Bar Artisanal! No, this isn't Artisanal Bistro, but a new bar in lower Manhattan. They get most of their cheeses through Artisanal Cheese Center, the same place the Bistro does.

More info on this meetup to come, but this bar has both a "bar" bar and a cheese bar. If you are into cocktails, they have an interesting selection to pair with the cheeses, as well as wine and beer. Since the Artisanal Bistro fondue was so popular, they now offer a traditional Artisanal blend of Emmentaler and Gruyere and a house blend. It's a gorgeous restaurant with a wide array of cheeses. The cheese menu rotates according to what is in season.

People drinking order drinks separately at the bar, but we will pool in for most of the cheese plates. I'll be sitting up at the main bar in my usual Green Bay Packers cheese hat.

Bar Artisanal is on 268 West Broadway, NY, on 6th Avenue where it intersects with W. Broadway, 1 block south of Canal St.

Before the weather gets hot enough to melt our cheese, let's hit Strawberry Fields in Central Park once more.

Everyone should bring his or her own blanket or towel as well as one cheese and your beverage of choice. (Once we had lots of cheese, but needed more blankets. Some peope also bring wine.)

Central Park is big, but this location is easy to find. Go to the John Lennon Strawberry Fields memorial area at around 72nd and Central Park West. There is usually a crowd there watching street musicians playing Lennon songs.

I will have a blanket set up towards the right of the "Imagine" circle. I'll also have forks, knives, napkins, plates, cups, corkscrew, etc. Suggested donation of $1 for supplies and bread that I'll bring

Bring about 1/2 lb of whatever cheese you want. I'll have on hand some Drunken Goat, Beemster aged gouda-type, Manchego, Provolone....plus a domestic cheese or two and whatever else I run across.

IN CASE OF RAIN!!! Alternate date is Sunday, May 17th, same time, same place.

Jenny, class coordinator at Murray's and member of the meetup group, has offered us a discount for the smoked cheese class next week. If you have ever attended a class at Murray's, you know that not only is it informative, but also you really get wined and dined. The instructor is the famous Zoe Brickley.

This class is usually $50 per seat, but we get the special offer of $30 per seat. 10 seats left!

You can rsvp here, but you MUST contact Murray's and let them know that you are part of the NYC Cheese Lovers Meetup and that Jenny has offered the group a discount. If you sign up on line, you will have to pay the regular price. 212-243-3289. http://www.murrayscheese.com

If you miss out on this, there will be another meetup coming up later in the month, tba.

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Smoking Permitted

In the chilly winter months, nothing quite hits the spot like the rich, warm, earthy flavor of smoked cheeses. (Believe you me, we're not talking about supermarket smoked Goudas that taste like a couple swigs of Liquid Smoke.) We keep a variety of subtle, nuanced, and truly artful smoked cheeses that are sure to keep you warm this winter. Zoe Brickley, Murray's Affineur and American Cheese Buyer, will teach you all you ever wanted to know about this bold bevy of cheeses. Bilingual class taught in both Standard American English and North American Indian Smoke Signals.

When: 01.20.09
6:30 - 8:00 PM

Instructor: Zoe Brickley

Status: 10 seats available

September is the perfect month for outdoor cheese tasting in Central Park! It's also my birthday month (9-9-67), and I want to celebrate with a smorgas-cheese-bord!

Everyone should bring his or her own blanket or towel as well as one cheese and your beverage of choice. (Last time we had lots of cheese, but needed more blankets.)

Central Park is big, but this location is easy to find. Go to the John Lennon Strawberry Fields memorial area at around 72nd and Central Park West. There is usually a crowd there watching street musicians playing Lennon songs.

I will have a blanket set up towards the right of the "Imagine" circle. I'll also have forks, knives, napkins, plates, cups, corkscrew, etc. Suggested donation of $1 for supplies and bread that I'll bring.

Bring about 1/2 lb of whatever cheese you want. I'll have on hand some King Ludwig Beer Cheese, Beemster aged gouda-type, Beemster with mustard seeds, aged Mahon and Piave....plus a domestic cheese or two.

IN CASE OF RAIN!!! Alternate date is Saturday, Sept. 20th, same time, same place.

Lotsa mozza in Little Italy! Walking cheese tour!

We will visit at least two bustling cheese shops in the Little Italy neighborhood of lower Manhattan - DiPalo's and Alleva. Both stores have fresh-made ricotta and mozzarella as well as imports of all varieties from Italy.

Here is a link to DiPalo's information. This shop is run by siblings Lou, Sal and Marie. Lou travels and gives seminars on the likes of Grana Padano and Parmigiano Reggiano.
http://newyork.citysearch.com/profile/7116564

They have a new website, http://www.dipaoloselects.com! Lots of videos of cheesemaking!

Alleva Dairy nearby is the oldest Italian cheese store in America!
http://www.allevadairy.com

Afterwards, we will visit a cafe'/bar yet to be determined. I was just in Little Italy and found several nice places. One famous place I'd like to visit is La Mela http://www.lamelarestaurant.com/contactus.htm, but to get a reservation, we need rsvp commitments.