New This May at Eastern District

We’re welcoming spring with a host of new items on the shelves. Here are just a few examples – drop in to browse through many more!

CHEESE

Our first Michigan-made cheese, Detroit Street Brick hails from Ann Arbor’s Zingerman’s Creamery. The boxy, bloomy-rind goat’s milk cheese is studded with green peppercorns, lending a spicy, grassy flavor to the natural tanginess of the goat’s milk.

Bent River, from Minnesota’s young Alemar Farm, is now officially our favorite American cow’s milk camembert style cheese. Gooey and buttery, with a touch of funkiness, it’s ideal for a simple picnic with a baguette and some fresh fruit.

Meadow Creek Dairy’s Grayson and Appalachian are out of season until next month, but never fear, their Mountaineer is here! A large washed-rind wheel of cow’s milk cheese, Mountaineer is hearty, nutty, sweet, and meaty.

Burrata is back! After taking a seasonal break, it’s back for the summer. A fresh mozzarella ball filled with cream and shredded mozz, burrata is great on salads, pizza or pasta, or just served with a sprinkling of salt and olive oil.

BEERS

We’ve got some awesome beers on tap for growler fills this weekend. One that we’re especially psyched about is the Greenport Harbor Brewing Company Maibock. Maibock is a strong but refreshing German-style lager, traditionally brewed for springtime. The fantastic Greenport version tastes malty and biscuity at first, with a bitter, clean, hoppy finish. Other recently-tapped beers include Greenport Summer Ale, Empire IPA and Barrier Dubbel Down – all from New York State.

Another of our favorite NY brewers, Captain Lawrence, has just move into a larger new brewery and started bottling some of their great beers on a regular basis. We now have 6-packs of their Captain’s Kolsch, Liquid Gold (Belgian-style ale) and Freshchester Pale Ale.

If you’re planning to celebrate the fine weather we’re anticipating this weekend, you may want to pick up one of the summer beers we that are returning to the store, like Victory Summer Love (a blonde ale), Anderson Valley Summer Solstice (with hints of vanilla), or a 12-pack of Brooklyn Summer Ale (our current go-to BBQ beer).

OTHER GOODIES

We’ve gotten our hands on some excellent local cultured butter, from Goodale Farm in Aquebogue, on the North Fork of Long Island. It’s great for baking and cooking, but it’s completely irresistible melted on some good toast.

In the meat department, we’ve added new charcuterie from Charlito’s Cocina, which is based in NYC but currently producing in St. Louis. Their amazing traditional Italian style sausages include Campo Secco (simple, with salt and pepper), Chorizo (spicy and slightly soft, great for cooking) and Trufa Secca (absolutely loaded with black truffles).

More Italian-American treats include Nonna’s Spicy & Sweet Sauces. Their two jarred tomato sauces are a great solution for a quick meal – about 1000 times better than any supermarket tomato sauce – suitable for pasta, pizza, meat or vegetables. Nonna’s Red Pesto, made with sundried tomatoes and red peppers, adds extra spice to sandwiches or other recipes. We’ve served it on crackers with sharp provolone for tasty instant mini-pizzas.

Another returning product: My Friend’s Mustard is now in the refrigerated case! We have a limited supply of the whole-grain Spicy Brown Ale mustard, just enough to tide over you mustard-lovers until My Friend’s returns to full-scale production.