Counter Culture

The lowdown on 11 local cheese shops that elevate dairy to high art.

Mass Avenue Wine Shoppe
878 Massachusetts Ave., 972-7966
Between the stacks of wine and beer at downtown’s Mass Avenue Wine Shoppe, the standard cheese-counter classics like Italian Taleggio and French Brie are on display. But a few more adventurous selections do appear, thanks to customer requests and owner Jill Ditmire’s nose for distinctive flavors. White Stilton—available with apricots, oranges, lemons, or blueberries—lacks the tasty mold of traditional Stilton, but its milder character blends nicely with the sweet-tart fruit. Also available in the case at this airy storefront: the sharp Cocoa Cardona from Wisconsin, with a rind dusted in a thin layer of cocoa for another blended flavor that can stand up to some of the headier wines and beers sold here.

Whole Foods Market
1300 E. 86th St., 706-0900
Last year’s controversial merger of Wild Oats and Whole Foods brought changes to the former Wild Oats in Nora Plaza, including (lucky us!) a wider cheese selection. As a natural and organic grocery, the store’s prepackaged organic cheeses from well-known producers like Organic Valley and Horizon Organic are obligatory, but there are a few more-selective raw-milk cheeses, such as the mildly flavored but aromatically striking French Morbier, with its telltale stripe of ash down the middle. (Originally, the line of vegetable ash separated the curds from two different milkings—one in the evening and the other the following morning. Today, the ashen stripe is added as merely a pretty tribute to the cheese-making tradition.) An intriguing mozzarella from Canada’s Woolwich Dairy that is made with 100 percent goat’s milk rather than the traditional cow’s milk is also available. Hoosier cheeses include Capriole’s goat cheese from Southern Indiana and Traders Point Creamery Fromage Blanc from just up the road. Seattle-based and award-winning Beecher’s MarcoPolo is nutty with spicy ground peppercorns and a label that outlines how 1 percent of profits are donated to nonprofit organizations that educate about the benefits of pure, all-natural food. Besides the good-for-the-Earth, good-for-the-local-economy, and good-for-your-conscience options, some classics—like the “King of Cheese,” Parmigiano-Reggiano—are also available. Since all the cheeses are pre-portioned and packaged to toss in your shopping cart, it is easy to study labels and help yourself.

Frasier’s Gourmet Foods
8902 E. 96th St., Fishers, 849-5409
Owner Joy Frasier keeps a rotating selection of fine cheeses that are cut to order at her epicurean shop. The collection puts an emphasis on imports, with gems like a Tasmanian smoked cheddar with an edible rind that enhances the creamy-with-a-kick flavor and a traditional English cheddar spiked with wasabi. Whenever possible, she stocks French AOC and Italian DOP cheeses, whose acronyms—for the French appellations d’Origine Controlee and the Italian Denominazione di Origine Protetta—designate production methods regulated and protected by law, ensuring a product of higher quality. Among a few domestic cheeses, Frasier offers Vintage Choice Cheddar from Vermont’s Cabot Creamery, a farmer-owned cheese-making cooperative that Frasier and her staff visited last year. The firsthand knowledge gained from that trip is supplemented by way of Frasier’s weekly e-newsletters and the shop’s Web site, since both feature the shop’s Cheese of the Week, with tasting notes and sourcing information. (Earlier this year, the mildly piquant Bleu LaRoche from France, a top-tier cheese, had its week in the spotlight.) Samples are always available, and the staff eagerly advises on pairings, recommending the balanced acidity of a Cremeux de Bourgogne, for example, as a perfect match with pinot noir.

Goose the Market
2503 N. Delaware St., 924-4944
At Goose the Market, owner Christopher Eley features a rotating selection of “Twelve Cheeses You Must Try Before You Die.” Though the focus at this bon vivant neighborhood shop is on charcuterie, cheese is a serious sidekick with new varieties continually on debut. Eley—who recently returned to Indy after a few years in Chicago—likes the dozen cheeses he carries at any given time to showcase both imports and domestic products, with a special nod to local cheese-makers like Traders Point and his secret Chicago source for handmade Italian Burrata, a soft cow’s-milk cheese balloon filled with thick, rich cream. Eley also tries to balance the types of milk used for his 12 cheeses, most of which are cut to order. Patrons might find delicacies like Chimay Grand Cru from Belgium that’s a semi-hard and pungent—but still creamy—cow’s-milk cheese, or the buttery Nancy’s Hudson Valley Camembert made with sheep’s milk from the Hudson River Valley. For true enlightenment, ask about arranging a “tour” of the counter, complete with olives, bread, and all the fixings.

