Next weekend is full of big cheese events in NYC, and Eastern District will be representing in Manhattan and Queens!
Cheesemonger Invitational
The third annual Cheesemonger Invitational competition takes place Saturday, June 23 in the massive Larkin cheese warehouse, just over the Pulaski Bridge in Long Island City.
47 cheesemongers from around the world will compete for supremacy in 7 rounds of challenges, including a taste test, cutting and wrapping, and cheese and food pairings.
The final rounds, starting at 6 pm, are open to the public, along with a HUGE buffet of cheese, snacks, beer and cocktails.
Beth will compete on behalf of Eastern District. If you want to cheer us on and enjoy the awesome spread, check out www.cheesemongerinvitational.com for details and tickets.
New Amsterdam Cheese Market and Dairy Fair
Every Sunday from 11am-4pm, the New Amsterdam Market in lower Manhattan presents the best in regionally grown and produced foods. This Sunday they’ll feature a Cheese Market and Dairy Fair, hosting cheesemakers from Vermont (Jasper Hill Farm) to Virginia (Meadow Creek Dairy), along with a few select NYC cheese shops.
Beth and Anna will be there hawking a couple of our favorite cheeses, along with some special sandwiches. Come out to visit, taste, and meet and support your favorite cheesemakers!
The New Amsterdam Market is especially convenient to Greenpoint via the East River Ferry. See www.newamsterdammarket.org for more info.
New Cheeses
Back home in Greenpoint, we’re still waiting for our antique cheese cooler to be fully repaired (grrrr!) but that hasn’t stopped us from bringing in some great new cheeses.
Hidden Springs Farmstead Feta is a luscious, fresh, sheep’s milk feta from Wisconsin. It’s not too salty but full of flavor, with a soft, creamy, crumbly texture. Our new favorite feta!
Made by Willapa Hills Cheese in Washington State, Pluvius has been described as “blue cheese without the blue.” With a thin orange rind and pale yellow, moist and crumbly interior, it is obviously not inoculated with blue mold. But it is aged in the same caves as Willapa Hills’ blue cheese, and it develops a strong, tart flavor, balanced by rich milkiness.
“Conundrum” is the catch-all name that Jasper Hill Farm has been using for their new experiments in cheesemaking, and the latest version of Conundrum is a tasty one. The size, shape and texture of their mild, milky Moses Sleeper, the Conundrum sports a washed rind for a stronger, funkier, yeastier flavor. It’s delicious with fresh fruit, cider or beer.
Speaking of washed rind cheeses, Meadow Creek Grayson is back in season! We have four wheels from the first batch of the year, made from flavorful spring milk, and the cheese is just as creamy and flavorful as ever.
New Beers
On tap for a limited time, we’re featuring the latest Small Batch brew from Kelso: Brett IPA. A rare treat for flavor junkies, this beer showcases the aromatic bitterness of hops alongside the sour funkiness of brettanomyces yeast: a successful blend of characteristic American and Belgian styles.
Another flavor explosion, this time in bottle form: Avery Maharaja is a double IPA with citrusy hops and roasted caramel flavor, along with a strong dose of alcohol.
A returning favorite from Goose Island is Sofie, a crisp Belgian style ale aged in wine barrels with orange peel. Refreshing, grassy, funky, and a bit fruity, it’s a great treat on a summer evening.
More New Items
The Anarchy In a Jar jammers have been busy stirring up a batch of new recipes. On our shelves now: Rhubarb Hibiscus Jam, Sangria Jelly with citrus, apple and white wine, and Original Sin Chutney, a sweet-and-savory apple-based chutney developed just for Eastern District. (We’re also featuring that on our cheddar & chutney sandwiches these days!)
Also in the condiment department, we recently started carrying Beaufor Dijon mustard. It’s extra-strong, creamy and smooth, and quite a deal at $3 per 7 oz. jar.
Finally, Sea Bean Goods soup is back! It’s now in pints in the grab-and-go cooler. Flavors will rotate weekly – so far we’ve had curried carrot and apple and an amazing strawberry gazpacho.
We hope to see you this week, either at the shop or out and about at one of the big cheese events!