Barnyard (149 Avenue C)

Avenue C has finally got a high end meat & cheese shop. Barnyard, located between 9th & 10th Streets & opened by the Brix Wine guys, it's a real welcome addition & shows how the neighborhood is changing. They sell a variety of goods; sandwiches, breads, meats, cheeses, pate, duck fat & the like. The staff are friendly & knowledgeable & while the location is great for me as I live a few blocks away, my only real problem is the price. Some of the cheeses top out at $25 a pound, so if you love as much cheese as I do, each visit could turn out to be extremely expensive.

That having been said, I will be going there for some specialty items, but for my basic cheese & cured meats needs, I'll be going to East Village Cheese.

East Village Cheese (40 3rd Avenue)

Hidden among the hustle & bustle of 3rd Avenue @ 10th Street is probably my favorite cheese shop in New York. The windows are covered pretty much entirely by hand written notices advertising current specials & new cheeses, but once you enter, you know that you're in cheese heaven. EVC is pretty much a neighborhood institution. If you live in the area & want cheese, you'll be going there, no question.

The place is normally very busy, with the line for the cheese/meat counter going all the way to the back of the joint & if it's close to a holiday, the line might double back on itself. I tend to go early in the morning when there's less of a crowd. The staff there work very fast & there are a lot of them behind the counter.

Despite the fact that the place is cash only (which can be a pain in the ass if you're making large purchases) & often packed, the real appeal here is the prices. EVC is basically a clearing house for cheese makers. I'll be the first to admit that the cheese & meats are not always the freshest, but they sell at ridiculously low prices & in such large quantities that they are able to be competitive. I recommend that you eat whatever you buy there within 2-3 days. Don't let this put you off though, the cheese there are delicious & at the advertised prices, you can't go wrong.

Besides cheeses & meats, EVC also stocks crackers, fresh breads, oils of all kinds, tomato sauces, etc. It's basically a food lover's deli as well as an awesome cheese shop. My favorites there are the Asiago, Fontina & Manchego cheeses, as well as the Taramasalata. Check the place out...

A few spreads that we have set up from EVC, both around $40.


X-Mas Day; Stef & I @ our parent's place.


Last Night; Cheese & wine @ the crib.

Tasting @ Against The Grain: Part Deux

So, I returned to 'The House That Beer Built', Against the Grain (620 6th Street) for another cheese tasting last night. The cheeses were international this time & were provided by Murray's (254 Bleeker Street http://www.murrayscheese.com).

ATG was typically busy, so I was relegated to a seat on the side - but with the prospect of beer & cheese looming, I didn't mind. Plus, I got to sit by Chris, the Murray's rep. who turned out to be a treasure trove of cheesy knowledge.

Here's exactly how I went about rating everything. I tasted the beer first. Then the cheese, then the accompaniment, then the cheese & accompaniment together. That gave me the full spectrum of flavors.

1st Pairing: Lord of the Hundreds and a quince gelee with Victory Pilsner.

This sheep's milk cheese from England was firm & flaky, not unlike parmesan. The quince gelee was sweet (perhaps too sweet?) & went very well together. The Pilsner was an excellent match as well. I gave this pairing 8/10.


2nd Pairing: Valencay & spiced plums with Captain Lawrence Liquid Gold.

This pasteurized goat cheese from Spain was very soft with a creamy, delicate texture, much like all goat cheeses. The only difference was that this cheese had a casing like a Brie or Camembert which had a blue cheese flavor to it. Delicious! I'm used to herb crusted goat cheeses, so this was a pleasant surprise. The spiced plums were spicy, sweet & tart, all at the same time - an excellent match for the cheese.

The beer was a new addition to the ATG arsenal & I really liked it. It was complex with subtle hints of fruit. 10/10 a perfect pairing.

3rd Pairing: Rebruschon & apple onion relish with Bear Republic Racer 5.

Just when I thought things couldn't get any better, this beast was placed before me.

