The best cheese shop, by far, in the New World is the famed Murray's. The US has plenty of cheese shops, but Murray's is the big cheese. Since I enjoy discovering obscure stinky cheeses, a daughter and her boyfriend picked some out for me at Christmastime:
- Ossau-Trate Vieille
- Ardrahan from Ireland (Whew! Mighty stinky, like old wet socks which have been left to ferment in a bog. Delicious and tangy.)
- Chevre D'Argental - a recently-invented goat brie
That's cheese heaven for Bird Dog.
Murray's main shop is on Bleecker St., but they now have a handy outpost in Grand Central Station in that like totally cool Grand Central Market. Even better, they take online orders. Problem with that is that they have so many varieties to taste that it's difficult to select from a distance. However, you can talk to their cheesemongers on the phone.
Remember the...
Maggie's Rules of Cheese
- Cheese is health food
- Stinky cheeses are the zippiest
- Cheese has to be offered at room temperature
- Never serve a cheese before a meal. Good cheeses are instead of dessert, maybe after a tiny scoop of sorbet. A savoury. A Cheese Board is the thing - a platter, not wood.
- Cheese without a wine (or, in Stilton's case, a Port and in some cases, beer or ale) is never all it can be. Murray's recommends their beverage pairings and they know what they are talking about. (For example, their advice for a cheese board parmesan)
- Cheese should always be offered with jams, preserves, pepper jelly, or fresh or dried fruits and nuts. Bread and crackers optional.
