65 replies to this topic

[mb7o]

Cheese Cellar has a sign saying they open Friday. It's carved out of the space at the end of Fisher plaza, it's not very big--somewhat narrow and deep with some deli coolers (is that what they're called?) and wood shelves, looks nice but I was soaked from the rain and didn't stare in the window too long.

[little ms foodie]

I normally am very happy with the cheese selection at Met Market and Whole Paycheck but I have to tell you that I've been trying to buy a reblochon for 2 weeks now and they don't have it! grrrr! can you imagine such a travesty in france???

Where is the Fisher Plaza? Denny and 5th???

[tsquare]

Where is the Fisher Plaza? Denny and 5th???

[/quote]

Yes.

[mb7o]

Actually, Cheese Cellar is on 4th. (Fisher Plaza takes up the whole block). Going West on Denny, turn right on 4th. Going East on Denny, turn right on Cedar (same light as 5th) and right on 4th.

Edited by mb7o, 06 October 2004 - 09:30 PM.

[OnlyTheBest]

Cheese Cellar has a sign saying they open Friday. It's carved out of the space at the end of Fisher plaza, it's not very big--somewhat narrow and deep with some deli coolers (is that what they're called?) and wood shelves, looks nice but I was soaked from the rain and didn't stare in the window too long.

Funny you should bring up cheese. I have been meaning to post something about that little cheese shop (AND cafe)in Gig Harbor. I know it is a long way from Seattle....but after i stopped in i realized what a wonderful find it is. Debbie (the owner) has a fabulous selection of somewhat hard to find cheeses....French, Italian and English.
She is even expecting a delivery shortly that will include that very rare Dorset cheese...Blue Vinney....AND the very buttery farmstead Lancashire from Mrs. Kirkham. Her prices too are fantastic too... I feel very fortunate to have her down the road from me. I would say if you are into cheese and feel like an afternoon drive down here to Gig Harbor...you'll find some great stuff in her shop. Far better selection than Whole Paycheck and Met. Market.

She also said she will be open Halloween with coffee to give away to the parents as well as treats for the kids.

Anyway..the name of the place is Isa Mera and it is on the main drag thru Gig Harbor....on the right side (comming from the Narrows Bridge) and somewhat down from the street...on the water.(there are signs)

Her phone number there is 253-857-7511 if you have any questions about anything she might carry. I think she also does catering as well.

Next time i am up in Seattle i would also like to check out that new place....if anyone goes...please post a report.

[girl chow]

For cheesemakers down here, Isa Mira also sells cheese cultures, which is a great thing for us South Sounders who may not want to drive to Beecher's or deal with online ordering. I talk a little about them in this post: Isa Mira post from cheese supply thread

I'm still in search of more south end places (Tacoma to Kent, but not the peninsula) where they sell cheese cultures, fresh goat's milk, raw and/or non homogenized cow's milk and other cheesemaking stuff. Please post here if you know where to find them.

[elswinger]

I have to go with Whole Foods because I think they have a pretty decent selection and they will let you sample it before buying. Has anyone ever ordered cheese online? I have looked at some websites but I am a little leary of ordering perishable food off the net.

[laurel]

Has anyone ever ordered cheese online?  I have looked at some websites but I am a little leary of ordering perishable food off the net.

I ordered some Tibetan Yak Cheese from igourmet through Amazon. It came in a styrofoam cooler with a couple of those plastic bags of frozen gel. Most places will automatically do overnight shipping.

[Placebo]

A friend of mine will be opening up a little cheese shop on Lake Washington in Leschi in just over a month. i'll post details when she's nearly ready to open.

[elswinger]

Ask her to get a web page too! I like looking at cheese almost as much as I like eating it.

[OnlyTheBest]

I have to go with Whole Foods because I think they have a pretty decent selection and they will let you sample it before buying.  Has anyone ever ordered cheese online?  I have looked at some websites but I am a little leary of ordering perishable food off the net.

Any decent cheese shop will give samples for you to taste and Isa Mara is no exception. If you like whole foods because its near you then great....but their selection of cheeses is really just ho hum. Last time i was there ...not only did they NOT have any of the cheeses from Neals Yard...they werent sure what they even were.

