Monthly Archive for March, 2007

Last night was a particularly fun Wednesday (for the most part). Liz and I were supposed to go cheese tasting at C’est Cheese (on Santa Barbara St.), but she generously offered up her spot so I could take someone else. We arrived and checked in and the owner (Kathryn) knew who I was immediately. I knew there was no way she could have recognized me (though I do frequent the shop about once a month). It turns out that she knew everyone else on the list and I was the only stranger. The pairing with wine was pre-paid but I was not sure if she wanted wine. Luckily she did, as it really enhanced the experience.

Normally, Michael (the husband) is there also, but this time Kathryn was flying solo. She had a couple of foam board displays which she used to walk us through the tasting. The theme was Cheeses of Switzerland I was surprised to learn they make more than Swiss cheese. Gruyere is the other famous one and the other cheeses are mostly all variations of Gruyere. I am all for variety, but it seems sort of a cheat to make very slight variations instead of creating entirely new flavors.

We were told to place the dried cherries at the 12 o’clock position and we moved clockwise. The cheeses went from mild to strong and you could taste the slight differences in each. The second to last cheese was particularly strong, but not overbearing, and it was creamier than the rest. We had to be careful to ration the bread, dried cherries, grapes, and Mostarda di Uva (mustard-grape dip) that was provided.

I learned that like Switzerland’s other products, they take great pride in their cheese. They cannot stand to release a low quality product. Luckily for them, good cheese comes from good cows and they have cows that have plenty of room to graze, lots of fresh grass and flowers to eat, and very clean water to drink. Kathryn joked that they give the California Cows a run for the money. We also learned about a gentleman named Rolf Beeler who is bringing cheeses of Switzerland to the global center stage. He works with small artisan cheese makers and ages their cheeses in his own facilities, then exports them when he feels they are the perfect flavor. This gives small makers cash flow to continue making cheese and it gives the consumer a higher quality product. I wondered what made him so special that he could essentially resell cheese at a marked up price. But I guess the fact that he is a maître fromager affineur (or master ager) and is very well respected is enough. Works for me.

The last cheese we had, Vacherin Mont d’Or, was horrendous. It was the most beautiful, however. A very light yellow color and great consistency – it looked like melted cheese. Surprisingly, in Switzerland and France, when the cheese is released, they have large signs in store windows and it’s served slightly warm so it’s even more melted!

The whole experience lasted about an hour and was a very unique and educational experience. In case anyone is interested, here are the cheeses we tasted, in order:

1. Appenzeller
2. Gruyere
3. Hoch Ybrig
4. Seelander
5. Vacherin Mont d’Or

After, we walked to Coffee Cat so she could get a decaf latte (shame) and then to the Arlington. The plan was simple. I had heard if you showed up half an hour before a show, you could get Rush Tickets. They were only available to students and were $10 a piece. It was a CAMA event and the whole corridor was packed from State Street to the main entrance. We waded through the sea of very proper seniors and got into the ticket office. The moment of truth was here. I asked for two rush tickets, a skip of a heartbeat, and a signed credit card slip later, and we had two tickets, center orchestra (near the rear) to see the Pittsburg Symphony Orchestra with Sir Andrew Davis conducting.

I don’t know anything about orchestras except I like seeing them and I love classical music. Maybe not as much as Ronald, though his love for them generally is limited to movie scores. I was reminded of Nick going to see his favorite trombone player with the Chicago Philharmonic. He told me that Pittsburg is not even a second tier symphony, so “imagine what a first tier one like Chicago would sound like.” The Wall Street Journal said:

You could go to concerts all your life and hear a performance like this only once or twice

Stick to stocks and bonds Wall Street Journal! What the hell do you know?! Luckily for us, the show was excellent. The Arlington has better acoustics during music performances than movies. This makes it great for the philharmonic and not so great for Matrix and Lord of the Rings Trilogies. The music was so relaxing and made me very sleepy. The featured performer was a young pianist by the name of Jonathan Biss. I thought he was fun, but not great. I preferred the rest of the orchestra. We stayed for the whole concert, which was not part of my plan, but it worked out perfectly. We got out around 10:40 PM.

Cheese tasting and an impromptu classical concert? Are you kidding me?!

Update 04-01-07 – Yonderincarp asked for the setlist so here it is:

Suite From Pulcinella [Igor Stravinsky]
I. Sinfornia
II. Serenata
III. Scherzino
IV. Tarantella
V. Toccata
VI. Gavotta
VII. Duetto
VIII. Minuetto – Finale

Concerto in A Minor For Piano and Orchestra, Op. 54 [Robert Schumann]
I. Allegro Affettuoso
II. Intermezzo: Andantino Grazioso
III. Allegro Vivace

Jonathan Biss, Piano

INTERMISSION

Symphony No. 5 in E-Flat Major, Op. 82 [Jean Sibelius]

I. Tempo Molto Moderato – Allegro Moderato – Presto
II. Adanta Mosso, Quasi Allegretto
III. Allegro Molto – Misterioso