Nuts About Cheese appeared at the 2017 festival, and had one of our favorite items, the Baked Ham and Swiss Cheese Croque Monsieur Roll with Smoked Pistachios. Guess which item they removed for this year’s festival…
Of course, the croque monsieur is gone. But at least they replaced it with another item that made it into our top 7 new items this year.
Brie Toast with Fig, Mint and Almond Crumble – $5.00
This was on the menu last year but we didn’t manage to try it then because they were out of it when we visited the booth. I preferred this to the tartine flavor wise and it is much heavier on the cheese than the other dish. If you really want cheese, I’d skip both of these and just get the selection of 3 cheeses.
Goat Cheese Fromage Blanc Tartine with Rosemary and Hazelnuts – $4.50
Last year, they called this a chèvre fromage blanc tartine, so I guess they switched to calling it goat cheese because more people could pronounce it, or so they didn’t think it was a car. In 2017 we said:
This was nothing special, but I wouldn’t call it bad. It seemed somewhat of a small portion size though, price considered. I know what you’re thinking about other festivals and how portions are never huge there, but there are some options at this event that can be quite filling.
Selection of 3 California Cheeses – Point Reyes Blue, Vella Jack and Fiscalini Cheddar – $14.00
Although this replaced a favorite dish from last year’s festival, I feel that a cheese plate is something that guests would expect at this booth. While expensive, this is a nice amount to share and all of a good quality (although it could use a few more crackers than just 6 considering how much cheese there is). Cheeses include a Point Reyes Blue, Vella Jack, and Fiscalini Cheddar, all of which are very enjoyable, along with some fruit and candied nut accompaniments.
Mimosa Flight – Raspberry, Pineapple, and Strawberry – $16.00
We had high hopes for this, but unfortunately they were quickly dashed. The rather small cups are filled with about two ounces of fruit juice and two ounces of a rather cheap champagne. Chandon Brut is under $20 a bottle, so you get some juice and 75 cents worth of champagne in each cup.