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| - If they ever decided to rename this place my vote would be Cheese Paradise.
The vintage deli cases are filled to the absolute brim with fantastic wedges of some of the best cheese from Wisconsin and the world. Round wheels of delight are stacked in every inch of space in this storefront on the Capitol Square.
And somewhere they happen to find space for gourmet oils and salts, chocolates and crackers and a small selection of higher end wines and spirits.
There are also samples, and lots of them. Satori Cheese is one of my favorite WI makers and I was happy to taste their Pastorale Blend Sheep and Cow's milk cheese. It was sweet , then cool and finished a bit smoky, largely because it's hand dusted with a robust Hungarian Paprika.
After snapping out of about 15 minutes of vacillating between sensory overload and pure cheese bliss, my senses were tempted by a large upcycled whiskey barrel full of cheese orphans.
If you're new to the concept an orphan is the little block of cheese that's left after most of the wheel has been sold. It's too small to accurately depict the visual beauty of a wedge or a wheel. So it's wrapped tightly in cheese paper, and marked as an orphan, or as they are known in my world - the perfect opportunity to create a small (or sometimes singular) tasting party! And Fromagination has more orphans in more varieties than most stores.
On this particular visit I found a home for:
Pecarino Romano - Made in Tuscany, Italy from 100% sheep"s milk, it's a very hard cheese that crumbles or shreds with a deep nutty flavor.
Red Rock Cheddar Blue Blend from Roelli Cheese Haus in Roelli, WI - It's a natural rind, sharp cheddar with a blue vein that's cave aged for 60 days and made with cow's milk for a creamy, mild cheddar flavor laced with a pop of blue.
Hook's Five Year Aged Cheddar - This Mineral Point, WI cheese factory has been crafting some fantastic pure and blended cheeses for over 30 years,. And if you haven't had their aged cheddars, you haven't lived. The longer a cheddar is cave aged, the deeper and more complex the flavors. A well aged 20 year cheddar can sell for over $50 per pound. So this Five Year is a nice compromise with and extra sharp full flavor.
Beenleigh Sheep Milk Blue - I've always been a fan of sheep's milk cheese. They tend to be creamier and hold deeper flavors than cow's or even goat's cheese. This particular blue is from the Devon Region of England and melts on your palate to reveal a strong blue with subtle spicy undertones.
If you have a cheese list this is the place to go. If you want to try new cheeses this is the place to go. And if you've never had great cheese, this is the place to go.
Basically, if you like cheese, this is the place to go, and enjoy!
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