Cheese and wine, what could be so fine? I loved this bright, open cafe and cheese shop in one of my favorite cities. We visited the Tchoupitoulas location, the second of this family owned establishment as that is where Brad Daschbach, the brother of my long time friend Hugh, and a certified and skilled cheesemonger works and manages. The first location was opened Uptown, post-Katrina in 2006 by husband and wife team Richard and Danielle Sutton.
Brad put together a lovely plate featuring American cheeses beginning with a raw milk Coppinger that was semi-soft with a streak of vegetable ash in the center. This was similar in flavor to cheddar, but with a softer texture and notable vegetal and earthy flavors. The Bismark, a sheep’s milk cheese, made in Vermont and aged in Brooklyn at Crown Finish Caves, was a firmer, milder cheese aged for 4 to 6 months. Rounding out our plate which was embellished with candied nuts, green apple slices and a delicious onion and balsamic chutney, were a pungent and creamy goat’s milk cheese called Tricycle and Oma, a raw cow’s milk cheese made by the Von Trapp family in Vermont. I found the Oma to be a perfect pair for the Clarksburg Wine Co. Chenin Blanc that my husband ordered. I suspect the Tricycle would have paired nicely with the Lionel Osmin Sauvignon Blanc.
Lunch was a manchego salad for me and the open-faced Lomo sandwich for Dave. Delicate curls of manchego were shaved over a bed of bitter and earthy arugula and topped with a generous pile of prosciutto. Thinly sliced pears formed a ring around the plate and the perfect amount of a quince vinaigrette finished the dish. The Lomo sandwich was served open face with crispy Spanish pork loin, manchego, arugula, and a fried egg, all drizzled with a pimento aioli. Everything was fresh, chosen with care and served with a smile. This is a great place to enjoy a lunch off the tourist path on your next trip to New Orleans. Tell Brad I sent you.