PASSIONATE RATIONS

There’s a small restaurant in Northampton, Massachusetts, that caters to the cheese-loving crowd.

Bistro Les Gras offers a seasonally-changing menu featuring fresh local ingredients (their tag line is “French recipes. New England ingredients.”).

Once a month (usually first Sundays) they hold a cheese party.

For the cost of a monthly subscription, we get four generous portions of cheese–ranging from local to international origins–and an accompaniment PLUS the party.

We attended our first yesterday and it confirmed to us that the $45/month charge is worthwhile, particularly when one considers that specialty cheese of the same (or smaller) sizes typically range from $7-$10 in cost and don’t come with the same opportunity to socialize with our similarly cheese-headed neighbors and the restaurant’s owners.

The party features a selection of red and white wine, plus gourmet appetizers, including cheeses different from those to be taken home at party’s end–all included in the monthly charge. The cheeses can also be bought at the restaurant’s associated store, which carries a variety of meats and cheeses.

It was a great pleasure meeting some new folks, and running into someone we already knew through dancing, but did not know shared our love of cheese.

Haven’t yet tried our take. This month’s selections: Bucheron (pasteurized goat milk) from Poitou, France; Caciotta (raw cow’s milk) from Dancing Ewe Farm in New York; Fiore Sardo (raw sheep milk) from Sardinia, Italy; and Gres de Vosges (pasteurized cow’s milk) from Lorraine, France.

The accompaniment: Nairn’s mixed berries oat biscuits.

Yum. Stay tuned for reviews!