The Cheese Course

Sometimes nothing but a sandwich will do when you're peckish. And a bowl of hearty soup. Just that. Not a pizza or a plate of pasta or a bucket of chicken. A quality sandwich with the best ingredients can't be replaced with anything when that craving strikes.

   
     Since cheese is a major food group all on its own for me, I decided to try this little place that has been on my radar for a while. How could I ignore a name like "The Cheese Course"? It's a small store, one of only a few in Colorado, Texas, and Florida, that specializes in the sale of wines and cheeses, but also serves a respectable variety of sandwiches and other light fare.
     A cursory look at their menu reveals an alluring array of ingredients to combine into sophisticated sandwiches. Things like Serrano ham, Aged English Cheddar, Scottish smoked salmon, raspberry cranberry jam, fruit chutney, artisanal cream cheese, for example, make it difficult for me to settle on one sandwich. I want to try them all, but I decide on the "soup and half combo" with the Spanish Serrano, Manchego cheese, and black olive tapenade on the whole wheat baguette. My soup is the Asiago Cheese Bisque, vegetables in a chicken velouté made with sweet cream, and julienne tomato and ham. John ordered the broccoli cheddar soup made with cream and topped with shaved cheddar and croutons.
     I wanted to assess these promising ingredients individually which forced me to remove the thicket of greens included in the sandwich. That done, I found a respectable amount of tapenade, not just a token schmear, and the ham and cheese were exceptional. Both soups were flavorful and silky to a degree that can only be achieved when using cream instead of milk. It makes a huge difference.

     The Cheese Course has a pinch of French bakery, a sprinkle of wine and cheese bar, and a dash of bistro. The perfect recipe for lunch with a flair.

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