Saraga International Grocery
3605 Commercial Dr., 388-9999
Mexican cheeses may not have the gourmet reputation of, say, the French fromages or Italian formaggios, but the queso selection at Saraga is an introduction to the great variety of cheesy tastes and textures that this nation produces. Asadero, or Oaxaca, is a fresh mild cow’s-milk cheese that melts lusciously in chili con queso and punctuates hot soup. For grating, try the aged, salty Cotijo—sort of like Mexico’s version of Parmesan. Mildly salty and sour, Chihuahua is especially good in fried dishes. Crumbly Queso Rancherito is a humble, farm-style cheese, while the lineup of cremas—Salvadoreña, Guatemalteca, and Poblana—highlight different Middle American countries and sour-cream flavors. (Just remember not to confuse the sweet Crema Mexicana used in pastries with its look-alike, the savory Crema Mexicana Agria.)

Taste Cafe & Marketplace
5164 N. College Ave., 925-2233
Because the omelets and basil-aioli pommes
frites are so good at this bustling brunch-and-lunch cafe, it can be easy to overlook the impressive selection of cheeses humbly displayed in a small glass case at the counter. Owner Marc Urwand compiles a seasonally rotating array of more than a dozen cheeses that emphasizes imports and, especially, French products. “I have a cherry-picked selection,” Urwand says of his spread that includes the stinky, runny, and delicious French Epoisse, a noble cheese that sets the standard, along with a celebrated French bleu, the Fourme d’Ambert. Pinzani Italian pecorino tartufello, made from sheep’s milk, is studded with extravagant bits of truffles, and Brie de Meaux, perhaps the world’s best Brie, can be appreciated by connoisseurs and novices alike since the richly creamy cheese delivers both full flavor and layers of subtle undercurrents. Avoid the busy lunch crowd if you want to fully savor your options here.

Trader Joe’s
5473 E. 82nd St., 595-8950
2902 W. 86th St., 337-1880
The cheese selection at Trader Joe’s is the cheapest way to travel in the world of cheese, where good-quality, high-value imported and domestic blocks are packaged in a well-organized display. Trader Joe’s–brand cheddars are sourced from around the world—from England to Wisconsin to New Zealand—and they share the case with specialty English cheeses like Cotswold Double Gloucester and Hereford with crumbled hops. About a dozen different goat cheeses—like logs of Silver Goat Chevre and Madame Chevre’s Fine Herb—are piled in neat rows along with half a dozen different Goudas, including the classic Old Amsterdam and the Dutch smoked version. Bleu cheeses are well represented, too, with cave-aged Societe Roquefort raw cow’s-milk cheese among about five other varieties. Fresh mozzarella comes in all sizes and shapes (from tiny perlini to wider medallions and even bigger braids), and Trader Joe’s organic, individually wrapped string cheese could make anybody feel like a kid again. Some tasting notes on the easy-to-read signage can help guide selections, but at these prices, it’s easy to try everything that catches your eye.

Marsh Supermarket
2140 E. 116th St., Carmel, 575-3650
Sure, the assortment at this particular chain location is considerably more diverse than the average supermarket’s lineup (not all the cheddars are bright orange, and imported cheeses make up a sizable wedge of the selection). But the man behind the counter is the true big cheese. Friendly and energetic Daniel Ribeiro manages hundreds of types of cheese at this northside Marsh and prides himself on his familiarity with both the product and the customers who have stumbled upon this foodie gem. He likes to chat with customers about cooking with cheese and offers creative suggestions, like grating a flavored Danish Havarti cheese for pizza rather than a blander low-moisture mozzarella. He’ll grate hard cheeses, prepare slices to a desired thickness, handle special packaging, and have the custom orders ready to go before customers have finished the rest of their shopping. Ribeiro is not afraid to open the prepackaged cheeses to offer a taste of something new, and he’s passionate about helping customers choose from among sharp English farmhouse cheeses and flavored French Bries. Such a deep product knowledge must run in Ribeiro’s family—relatives in his native Brazil run the Sao Paolo wine-and-cheese shop that has been in his family for four generations. “Yes, I miss Brazil, but I like it here in Indianapolis,” he says in his soft Latin accent. “The people are nice, and their English is easy to understand.”

