Whenever we have guests over, there’s always a platter of cheese, charcuterie, olives, and crackers on the table. Making these platters are easy, especially if you have cheesemongers to help you select what to get. Don’t know a good one (or two)? May we recommend Ken Skovron and his wife Tori of Darien Cheese & Fine Foods located in the Goodwives Shopping Complex in Darien, CT. They opened this store in 1986 and have been helping their customers find the right cheese. They don’t just make a recommendation, they give you a sample and talk about the various cheeses they sell: how to create a cheese plate, where the cheese comes from, and who produces it.
 |
| Sample extra virgin olive oil in these slabs of marble |
Darien Cheese sells cheese from around the world, from familiar names like Swiss Emmentaler, Prosciutto di Parma, and Pecorino to Forsterkase from Northern Switzerland, Bonne Bouche from Vermont Butter & Cheese Creamery, to name a few.
 |
Ken asked if we’ve ever had liverwurst. “Not the real stuff,” I replied. Then he gave us a sample of liverwurst spread on 100% rye bread called Feinschmecker. It was rich and flavorful, and would be great with an ice cold glass of beer. Too bad we were heading out of state, we would have purchased some for later. We’ll be back for more.
Be sure to try their sandwiches, which we like to call broodjes as they remind us of the sandwiches we ate during our recent trip to Amsterdam. We had a couple freshly made for us: a pretzel roll with ham, cheese, grain mustard, and pickles. We paired the sandwiches with Sicilian Castelvetrano olives, a bright green olive that has a crisp pulp and delicate flavor. It’s probably my new favorite kind of olive.
Darien Cheese & Fine Foods
25-10 Old Kings Highway North
Darien, CT 06820
Tel: (203) 655-4344
Facebook: facebook.com/DarienCheeseFineFoods
www.dariencheese.com
Store Hours
Tuesday through Friday: 10am to 5:30pm
Saturday: 9am to 5:30pm
Closed Sunday and Monday
