Whole Foods Cheese
Stopped by a Whole Foods yesterday to get some bread. Checked out their cheese display. Didn't do much for me. They had a very large, but idiosyncratic, selection. Lots of obscure cheese I hadn't heard of, but not too many reliable staples of the fancy cheese world. No english cheddars, for example. The prices were pretty high -- Cotswold, in particular, was twice the price as at Trader Joe's. The cheese were all pre-cut, priced, and shrink-wrapped. That means its akward to ask for samples, so that an unknown cheese will remain that way until you eat it at home.
I did notice, however, that they had Epoisses for $15, which is $5 less than at the Cheese Shop. Since Epoisses are sold whole, I never tasted any before. They were highly recommended at the Cheese Shop in Silverlake, but I was hesitant to spend $20 blind. Well, I decided to spend $15.
Certainly a good cheese, but I think it may actually be too complex for me. I couldn't really distinguish it from cheaper runny, smelly french cheeses like Munster. Still, very intersting salty taste with a little bit of red wine thrown in. Might just be my headcold limiting my appreciation.
I did notice, however, that they had Epoisses for $15, which is $5 less than at the Cheese Shop. Since Epoisses are sold whole, I never tasted any before. They were highly recommended at the Cheese Shop in Silverlake, but I was hesitant to spend $20 blind. Well, I decided to spend $15.
Certainly a good cheese, but I think it may actually be too complex for me. I couldn't really distinguish it from cheaper runny, smelly french cheeses like Munster. Still, very intersting salty taste with a little bit of red wine thrown in. Might just be my headcold limiting my appreciation.