This is a pasteurized Tome-style cheese from Piedmonte, Italy. It was firm, pungent, robust & delicious.I never eat the rind on hard cheeses, but I'll admit that this one was delicious. The relish was sweet, tart & acidic; it went very well with the cheese.

The beer was like a 'Sam Adams on Crack'. I hate Sam Adams, but I loved this beer. Yet another 10/10 pairing.

4th Pairing: Nisa & spiced raisins with Smuttynose Robust Porter.

This is a semi-soft raw sheep's milk cheese that was aged 6 months & hails from Portugal. It was sharp & pungent with a strong aftertaste, right down my alley. The raisins were spicy/sweet. Now the beer, hmm. I don't like Porters, so I'm not going to comment. 5/10 with the beer, 8/10 without.

5th Pairing: Cashel Blue & melon drizzled with honey with Sixpoint Oatmeal Stout.

This Blue cow's cheese hails from Ireland. It was strong & creamy with a complex aftertaste. The melons offered a sticky, sweet contrast to the cheese.

As I don't like stouts either, the staff were nice enough to pour me a 3 Philosophers which I was told is a mix of 3 ales. It has a subtle, sweet cheery flavor. I loved it. 9/10 (mainly due to the beer switch-a-roo).

All in all, I had a great time.

Tasting @ Against The Grain.

I've blogged Against The Grain (620 6th Street - right next to Grape & Grain btwn. Ave. B & C) ever so briefly before, but I had the pleasure of going to a cheese & beer tasting there yesterday. Yeah, you heard me right, beer & cheese tasting, NOT wine!!!

The formidable beers came care of Against the Grain which has an insane lineup of beers that you won't find on the beaten track & the cheeses were provided by Saxelby Cheesemongers who make their home in the culinary bastion of Essex Market (again, previously blogged).

There were 5 courses in said tasting & here is my take on the events...

Course #1
Nettle Meadow Kunik Cheese with Grapes in a Lavender Honey & Victory Pilsner.

I founds the cheese (from NY state) to be a delightful mix of Brie & Goat Cheeses. The grapes were tart & accompanied the dish perfectly. The beer was a classic Pilsner.

I gave this course a 9/10.

Course #2
Brovetto Dairy Harpersfield soaked in Ommegang Beer (NY State) w/spicy walnuts & Bear Republic Racer 5.

The cheese was good (vague, I know). I'm not sure if the texture was the cheese itself or the fact that it was soaked in beer, but I loved it. The beer was a 'hoppy' pale ale which I enjoyed. However, I found that if you ate the cheese & nuts together, the spiciness of the nuts totally overpowered the cheese. I gave this course a 5/10.

Course #3
Meadow Creek Dairy Grayson with Spiced Figs & Saison Dupont.

I really like this cheese from Virginia. It had a soft texture of a Brie or Asiago, it also has a smoky aftertaste which I enjoyed. The beer was a white ale which screamed of summer. I'd match it to a Hoegaarden. The spiciness of the figs didn't bother me as much as the walnuts in the previous course since the figs were tart. I gave this course 8/10.

Course #4
Cobb Hill Farm Ascuntey Mountain w/Black Cabbage Bread & Sixpoint Oatmeal Stout.

The cheese from Vermont was very strong, with 'Gouda-like' qualities. I liked it. The beer was a stout, which I'm not a huge fan of, but it put Guinness to shame. I scored this course an 8/10.

Course #5
Jasper hill Farm Bayley Hazen Blue with prune jam & Smuttynose Robust Porter.

The cheese from this course was also from Vermont. Teddy has had me hooked on blue cheeses ever since he served up an amazing Potted Stilton, so I was excited about this course. I found the cheese to be creamy, yet very salty when eaten by itself. The jam 'cut' the edge off the saltiness though.

The porter was very strong & being a lager man, I found it to be very overpowering. I would have given this course a 10 if it wasn't for the beer. I gave this course a 9/10.

All in all, it was an excellent night. I like cheese, I like beer; the night was ill. Check out Against The Grain on 6th St. for beers you won't find anywhere else.

Head to Essex Market & Saxelby Cheesemongers for fine cheeses in the LES.