Jane Burns
The Grand Fromage Board at Field Table is seasonal, from its cheeses to accompaniments like strawberries.
Sometimes, you just want cheese.
Options for nibbling the newly crowned Official State Dairy Product are not hard to find. You can find curds, battered and deep-fried, almost anywhere. But it’s more appealing to sit down, relax and focus on the cheese itself. What’s particularly valuable about ordering a cheese plate or board is it offers a chance to answer some of the questions people often have about cheese: What makes a good accompaniment? What’s the perfect pairing — wine, beer or a cocktail? While the traditional gastronomic role of a cheese course is after the meal and before dessert, around here it mostly serves as an appetizer. So what? Eat it when you feel like eating it!
Here’s a recent sampling of cheese plates on menus throughout the city. The list is by no means definitive, but it’s a snapshot of what’s available in various parts of town and beyond.
Brasserie V, 1923 Monroe St.: The Belgian-inspired eatery has had a cheese board on the menu since it opened a decade ago, and it remains a popular item. It’s easy to see why: When the board arrives it’s as much cheese porn as it is a cheese plate. Candied nuts, a chunk of baguette from Madison Sourdough, Wisconsin honey and Potter’s Crackers are interspersed among the cheeses.
Diners can choose three (for $16) or five (for $25) cheeses from eight available, and the list changes. True to Brasserie V’s European influences, it’s not an all-Wisconsin plate. We sampled Beemster’s Gouda from the Netherlands and Chimay Grand Cru from Belgium. We did feel a bit traitorous after declaring the Chimay a favorite (on a board that also included Hook’s 10-year cheddar, Uplands Cheese Company’s Pleasant Ridge Reserve and Bleu Mont’s bandaged cheddar). The creamy Chimay cheese, made by Trappist monks, went well with the Belgian beers we were drinking.
Field Table, 10 W. Mifflin St.: It’s all about seasonal here and that extends to its cheese. The selections on the Grand Fromage board ($17) rotate. Ours included Landmark Creamery’s Tallgrass Reserve, Pleasant Ridge Reserve and Nordic Creamery’s smoked goat cheddar. The accompaniments are also seasonal. In the middle of June, strawberries and pickled rhubarb were perfect additions, along with fruit preserves, honey and pecans. Field Table isn’t alone on the Square offering cheese; The Old-Fashioned and Graze also have cheese plates.
Eno Vino, 601 Junction Road and 1 N. Webster St.: Nothing says Wisconsin like a board shaped like Wisconsin, filled with cheese. This creates the quintessential dairy experience at Eno Vino on the west side. Even so, it’s not an all-Wisconsin board; Eno Vino even has the nerve to serve an Iowa cheese (although it’s the rightly famous Maytag Blue). Diners can choose two to five cheeses from nine selections, ranging from $12-$25. We went the international route of a Spanish manchego, a French brie and an Italian Parmigiano Reggiano, along with the Maytag Blue, that were presented with marinated olives, bread, fresh fruit, olive tapenade, rhubarb confit and whole grain mustard. All made a perfect treat with a glass of rosé on a warm, sunny day.
Fisher King, 1105 Laser St., Verona: The winery, recently relocated to Verona, keeps it simple for those who want a snack with their wine (or any of the other drinks available). Potter’s Crackers accompany three different cheese plates — the Artisan for $11.50, the Classic for $9.50 and a Sartori sampler for $10.50. We opted for the artisanal plate that offered a blue from Hook’s, Bleu Mont’s bandaged cheddar, Marieke aged gouda and Carr Valley’s Marisa sheep’s milk cheese. The white we had called Gentle Sin is suggested by the winery as a good pairing with the local cheeses, and it was. Fisher King, like many restaurants throughout Madison, also offers plates that combine cheese and local meats and sausages.
Village Bar, 3801 Mineral Point Road: Not everyone wants artisanal cheese and local crackers, which makes the Village Bar a perfect stop. For $4.95 (or $5.50 for the large), you literally get a cheese plate. It’s a paper plate with a mound of cheese on it, with saltine crackers as a side. Your choice is brick or Swiss, because the cheese plate is a chopped-up version of the cheese that goes on the tavern’s beloved burgers. It’s great for snacking, along with a beer. Even the small is a generous pile of cheese; we needed a doggie bag. It was perfect to walk away with some extras for later. Because sometimes, you just want cheese.