Le Fromager de Saint-Paul

Luck would have it that Mijune would be in Nice at the same time as us and she would have time to meet!  We ended up driving over to St. Paul de Vence to rendezvou at Le Fromager de Saint-Paul.  Similiar to Mougins, but bigger, St. Paul is a medieval town that sports beautiful views, artisans and of course, excellent places to eat!  Like the name suggests, the restaurant specializes in cheese with other accompanying dishes as well.  We didn't go for anything complex and shared a bunch of little bites.

This included their absolutely delicious rendition of Pissaladeriere.  For those who haven't had this, it is basically a flatbread with caramelized onion, olives, capers, thyme and nutmeg.  Well, this was truly excellent with a thin crust that was slightly crispy in places.  The intense sweetness from the onions was balanced off well by the saltiness of the olives and capers.  Of course the tanginess from both also helped keep things from being too heavy.

Even though we had left Italy several days ago, we couldn't resist ordering some Burrata with tomatoes and balsamic. Mind you, Nice and the surrounding area used to be part of Italy...  Anyways, the burrata was supremely fresh with a creamy and cheesy centre.  It was topped with an aromatic and nutty pesto.  This went really well with the supplied baguette.  We got more of it since there was so much burrata (and other things on the table).  The tomatoes were super fresh and juicy.  Loved the simple balsamic and EVOO drizzled on it.

We ended up also getting our meat fix with a Charcuterie plate consisting of coppa, saucisson and jambon cru.  This was a nice collection of familiar items including the nutty and firm saucisson and the coppa was salty with plenty of fat due to use of pork shoulder.  Essentially prosciutto, the jambon cru was nutty, salty and fairly lean.  It was soft with the classic chewiness.  We had a baguette on the side and we ate that with the meat and cheese.

Also on the table was the Terrine de Cochon Maison served with a green salad, conichons and pickled onions.  We found this terrine very rustic and almost a bit fluffy.  This was not a tightly packed terrine and it was not overly meaty.  The combination of whipped meat and fat, it was almost spreadable.  I say almost, since it still had some chunks, so it didn't really spread.  Flavourwise, it was meaty but mild-tasting.  It was nutty from the pistachios strewn throughout.

And finally we had a slice of Truffle Brie as per my daughter's request.  This brie was really good being creamy and buttery without completely melting upon contact.  It was lightly sweet and nutty while the thin layer of truffle add the usual woodsiness and aromatics.  We combined this with the baguette and some meats to create layers of flavour.  So as you can see, the things we had at Le Fromager de Saint-Paul was pretty simple.  But really, this was sufficient as a light meal especially on a hot day.  Was cool to sit outside and catch up with Mijune while thinking of other things to eat later!

The Good:
- Outstanding location with a nice view
- Quality products
- They have hot dishes too, but we didn't try them

The Bad:
- Limited parking in the area, but that is a given

Golden Ears Cheesecrafters

When I was asked to help judge the Poutine Challenge, I quickly took a look at the participants.  Along with some surprising non-participating establishments (Spud Shack, La Belle Patate and Belgian Fries), I had to do a double-take when it came to Golden Ears Cheesecrafters.  Maple Ridge???  If I were to head out there, I would've guessed Big Reds... But they weren't participating either.  Well, whatever the case, I made the drive out with the family to check the place out.

At first glance, one wouldn't expect a bistro to be located within the farmesque building, but once inside the cozy confines, there lay a bustling kitchen serving up brunch.  As such Viv decided on trying the Farmhouse Hash with 2 easy-over eggs.  At first, we thought the chorizo was missing, yet in the end, there was just very little of it.  Hence, the hash felt like it was lacking in oomph despite the tender potatoes and nicely runny eggs.  However, the red onions and peppers did add some impact. More meat would've made this pretty good.  My son didn't venture too far off his favourites by selecting the Grilled Cheese.  Being a place that produces cheese, it wasn't surprising that the cheese was good.  However, the bread was a bit overwhelming for the amount of cheese.

As for the Farmer's Feast Poutine, it featured baked fries topped with chipotle curds, bacon, roasted corn, scallions and 48-hour wheat free gravy.  Considering that they were not fried, the fries were pretty crispy (albeit a bit dense).  I found the gravy to be fairly mild where the chipotle curds definitely dominated the flavour profile.  Since soup and garlic are 2 of my daughter's favourite things, we had to get the Roast Garlic Potato Soup.   This was thick, rich and sweet with a definite roast garlic flavour profile.  Hence, it tasted like its description, which cannot be said for many other things I've had recently.  Overall, the food here was well-prepared.  However, each dish (other than the soup) could've used a bit more meat and/or cheese to elevate the flavours.

*Poutine was complimentary*

The Good:
- Friendly staff
- Homey decor
- Well-prepared eats

The Bad:
- Lacking in meat and cheese that would make things better
- Limited menu  

Cowgirl Creamery Cheese Tasting

I love cheese. Ever since I was a little kid, I would never say no to cheese. Since I never really fancied regular milk, I guess my daily intake of calcium was satisfied by the fermented kind. I'm no cheese expert by any means; but I do eat it and like it. In fact, there are very few cheeses I dislike. Today, as part of our activities for the Foodbuzz Blogger's Festival, I signed up for the Cowgirl Creamery cheese tasting. Prior to this session, I'd already had a meat cone from Boccalone Tasty Salted Pig Parts and food from Out the Door in the Ferry Marketplace. Hungry I was not. As I was waiting for the cheese to be setup, I moved in to take my requisite photos. Naturally, everyone else followed suit. It's so cool that I'm not the only wacko taking pictures of cheese. I felt comfortable, a sense of belonging and most of all, no shame!

Sue Conley along with Peggy Smith opened Cowgirl Creamery in 1997 in Pt. Reyes which is an hour north of San Francisco. Today, we were lucky to have Sue running the cheese tasting session. I was in awe of her knowledge and sensibility while discussing the roots of her company and the process of making cheese. There is more than curdling milk!

We started with the most basic of cheeses - Fromage Blanc. They take Albert Straus milk and heat it to 185 degrees. To it, they add renet, acid, salt and creme fraiche. The result is a creamy, slightly tart soft cheese. It went really well with the accompanying crunchy crackers. The next cheese we sampled was Inverness which is made with milk that is high in fat and protein. Sue stressed that milk needs to be made into cheese within 48 hours because the proteins start to break down after that. With the high fat content, the cheese is naturally smooth and creamy. I found it slightly gamy and had a strong aftertaste.

By far, the creamiest cheese we tried was the Mt Tam, which is an aged cheese. It is also made of Albert Straus milk; in fact, they add more cream to it (triple cream to be exact). It tastes a lot like Brie and was quite rich. Sue said that they use the same process as making Gouda for Mt Tam. The last cheese we sample was the Batch 11, which is an experimental cheese that has not been released yet. Along the same lines as Asiago, it has a strong taste and it was a bit dry. Not exactly smooth, it exhibited an earthy, nutty flavour. It is also made with Albert Straus milk and is targeted to be less expensive than most other similar cheeses. Definitely an interesting session and now I know more about the cheese making process thanks to the Cowgirl Creamery.