The Cheese Shop of Des Moines
Feb 28, 2012 We’ve been wanting to visit The Cheese Shop of Des Moines ever since they opened last November. We finally had an open Saturday and headed over to enjoy the whole cheese and charcuterie experience! Located in the Shops on Roosevelt on 42nd Street, The Cheese Shop is an awesome addition to the foodie world of Des Moines.
Husband and wife team C.J. and Kari Bienert sell more than 100 artisan cheeses and their knowledge of cheese and cheesemaking is seemingly unlimited. You won’t find any precut or prewrapped cheese here – all cheese stays on the rind until they cut it for you and hand wrap it.
They also sell fresh butter, cottage cheese, olives and many other items in this cold case.
The selection of wine and beer is pretty extensive. Some interesting wineries to choose from and plenty of craft beer are available to enjoy in the shop or take home. They also offer several wines by the glass.
It’s a cozy shop and the flow of customers was pretty steady. The staff stayed busy describing cheeses and filling orders.
There are a few high-top tables and a nice bar if you’d like to order from the menu, so we grabbed a table and started reading the big chalkboard menu. Once we started ordering, it was like we couldn’t stop. You’ll see what I mean.
We started with the Cheese Plate. Ours featured Missouri Truckle (cow's milk), Shepards Way Friesago (sheep's milk) and Tome de Bordeaux (goat's milk). A great variety of flavors, so many different tastes.
We also had a Meat Plate – Fra’Mani Salami Rosa, Fra’Mani Salami Toscano, and La Quercia Proscuitto, which we were told was made from the Tamworth pig. Sliced paper thin, all of them just melted in your mouth. If you enjoy charchuterie, this is the place for you.
It was Baconfest weekend, so The Cheese Shop had a special feature of Bacon Crudo, which is cured, but uncooked, bacon. Grant happily ate most of this.
I love cottage cheese, so I also ordered the Cowgirl Creamery Cottage Cheese with fresh Clementines. It was so fresh tasting and creamy and the clementines were the perfect bit of sweet accompaniment.
And what’s cheese without bread (or wine, which we also had)? We rarely pass up the chance to eat breads from La Mie, so we ordered up the ciabatta with olive oil. The crusty, chewy bread really paired well with the cheese and meat.
And see what I mean about the never ending menu selections? We heard one of the staff talking up a Wisconsin artisan cheese that was the most decorated cheese in competition, ever. So what the heck – we ordered some of the Pleasant Ridge Reserve from Uplands Cheese Company. It was so worth it.
We were finally ready to roll out of The Cheese Shop two hours later with a small container of the goodies we couldn’t finish. The Cheese Shop of Des Moines is truly a wonderful addition to the locally owned food purveyors in the metro – find the time to stop in and enjoy all they have to offer. We’ll be back soon.
The Cheese Shop of Des Moines
833 42nd Street
Des Moines, IA 50312
515.528.8181
Hours
Tuesday – Thursday 10am – 7pm
Friday – Saturday 10am – close
More information and a schedule of events at http://www.thecheeseshopdsm.com/
charcuterie, cheese
Reader Comments (8)
This is a wonderful and comprehensive insight into this little gem. Great review!
You were there after me! They apparently ran out of Bridgewater by the time you got there. The crudo is too hardcore for me, but glad you tried it. The cottage cheese does rock! A fresh chopped sprig of chive would have been another option if given a choice.
Wow, what a spot on review! We finally just got into the cheese shop ourselves and were blown away. I am so glad to have this fantastic little shop in my neighborhood!!
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slakingfool - we're sorry to have missed you! I agree, a sprinkle of chive would have been awesome on that cottage cheese. It was all good.
Deanna - thanks for stopping by our blog! We're so jealous that you have The Cheese Shop in your neighborhood. That would be dangerous for us (and our pocketbook!).
Urban515 - thanks for the kind words! We agree, it's a great addition to Des Moines.
Great review. This little spot and the cute-as-hell couple that run it are an amazing addition to this town. So many interesting tastes and textures from what is basically the same set of ingredients, in all of those cheeses.
Inthewater - I know, right?! We're just sorry it took us so long to make our first visit. Great place.