Cheese, Cheese, Cheese

I grew up in Wisconsin. They make a lot of cheese there. Cheese was the after school snack. Cheese was a good source of protein, Everyone said so, because Wisconsin is the Dairy State.

So you can impagine my delight to find a country that has nearly three hundred kinds of cheese! Mon Dieu! Even De Galle said,

"How can you govern a country that has 256 different kinds of cheese?"

Now in Wisconsin, we were heavy into cheddar. They don't call us cheddar-heads for nothing, you know. We had a cheese factory in a little town not far from home that made the very best extra sharp, aged cheddar. I still crave it and look for it whenever I am near the border. When I was little, there were still local cheese factories, set by the side of the road, run by the farmers who got the milk from their cows. EVentually, the corporate conglomerates spelled the end to artisinal cheeses in Wisconsin.

But not in France.

Dorling Kindersley has a book, "French Cheese," that is 288 pages long! With Pictures. Did you know there are ten (10) kinds of Brie? That Roquefort is made from moulding bread? That goat cheese should only be made between Easter and All Saint's Day in November?

So when my friend at work told me about Astier, a Paris restaurrant with an incredible cheese service, I was all over it. From his description, I pictured a restaurant in a tent with formica tables and surley waiters. I don't know why. The reality is very different. Located in the Marais, it is a lovely, small, local, storefront restaurant with wood panelling and a nice bar. They try to seat the tourists upstairs, but don't let them do that to you. Sit downstairs, with the Parisians. They will all enjoy your astonishment and awe when the cheese arrives.

So here's what happens:

You order a lovely prix fixe dinner (around $30 without drinks). You have a lovely multi-course meal. And then they bring the cheese tray. This is a flat woven basket as big around as you can stretch your arms. Go ahead. Stretch your arms out into the biggest circle you can make. That's the size of this cheese tray. And then they leave it on your table. They just leave it there. You can have as much as you like.

Don't be shy. Just jump in and take a bit of everything. Just remember the etiquette - cut the cheese so it retains its original shape. So if it's a triangle, don't chop off the pointy end. Cut along the side, so it still remains a triangle.

My friend favored the hard cheeses. She said they were wonderful. I favored the runny, stinky cheeses. They were magnificent. I have no idea what I ws eating. I just knew I was very happy.

There was a stylish Parisian party sitting at a table kitty-corner from me. The woman had silver har, cut in a geometric cut, and was wearing a blackleather skirt and vest. She was wonderfully cool. She just stared at me and laughed as I ate my way through cheese heaven. I didn't care. I was having a wonderful time.

If you go to Paris, please go to

Astier
44 rue de j. p. tambaud
11th arrondisement

Just don't say to the maitre'd that you've come for the cheese. He gets offended.