Constantino’s Market Place
Indianapolis City Market, 222 E. Market St., 624-1500
A century ago, the Constantinos emigrated from Reggio-Calabria in Italy to run a bustling produce stand in Indy’s downtown City Market. Last year, their granddaughter, Theresa Mascari, and her daughters Concetta and Antonia brought their family’s tradition (and a bit of Indy history) back to the city’s greengrocer hub, stocking their new produce stand and deli with a variety of imported Italian cheeses. Many are rare in this part of the country, such as the salty, zingy Caciotta from Toscana. Two varieties of Lombardian Gorgonzola—milder, creamier cremificato and sharp, crumbly naturale—are both delicious, and they demonstrate the grand difference that results from even subtle changes in a product’s geography and tradition. For traditionalists, favorite standbys like Colombo Mascarpone, Parmigiano-Reggiano, mild Taleggio with its misleadingly strong aroma, and smooth Asiago fill Constantino’s temperature-controlled cheese cases, and would do any cheese tray proud. But the Mascaris’ aim to keep even these classic cheeses at a high quality by selling mostly DOP varietals (a high-quality designation, protected by law). Constantino’s also offers Parmigiano-Reggiano made with milk from a breed of Vacche Rosse, or red cows, that is rare even in Italy. Though historically, all Parmigiano-Reggiano was made with this kind of milk, few producers still issue the 100 percent Vacche Rosse product today. It’s pricey (over $36 per pound) but well worth the investment in the craft of cheese-
making and the opportunity to savor a bit of cheese history.

The Cheese Shop
8702 Keystone Crossing , 846-6885
A colorful patchwork of blocks and wheels is arranged behind the counter of this Fashion Mall shop where employees offer samples of mildly sweet Italian Toma and nutty Leerdammer from Holland. The emphasis here is clearly on imports—like fondue-ready Finnish Lappi,
buttery Austrian Grinzing, and nobly nutty Swiss Gruyere—and the international assortment also highlights English varieties, like Clawson blue Stilton; orange and ecumenical Red Leicester cheddar; and Huntsman, an embarrassment of riches with Double Gloucester layered around Stilton. The tiny print on name labels can be hard to read from the customer’s vantage point behind the glass, but the selection is a little easier to navigate thanks to tiny national flags that adorn each hunk: A Union Jack for tart Wensleydale cheddar; an Italian flag for luscious mozzarella di buffala; a Swiss flag for sage-flavored sapsago. One of the shop’s most popular cheeses is the Mediterranean Gouda, a mild, milky cheese from Holland that gets a spicy jolt from garlic pepper, chopped olives, and sun-dried tomatoes. But only owner Bryon Meyer and his wife know the secret and patented recipe for The Cheese Shop’s signature product, Sicilian Cream, an addictive dip of dried herbs blended with natural cream cheese that’s always displayed for customers to sample.

Vine & Table Gourmet Market
313 E. Carmel Dr., Carmel, 817-9463
Several hundred imports and domestics organized into categories make up Vine & Table’s impressive cheese assortment, punctuated by giant wheels that employees will cut to order. Large signs above self-serve coolers designate the sections of the store dedicated to Swiss, Gouda, sheep’s-milk, goat’s-milk, washed-rind, cheddar, Brie, bleu, and grating cheeses. Samples of cheese are strategically placed around the shop, with the largest variety of freebies laid out on Saturdays, when the store sets out tastes of French, Italian, English, and domestic varieties. It’s a great way to build up your cheese repertoire, and to ask lots of questions. Knowledgeable employees are quick to offer suggestions for a good melting cheese (Gruyere), an all-around crowd-pleaser (Manchego), something perfect for entertaining (Brie), or a rich but not harsh Roquefort (Baragnaudes). Despite the variety, the choices do not overwhelm, especially when someone has taken the time to make out little signs that note a cheese’s origin, type of milk, tasting notes, and even suggested wine pairings.

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