Cork & Rind Cheese Class - Show Me the Cheese

Now that my work schedule has changed, I was free to go to another cheese class! This one was even better than the last! That may have been due to being able to round up several of my friends to join me since quite a few of them live on "THAT side of the river".

Not only did Flory's Truckle appear again, there were TWO amazing cheeses by Green Dirt Farms. And I think I had the best cheese by Baetje Farms that I have tried.

Show Me the Cheese List

We started off light with the German Quark by Hemme Brothers Creamery. I thought quark was more like ricotta or mascarpone texted, but this was more like a spreadable goat cheese. Either way, it was a delicious spread.

Cheese plate

Next up were the two Green Dirt Farms cheeses: Ruby an Aux Arcs, which is pronounced "Ozarks"! I love the play on spelling there.

The Ruby had a texture of a brie but had way more funk to it and the Aux Arcs was more firm, closer to a cheddar. You can thank the sheep / cow blend for that bit of funk to their cheeses.

Flory's Truckle, I talked about in my previous cheese class post here: https://www.stlcheesegirl.com/2022/08/cork-rind-cheese-class-kevins-favorites.html

TLDR: One of the best cheddars I have ever had.

The last cheese was pretty amazing as the Miette by Baetje Farms was the funkiest of them all. A goat cheese with a white bloomy rind on the outside. It just melts in your mouth. 

All the funky cheese came home with me that night!

Resources:

Cork & Rind = https://www.corkandrind.com/

Photos by Lara Struttman

Salve Osteria

Savle Osteria, pronounced "saul-VEY" because I know you were wondering, has replaced Cafe Natasha. While I'm sad to see it go, I understand that it was time and I like to support all the new and fresh concepts that come out in the STL.

Luckily, I went in August, better known as BethFest, so Beth and her husband were able to join me so we could celebrate her birthday. This also helped in trying a variety of dishes!

With the Gin Room right next door, of course I got a cocktail. It was almost impossible to choose, but I went with my original first choice: Icelandic Pear. (Check out the restaurant's cocktail list below, although the Gin Room has so much more!) 

Icelandic Pear gin cocktail

Matt ordered a specialty Gin & Tonic, which was mixed by Natasha herself.

Natasha mixes a Gin & Tonic

Beth wanted to start off with a salad, and she's the birthday girl, so this is the Salve Cesar... it had a lot going on without the heavy dressing.

Salve Ceasar

I did help out, but I preferred to have room for the good stuff, so my starter was the Arancini. These were giant!

Arancini

Of course all these dishes are shareable and I highly recommend doing so.

And oh yeah...Natasha says you must try the Bacon Fat Carrots. So we did and she was RIGHT. You must.

Bacon Fat Carrots

As for the main course, I knew I was going to pick a pasta after hearing early birds rave about it, but I was torn between the Pappardelle and the Tagliatelle. Beth was a good sport and split them with me!

Pappardelle

Tagliatelle

I did add a meatball to the Tagliatelle too, although the Pappardelle was my favorite by a little bit since it was more savory. Not sure if the was the mushrooms or mascarpone or both! All winners though.

And you can't have a birthday without a dessert! I appreciated that the dessert list was included on the menu so you could plan accordingly.

This is the Cannoli Cheesecake and I didn't let one chocolate chip get left behind!

Cannoli Cheesecake

Impeccable service as always Natasha. I can't wait to come back.

Beverage List

Food Menu

Resources:

Slave Osteria = https://www.salveosteria.com/