After hearing about Carriage Trade Cheese Shoppe in Medford, NJ from Zelda's Mom, and posting on Chowhound looking for information on this new cheese shop, today, we finally made it to Medford to check it out, and we were not disappointed to say the least!
Upon pulling up, the first thing you notice is that the building is gorgeous, looking a though it recently went through a total renovation from top to bottom, inside and out. It is just a nice looking place, with a corner door, located on an angle, and a great, old fashion looking sign that suits the historic Medford downtown just perfectly.
As we walked in, the first thing that you notice is the giant chalkboard wall behind the cheese counter and register that lists at least 50 different kinds of cheeses, from different parts of the world! WOW! These cheeses range anywhere from Fresh & Bloomy, to Washed Rind, to Semi-Soft, to Firm, Hard, and Blue. The selection is by far one of the best I have seen locally, and the service behind the counter could not be any friendlier.
What I really liked was the fact that the girl working the behind the counter really encouraged us to try the different cheeses. Today, we sampled anything from a manchego with a rosemary rind, to a gruyere, to a Red Dragon cheddar with a mustard seed, and all were absolutely delicious. In total, we ended up leaving with 5 different cheeses, and a plethora of other great items.Another interesting feature that Zelda noticed on their board was the sign mentioning "cheese orphans." This consisted of a box of different size cheese in small qualities, that were the last of these particular cheeses. There was nothing wrong with these in the least, and we scored a nice farmhouse cheddar and beemster XO gouda from this box. There were probably at least a dozen different cheeses in this box, and it was just fun to look through.
Other than cheese, they also carry a lot of other items, ranging from cheese knives and cheese plates, to other gourmet foods and gourmet items, to include crackers, wine sausages, honey, gourmet chocolates, and sweet and savory confits.
They also offer an amazing amount of cheese classes, tailored to your needs, and they are also BYOB for the different cheese classes that they host at their facility. They are set up with some nice high top counters in the store, along with a small kitchen setup to host these different classes. I can say that I really look forward to attending some cheese classes there, or to set up some cheese courses with our local group of wine friends!
All in all, a great cheese shop, with a nice selection, and a staff that could not have been any friendlier or more helpful! $60 later, we were ready for lunch in Medford, and ready to roll. We walked out with 5 different cheese, a brie baker, and 2 Coca Cola's in the old school glass bottles (Made in Mexico and Fructose Free). Interested in attending a cheese class with us there? E-mail us at NJFoodies@gmail.com Cheese, I mean, CHEERS! -F. Scott
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Carriage Trade Cheese Shoppe
32A South Main Street
Medford, NJ 08055
Phone: (609)654-0400
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2 comments:
Great blog! I am thrilled to read about the Carriage Cheese Shop -- it sounds fabu dabu.
Madame: thanks so much for the note, and for visiting our blog! Carriage Trade Cheese Shoppe is definitely a jewel worth visiting, and I wish that we had more places like it in our area! The staff was great, and the cheese selection was world class. We look forward to visiting many times in the future, and also look forward to attending some of their cheese classes!
Thanks again for stopping by, and keep up the great work on your blog! Cheese, I mean, cheers! -F. Scott and Zelda
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