43880 Fri Feb 24 18:10:30 -0800 2006 15 1 San Francisco Bay Area 0 215242 I'm planning to head to the east bay tomorrow for some new experience in cheese. Does anyone have a "must-try", "to die for" cheese recommendations that are available from cheeseboard? Thanks much Fri Feb 24 18:10:30 -0800 2006 0 HJ 1 215246 Istara. Hands down. Don't miss it. Also try Prima Donna Gouda, Bellweather Farms Sheeps Ricotta and the fresh cream cheese. Check the signs they have up. They often advertise cheeses that are rare, just came in or are a particularly good batch. Let them know it is your first time there and how excited you are; they love first timers. Don't hesitate to ask questions, ask for lots of recs and ask for lots of samples. Don't feel rushed no matter how busy it is. One of the best things about the Cheeseboard is that even if there's 20 people in line behind you and you are only buying one cheese, they are happy to give you all the time you need to find the cheese you want. These are some of the nices people in the food service industry. I remember going there the day before they closed for Christmas. I got there about ten minutes before closing and there was a huge mob of people waiting. The employees knew that they were going home late, but they insisted that I take all the time I need and sample everything before I made a purchase. You wont find service like that anywhere else. Oh, and since you've already in the area drop by Gregoire down the street to get an order of potato puffs. They are sinful. Gregoire is on Cedar, just East of Shattuck, about a one minute walk from Cheeseboard. Gregoire's chicken pesto and roast beef sanwiches are particularly good this month. I would pick Gregoire over Cheeseboard pizza for lunch any day. Enjoy! cheeseboard.coop gregoirerestaurant.com Fri Feb 24 18:34:28 -0800 2006 215242 0 Morton the Mousse 2 215263 Yay Cheeseboard! To underscore something Morton hinted at: nobody in there is in a hurry and you shouldn't be either. Maybe eat first, then go cheese shopping. It can easily take 45 minutes before it's your turn. Don't make the same mistake I did the first time and not notice the take-a-number system until you've fallen way back in line. Take a number the very first second you enter the shop. Personally, I'd have lunch at the cheeseboard pizza next door, making for a full-on, cheese-o-riffic day. But Gregoire is only a block away. Fri Feb 24 19:39:53 -0800 2006 215246 0 Jef 3 215272 One of the great joys of the Cheeseboard is to go in knowing what you like, but not knowing what you want. For example, I'll go in looking for a creamy local goat cheese or a tangy hard cheese that would go well with rosemary bread or something to balance my dinner menu. The coop folks know their stock and have always led me to new delights. They suggest other cheeses based on your response to the first one, so you can figure out what you really want. K Fri Feb 24 20:12:55 -0800 2006 215263 0 ks 2 215282 Gregoire's is a chain now. Where are your principles? Fri Feb 24 21:12:19 -0800 2006 215246 0 Robert Lauriston 3 215311 I'm curious to see how they'll do in the next couple of months. Gregoire really believes that it is possible to make a chain of restaurants that serve good food by standardizing recipes, hiring good chefs and maintaining high quality standards. If he can do it, more power to him. As the threads on chains have discussed ad nauseum: there's nothing intrinsically wrong with chains it's just that most chains aren't executed well. In and Out is a notable exception to the "chain rule" and I hope that Gregoire will be another rare exception. Sat Feb 25 02:26:31 -0800 2006 215282 0 Morton the Mousse 4 215328 >In and Out is a notable exception to the "chain rule" and I hope that Gregoire will be another rare exception.< Am I the only one who thinks In and Out is just another Emperor's New Clothes in food form? I find their burgers just another fast-food cooked-to-dry tasteless wafer (they're so thin I can't call them a patty). Sat Feb 25 12:41:14 -0800 2006 215311 0 Mick Ruthven 5 215477 hello, you're braver than I am, fast food hamburgers scare me. Julia Child or someone of that ilk helped pump up the In/n/out cachet, I think. Roy's (pan-Pacific/Hawaiian) might be a better example of a good food/service chain operation. cheers Sun Feb 26 20:24:00 -0800 2006 215328 0 moto 3 215323 ahahaha! Sat Feb 25 11:38:24 -0800 2006 215282 0 jschyun 1 215253 Juniper Grove goat cheeses, in particular the Buche. Best goat cheese you can buy in the bay area (yes, even better than all the French ones, if only because it has had a much less stressful journey). Fri Feb 24 18:56:29 -0800 2006 215242 0 nja 1 215283 No must tries, cheese is constantly changing and most of the best stuff is limited in quantity. Just talk with the counter person and taste a lot. That said, ask to taste Hoch Ybrig (Gruyere's rich uncle) and anything from Neal's Yard. Fri Feb 24 21:14:57 -0800 2006 215242 0 Robert Lauriston 1 215302 Thank you for the great and helpful suggestions. I will report back what I get tomorrow. Sat Feb 25 00:24:35 -0800 2006 215242 0 HJ 1 215303 To reiterate what the others said; everyone who works there is so nice and helpful that you're guaranteed a good cheesy time. I tried the Red Hawk by Cowgirl Creamery (I think they have a stall at the Ferry Plaza, but I couldn't get there on Tues). I read about the awards it's won, so I gave it a try, and thought it was delish. And it's always nice to taste stuff made locally. Sat Feb 25 00:56:25 -0800 2006 215242 0 Gooseberry 2 215352 What's interesting is I've tried a couple of times to buy ripe Red Hawk from the Cowgirl store at the Ferry Building. Each time I was handed a totally unripe hockey puck by people who acted like they knew they knew their stuff. Ugh. However, the Red Hawk at Cheeseboard is ripe and v. good (as are all the cheeses) and the staff actually do know their stuff and as mentioned they're nice to boot. I like to check out the wall specials and go from there. Sat Feb 25 18:11:20 -0800 2006 215303 0 jschyun 3 215365 If you are going to Cowgirl Creamery on Saturday during the Farmer's Market, the woman who runs the express stand outside is a good judge of the ripeness of their cheeses. I have never gotten a "hockey puck" from her. Sat Feb 25 19:58:16 -0800 2006 215352 0 wally 1 215381 Try some cheeses that you've never had before and forget about thinking of cheeses as "must-try" or "to die for" cheeses. There are many great cheeses there and giving them a chance is fun and delicious. Sat Feb 25 22:13:16 -0800 2006 215242 0 fooded