Venissimo Cheese - Del Mar location

If you grew up on shredded cheese that comes in plastic bags, you may have then ventured into the “fancy cheese” section of your grocery store.  The selection is limited and predictable – Jarlsberg, a range of Cheddars, Brie and feta.  If you want to go wild, cheese-wise, try Venissimo Cheese. They offer the delicious, the challenging, the complex and the weird from all over Europe and the U.S.  This is what we bought last week:

“Ol Sicur is marinated in port and lavender.  I had a prom dress this color.”

“Hi, I’m Harbison and I’m from Vermont!"

“Humboldt Fogs hangs ten!”

“This La Serena was too strong for us with too many ammonia notes.”

The staff is happy to offer samples.  They offer take-out lunch cheese plates.  There are cheese events like unlimited tasting events ($25), cheese-making classes, a cheeses-of –the-month program, and more.  They had some great looking cheese, fruit and cracker platters, as well.

We visited the Del Mar location, which has the space for chocolate-covered figs, honeycombs, a range of crackers, quince paste and other fine foods.  It is located in the Flower Park Mall – a fun place with a playground, clothes boutiques, restaurants and more.  We also visited their space at Liberty Market, which had the same range of cheeses, but fewer of the other goodies.