Di Laurenti had a far more interesting selection....and their cheese buyer really knows her stuff. Certainly a good resource for anyone living in the city.

Heck..I am still trying to find the time to go up to Salumi. Its only about 50 minutes or so up the road....but the traffic always gives me pause...which is one reason i am glad Girl Chow suggested Isa Mara...it has turned out to be a GEM!

[laurel]

On the theme of good cheese shops in unlikely places: http://www.bayleaf.us/cheese.html
in Coupeville on Whidbey Island. Lots of harder to find local cheeses along with a good selection of European stuff.

[edit: typo]

Edited by laurel, 07 October 2004 - 11:51 PM.

[OnlyTheBest]

On the theme of good cheese shops in unlikely places: http://www.bayleaf.us/cheese.html
in Coupeville on Whidbey Island.  Lots of harded to find local cheeses along with a good selection of European stuff.

Wow ! Thanks for that suggestion...they look like a great place....and out on Whidbey Island no less. Looks like they they know what they are doing too.
Nice to know you can live somewhere out of the way like that and still find good cheese.

[pgoodman]

I was going to mention James Cook but that was already covered much earlier on - it was sad...Was a regular there and then one day they closed shop.

Trader Joe's has a decent selection. I reccommend their apricot beechers cheese - it is great on crackers for an appetizer.

Also, check out Central Market in Shoreline and of course Whole Foods always has a plentiful selection.

[laurel]

I was going to mention James Cook but that was already covered much earlier on - it was sad...Was a regular there and then one day they closed shop.

The Cheese Cellar's web site says that the "cheese monger" there is from James Cook:

http://www.thecheese...eeseMonger.html

and that he's been touring cheese farms in Scotland and Europe in the past 2 years, so maybe not so sad :)

[pgoodman]

The Cheese Cellar's web site says that the "cheese monger" there is from James Cook:

http://www.thecheese...eeseMonger.html

and that he's been touring cheese farms in Scotland and Europe in the past 2 years, so maybe not so sad :)

Wow, good information to know. Thanks for the heads up, i'll make sure to give it a try and tell my fellow friends. Has it actually opened though? The website said Sept. 20...

[laurel]

Wow, good information to know. Thanks for the heads up, i'll make sure to give it a try and tell my fellow friends. Has it actually opened though? The website said Sept. 20...

I called today, and they said they would be open today until about 7 or 7:30.

[OnlyTheBest]

The Cheese Cellar's web site says that the "cheese monger" there is from James Cook:

http://www.thecheese...eeseMonger.html

and that he's been touring cheese farms in Scotland and Europe in the past 2 years, so maybe not so sad :)

Laurel! Thanks for the information...looks like Seattle is going to have a real cheese shop again. I just saw the website and indeed it looks like the real thing...
THANK GOD!!! Great artisan cheeses are truely things of beauty.
Can't wait to go see what they have.

[laurel]

Laurel!  Thanks for the information...looks like Seattle is going to have a real cheese shop again.  I just saw the website and indeed it looks like the real thing...
THANK GOD!!!  Great artisan cheeses are truely things of beauty.
Can't wait to go see what they have.

I went on Friday, and picked up a Pecorino Romano, English Cheddar, Istara (Basque sheep cheese), and a tiny jar of asparagus cream stuff. They have a well-displayed selection of European cheeses, with several that I've never heard of, and a lot of expensive stuff in jars (oil, vinegar, jam, pickled/cured vegetables). I like the window into the cheese storage room.

[little ms foodie]

Mmmmm, I love Istara! We ate loads of that this summer while in the Basque region. excellent info, gotta try to stop in this week!

[matsutakekichigai]

If you are specificaly looking for english cheese there is also a little place in Redmond called Britt's. They have a restaurant as well as a little store with English Products.

Are you possible talking about The British Pantry Ltd.? This is in Redmond@ 8125 161st Ave. NE. phone. 425-883-7511.

