I’ll Have What She’s Having

Occasionally in my work I get a little wined and dined, but never have I been so deliciously cheesed.

Reps from Gaylord National Resort, a new hotel-conference center on the Potomac River in Maryland, came to town to introduce Richmond press to their new jumbo facilities complete with 2,000 rooms, a rooftop lounge, water taxi to Old Town Alexandria and an 18-story glass atrium.

That was all well and good, but they had me at Maitre d’fromage. Yes, that’s right. A Maitre d’ just for cheese. Apparently Carolyn Stromberg is the only one of her kind on the East Coast, but the post is common in civilized places like France.

The knowledgeable Stromberg seeks out artisanal cheeses from all over the world, learns their tales, gets to know their makers, then ages their cheeses in a glass-enclosed cave in her resort’s Old Hickory Steakhouse and presents them to the public. She’s pretty much my idol. The Cabot cheddar I’m eating while writing this is making matters worse. 

So back to the lunch: Stromberg served us the most incredible cheese plate accompanied by several glasses of sparkling Cremant du Jura “Coeur de Chardonnay” Domaine Rolet, making my return to the office terribly depressing.

Here’s what we ate (seen on the plate from bottom left, going clockwise):

Garrotxa goat’s milk cheese, Spain

Mt Tam (right), cow’s milk by Cowgirl Creamery, California

Ossau-Vielle, sheep’s milk, France

Reypenaer, cow’s milk aged Gouda, Holland

Crozier Blue (below), sheep’s milk blue, Ireland

I will now try and replicate this plate for the rest of my life. And I think I’m inspired to taker her suggestion and enroll in Cheese 101 at the famed Murray’s Cheese in Greenwich Village.