David "Papi" Ortiz, I am unable to post in LiveJournal at the moment, so here are some brief notes on last night.
I received a call from 'shampoo' my associate at aoc. She notified me that they had only two days' worth of a particular goat she thought was special and suggested I visit. I arrived and asked to be seated at the cheese bar, where shampoo was busily slicing prosciutto. I noted that the slicer was a Hobart, makers of excellent commercial-grade dishwashers.
The cheeses:
Haystack Peak Colorado
It seemed that a goat appeared before my very eyes. This fragrant cheese was shaped like a mexican pyramid (flat on top). It was bright white, creamy and fresh in the center, nearly liquid around that, and had a fine dark layer (of ash?) after that, before reaching the rind. Very goaty, and I mean that in a good way.
Major Farms Vermont Shepherd
This sheep's milk cheese had a cheddarlike texture, very mild, with a faint granularity which gave way to creaminess as I ate. Slightly tart. One of my favorites from this flight of cheeses, despite being a plainer, more simple one.
Bleu de Laqueuille Auvergne
A very brightly flavored, tart blue, which I would describe as having a tight focus. The saltiness was well balanced with creamier dairy flavor. If I didn't hate blue cheese, I'd have loved this one.
Cowgirl Creamery Pierce Point Tomales Bay
This was a soft cheese with a texture similar to brie, wrapped in an a heavily herbed rind and washed with some type of brandy, I forget which. The herbs lent a dry, rosemary-inflected flavor, with only a faint taste of liquor from the washing. This cheese was overshadowed by others with which it was tasted, and would have fared better with less competition.
Sweetgrass Myrtlewood Georgia
This goat cheese had a texture very similar to the Major Farms, but was tangier and slightly more crumbly or doughy in texture. This may have been my favorite cheese of all, because of the depth and balance of the uncomplicated flavors.
A note on wine:
I had a glass each of red and white.
White: Chateau Beauregard Ducasse '01, Graves
If you stuck out your tongue and had somebody twist a sliver of grapefruit rind so the oil hit it, you'd me reminded of this wine. A buttery richness was set off by a light acidity. The minerality I'd look for in a wine from this region was absent, but it was so tasty and refreshing I didn't mind.
Red: Flowers Perennial, '02, CA
This Pinot Noir/Syrah blend tasted wonderfully of dark spices and dried cherries. It was perfumy and had some good structure to it and warmed me right up. I will note, though, that it did the cheeses with which it was served no great service. I probably should've picked something more tannic, maybe a Cab Franc? as this wine seemed flattened by all that dairy and protein. |