They have a selection of English cheeses. You might want to give them a call. They get shipments from England regularly.

matsutakekichigai

[little ms foodie]

We stopped in last Friday, what a treat! First of all these guys are great. Totally enthusiastic about their cheeses, giving us tastes of this and that, telling us about the cheeses that were really nice and ready!

We ended up getting 3 Irish cheeses. And for the first time ever I found a blue that I didn't hate, Cashel. ACtually bought some and served it with a bit of honey for my cheese course at my weekend dinner party.

Also picked up some fig jam.....YUM!

No Reblochon still, he said he has it but it is aging cause it's not ready. Maybe in 2 weeks I can finally make Tartiflette!

And I agree with Laurel, that window into their aging room is very cool!

[LEdlund]

I was there on Friday too (LMF, they told us we had just missed you!). We also bought the Cashel, which was fabulous. They had just received a large shipment of Neals Yard cheeses and we tried quite a few. Ended up buying the Coolea. A nice, ripe piece of Tallegio rounded out our purchases. We had stopped at the Dahlia Bakery on our way to the cheese shop and bought a loaf of potato/olive oil bread. Other than being a little soft to stand up to the cheese, the combination of flavors was fantastic. I can tell what my new Friday night routine is going to be!

I didn't see many local cheeses and they told me they are working on getting their supply lines set up. They are hoping to get some Quillisascut cheeses in there pretty soon.

[little ms foodie]

Too funny! We bought the Coolea too, and something like Abrahanam or the like???

Well maybe we should all just have an eG gtg at the Cheese Cellar! haha!

[little ms foodie]

Stopped in the Cheese Cellar again tonight after finding out they are the only ones who still carry Roblochon, no one else can get it any more since it's under 60 days old (???) Anyway Dennis is great! We also had a taste and bought a cheese that is part cow's milk and part sheeps milk with truffle bits in it. That will make a damn fine Alfredo!

He said this is the perfect time for Humboldt Fog so if anyone needs that or anything else I would stop in!

[lalala]

Does the cheese cellar carry the Neals Yard goat cheeses?

lalala

[little ms foodie]

Does the cheese cellar carry the Neals Yard goat cheeses?

lalala

Yep!

[lalala]

Wow, i don't I have to schelp tymsboros and golden crosses from London to Seattle any more.....

sweet.

lalala

[pdxia]

Stopped in the Cheese Cellar again tonight after finding out they are the only ones who still carry Roblochon, no one else can get it any more since it's under 60 days old (???) Anyway Dennis is great! We also had a taste and bought a cheese that is part cow's milk and part sheeps milk with truffle bits in it. That will make a damn fine Alfredo!

He said this is the perfect time for Humboldt Fog so if anyone needs that or anything else I would stop in!

The FDA specifies that raw milk cheese aged less than 60 days can't be imported into the US...so that's why you don't see much Reblochon (or much legal Reblochon, I should say!). This is an ongoing problem - so much great French and Italian (and other) cheeses are blocked from coming into the country because of the FDA's restrictions. Also, local producers aren't supposed to sell raw milk cheeses they produce that haven't been aged at least 60 days....

That being said, Jeffrey Steingarten has written about these insane restrictions (I think in The Man Who Ate Everything?) and his adventures in bringing in raw milk cheeses through US Customs - worth checking out!

[tsquare]

I checked out The Cheese Cellar last week.
I have to agree that they are fabulous people and they have great cheese and treats (lots of special Italian things.) I tasted so many different cheeses, without feeling like a freeloader - Dennis just kept sampling out things and chatting. I ended up with 3 - one, a goat (and I think sheep and cow) soft cheese packaged in a little dixie type cup. Two hard cheeses with herbal rinds - one an Irish Gouda "Coolea" that is sharp and great, the other, from Spain, with a buttered rind "Leiyea?" They printed out an information sheet on all three while ringing up my purchases - but of course, I don't have it with me.
They also have some tasty cheese from a woman cheesemaker in Montesano...a good story there - I'll let Dennis tell you.
Go. Do not let these people fail. Oh, the cheese is priced by the quarter pound, and he has a heavy hand - so when you ask for a quarter pound, you might get (and pay for) 6 or 7 ounces.