price tag said 9.99 but when rung up it cost me only 6.99 for 8oz. That's pretty darn cheap.

I popped it open back at the shop and gave a good whiff. A hint of ammonia, but not too overwhelming. The rind is nice and thin and not too chompy. The paste is nice and buttery but unfortunately it seems our cheese friend might have been sitting around a touch too long. It finished a tad bit bitter and with a little ammonia in your nose. For the most part I could see liking this cheese, but I am not sure I would go out of my way for it.

The Camembert we sell at the shop that we like is the Graindorge Camembert au Calvados. It's a little like comparing apples to oranges because the presence of Calvados does make a difference in the flavor of the cheese. The fruitiness of the Graindore Camembert really perks up the cheese and makes it rich and full flavored. Not proper Camembert, but pretty darn delicious.

Cheese Shop Mythbusting Episode #1--There's nowhere to park in St Paul

noreply@blogger.com (Benjamin, France 44) — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 23:48:00 +0000

Let's get one thing straight before we even start: Parking in Minnesota is never ever difficult. This may not win me many friends but I am letting you know that until you have tried to park in New York City you don't really know about painful parking experiences.

Folks here are spoiled. I can't tell you how many people have come into the shop for the first time because they told me that there was finally some place to park. What they mean is that the spot directly in front of the cheese shop was unoccupied.

When I tell customers about the FREE lot right next door they always act confused and tell me that it is a Macalester lot and they aren't allowed to park there. Yes, there is a Macalester lot next to us but then next to that lot is a FREE lot which almost is never more than half way full.

Parking abound here in St Paul. Lots and lots of parking. So don't let that be an excuse for not visiting our shop.

TJ Maxx killed the gourmet store?

noreply@blogger.com (Benjamin, France 44) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:05:00 +0000

On Sunday night I found myself lost in a TJ Maxx the suburbs. It's a long story but it involves a quid pro quo for watching the Patriots blow a game against the Colts. As I was wandering the aisles I came across this sign. Now it is no great mystery to me that TJ Maxx carries some food items. I mean, who can't help but be enthralled by a store which sells first cold pres olive oils directly across from women's undergarments (I resisted taking that picture for obvious reasons).
First thing first. TJ Maxx actually carries at least one of the same items as one of my stores. I am not going to say which one, but I will say it is half the price I charge. They also carry quite a few items that I have looked at for my shops but have passed on for one reason or another.

Okay, with that out of the way let's deconstruct the TJ Maxx sign.

1. They only carry fresh gourmet food. I am guessing that means none of their items are expired. Well, okay, but some of their packaging looked like it had seen a few wars. Fresh is a weird term to use to describe dried goods, but whatever.
2. They buy in large volume directly from "our manufacturers". So weird and awfully misleading. Manufacturer implies that someone is making an item. I am highly doubtful that TJ Maxx is buying the item from the actual company making the product. Even money says their manufacturer is someone who has bought up close out products from retailers who have gone out of business or who have unloaded unsold product.
3. Yup, they do carry the same food as some gourmet food stores at much lower prices. But do you know what you are buying? Is the clerk at the changing room going to be able to tell you the differences between the Spanish olive oil and the Italian one?

I guess it all comes down to the priority that you place on knowing about your food. If price is most imporant than I am never going to win against TJ Maxx. But if you want to make an informed decision then I suppose we're pretty good at that.

Does this seem too obvious? Let me explain how we run our business. Some of the products we carry we can buy from a variety of sources. Some are cheaper than others. But we will always buy the product from the distributor that can help us make an informed decision for our shop--regardless of price.

And I suppose the good news for us is that it seems highly unlikely that TJ Maxx will ever have the same product twice...