34780 Fri Mar 04 14:23:37 -0800 2005 8 1 San Francisco Bay Area 0 157734 Fromage Blanc appears to be available at the Cowgirl Creamery, but has anyone seen it elsewhere in the Bay Area? Say Cheese in Cole Valley (SF) has some goat's milk fromage blanc with sundried tomatoes, but that's not quite what we're looking for. (We = i'm asking for a friend.) Say Cheese is a terrific store, by the way. I've made many wonderful finds by following the owner's recommendations. ---Matt Fri Mar 04 14:23:37 -0800 2005 0 mbharrin 1 157739 I'm sure they have it at the Pasta Shop in Oakland and probably at the Cheese Board and Berkeley Bowl in Berkeley...this sounds like an SF post, though, so East Bay info may be less helpfu. Good luck. PS: I myself can't stand the stuff since I went to school in France and we had it EVERY DAMNED DAY at lunch for months and months. It was thought of as dessert when sprinkled with sugar. Fri Mar 04 14:42:41 -0800 2005 157734 0 oakjoan 1 157743 Bellwhether farms makes the best one I've had of the local producers and you can find this any number of places including Rainbow Market, Whole Foods and probably other cheese and better general food markets. I have also occasionally seen a French fromage blanc available at Rainbow. The thickness of the U.S. versions and French are quite different, with the French version having the consistency of a thick yogurt (this is also the sort I've had when we go to Alsace). If you like the thicker U.S. style, Quark is basically the same thing but slightly tangier. Fri Mar 04 14:48:59 -0800 2005 157734 0 Joan Kureczka 2 157775 I agree. Bellwether is the best available locally. I've seen it in many grocery stores (Whole Foods, Andronico's and Berk Bowl) and several cheese stores. Fri Mar 04 17:00:27 -0800 2005 157743 0 jeff 2 157833 Bellwether Farms' fromage blanc is a staple at our house. The Berkeley Bowl has been out of it for three weeks, though. I got some there from I think the Vermont Butter and Cheese Company, and it wasn't too good, or at least it was a very different style, much runnier and more tart. Bellwether's is almost like whipped cream cheese. Fri Mar 04 23:47:30 -0800 2005 157743 0 heidipie 3 157839 I love Bellwether, but runny and tart is more like what I've had in Alsace. I use Bellwether for my tarte flambes and always need to mix it with some creme fraiche to get the right consistency. Otherwise, I greatly prefer it to CowGirl Cremery's version. Sat Mar 05 00:44:42 -0800 2005 157833 0 Joan Kureczka 4 157895 My mother-in-law finds Bellwether closest to the farmer cheese of her Brooklyn youth. Sat Mar 05 14:01:28 -0800 2005 157839 0 heidipie 2 159336 My girlfriend is Alsatian and when we make tarte flambee we use, gulp, pureed cottage cheese (whole milk clover). It is really the best substitute we've found for Alsatian fromage blanc. Fri Mar 18 20:26:17 -0800 2005 157743 0 mike 1 157754 I've seen it off and on at Berkeley Bowl. Fri Mar 04 15:43:15 -0800 2005 157734 0 Robert Lauriston