In A Bleu Mood? Consider Ordering A Homage To Fromage

February 26, 1999|By Elaine Glusac. Special to the Tribune.

Good news for fromage fans: The cheese course is finding a home on more Chicago restaurant menus. Most choices are European, but the proliferation of domestic producers is helping to propel the trend.

"There are small farms popping up everywhere, small boutique farms making delicious cheese to rival European cheeses," says chef Sarah Stegner, of The Dining Room at the Ritz-Carlton Chicago.

Like wines, cheeses come in a vast number of varities. Generally, soft cheeses have more fat. And the longer a cheese ripens, the harder it gets. Wedge-shaped servings provide tastes of a cheese's interior and exterior, which develop different flavors.

Still can't separate curds from whey? Here's a quick primer:

What is the cheese course?

Though most think of cheese as a meal-ender, in Spain it begins meals. And in France, "We eat cheese for breakfast," says Bordeaux native Mehdi Spadavecchia, former chef at Mossant.

American restaurants often place cheese on dessert menus as an alternative for, or a transition to, sweets. "European diners take the cheese course and then have dessert afterward," says Spiaggia chef Paul Bartolotta.

Which cheeses to choose?

"A variety," advises Stegner, ". . . including cow's, goat's and sheep's milk cheeses." Some flavorful choices to consider include Petit Basque, a firm, earthy French sheep's-milk cheese; Roquefort, a pungent sheep's-milk cheese; Brillat-Savarin, a rich, triple-cream cow's-milk cheese; Morbier, a nutty, semisoft French cow's-milk cheese with a distinctive blue vein; and Crocodile Tears, a boutique American goat's-milk cheese.

How to eat cheese?

Sample mild cheeses first, then move on to strong. Using a fork and knife is appropriate in formal settings. However, Spadavecchia recommends a knife only, to spread cheese on bread. "It's an informal course that's nice to share with the table." Fruit -- apple or pear slices and grapes -- provides a light counterpoint to dense cheeses.

What to do with that rind on the brie?

Eat it; it's part of the mold that flavors cheese. (Never eat the red wax rind on cheeses such as Gouda or Edam.)

What to drink with cheese?

Experts recommend a full-bodied red wine or port.

Here's a sampling of area cheese courses:

The Dining Room at the Ritz-Carlton Chicago, 160 E. Pearson St., 312-266-1000. Up to three dozen choices are displayed on a cart wheeled to your table. Four pieces: $16.

Mossant, in the Hotel Monaco, 225 N. Wabash Ave., 312-236-9300. Six choices, with apples and grapes: $12.50.

Aubriot, 1962 N. Halsted St., 773-281-4211. A selection of four French and American cheeses: $12.

MK, 868 N. Franklin St., 312-482-9179. A sampling of three cheeses, with crackers and dried fruit: $9.

One sixtyblue, 160 N. Loomis St., 312-850-0303. A selection of nine cheeses in three, five or seven-piece servings: $5, $8 and $11, respectively.

Spiaggia, 980 N. Michigan Ave., 312-280-2750. Italian craft cheeses from Alpine cheesemaker Guiseppe Occelli: $14.50.

Blackbird, 619 W. Randolph St., 312-715-0708. A selection of five cheeses from France, Italy and Iowa: $12.

Restaurant Okno, 1332 N. Milwaukee Ave., 773-395-1313. Global choices, from Spain to France to Indiana: $12.50. With a glass of California port: $17.

Savarin, 713 N. Wells St., 312-255-9520. Five French cheeses served with fruits and nuts, $8.95.

Sunset, 1520 N. Damen Ave., 773-772-7414. A sampling of four varieties: $8.95.