retail cheese shops in So. Florida

[cucuzza]

Are there any retail cheese shops in the Miami- Ft. Lauderdale area or is Whole Foods the only game in town?

[crach]

The French guy at Happy Wine and Gourmet on 8th Street is the best (for wine advice) and a blossoming local legend! He used to run Best Times which he closed, but this is the same.

[netmover]

Laurenzos & Epicure are your best bets...

[amyvc]

I second most of them. WF, Crown, The Cheese Course, all solid choices. Crown is also really great for wine. The most knowledgable "wine guys" I've experienced in So Fla.

[cucuzza]

Don't necessarily disagree with you about the wine guys at Crown, outside of the fact they always seem to be pushing some crap wines, BUT for real experts try the Wine WAtch in Ft Lauderdale just south of Sunrise Blvd and NE 4th Ave. You will be amazed.

A cheese shop comparable to the selection, service, and knowledge available at the Wine Watch is what I am seeking.

[amyvc]

Good to know about Wine Watch. Too bad it's pretty far from me, but if I'm in that neck of the woods...Have you tried Hollywood Vine on Harrison St in Hollywood? Not for cheese, but as a wine bar/retail shop, it's great. You can go on a Sat night and they open with a $5 corkage fee and then you hang out and maybe get a bite elsewhere on Harrison.

[meb903]

The Cheese Course, I think it's called - it's in Weston

[lax2mia]

Whole Foods and Epicure pretty much make up the majority of the cheese shop universe. There's a place I read about in Surfside called The Food Gang that's supposed to be part tapas bar, part restaurant and part food shop which includes cheeses from Murray's in NYC. Haven't been so I can't vouch for it, but it sounds promising.

[zenana]

This is way off the beaten path, but a tiny wine store in Lake Worth (La Dolce Vita) manages to get some amazing french cheeses. Just a very small selection, but they are truly unique. I'd call first to see what they have in stock.

[gingersnap]

Epicure on alton road in south beach has an amazing cheese selection

also, agree that the crown i go to (cordova and 17th, fll) has nice choices.

yes, the wild oats across from galleria is closed

[diablita FL]

Whole Foods isn't the only game, but they are (IMO) a good one. Fresh Market has quite a selection, though I prefer WF. And Costco has a good cheese selection.

The Crown Liquor stores sell some gourmet foods, including various cheeses. There is another small liquor chain I've seen in FLL (there's one on Federal in Pompano) that sells a few artisenal cheeses, including homemade mozzarella.

Laurenzo's Market and Sarah's Tent have cheeses, in the Aventura/NMB area. And for an actual gourmet cheese shop, head out to The Cheese Course in Weston. They have an amazing array of cheeses there.

(There was a Wild Oats across from the Galleria Mall, but I heard it closed.)