OMG That’s a Fine Cheese Plate
I love cheese plates. I order one whenever I see it on a menu.
In 2012, for no particular reason, I started taking pictures of them. I accumulated a bunch before I had the idea to create a photoblog for them. I put it on Tumblr, bought a domain, and OMG That’s a Fine Cheese Plate was born.
I’ve archived the pictures here. Tumblr doesn’t allow titles on photo posts, so I can only list them by date.
The volume of pictures for a given period usually corresponds with how much I’m traveling. Also note that I’ll sometimes save them up, then post them all at one time. If there are many pictures on a given day, know that the plates were likely consumed in the days previous to the listed date.
Occasionally people will send me pictures of their cheese plates, which I will happily post. And every once in a while, I find a picture on the internet which is worth posting. Also, my definition of “cheese plate” was flexible. Some of these are charcuterie boards, some are novelty items, and some are just about the joy of cheese in general.
These cheese plates have become something of a travel history for me. I can usually remember each one of them, including the trip I was on when I consumed it, and who I was with at the time.
This Year
November 7
Baked brie with blueberries and toast…and arugula, for some reason. Kitchen 2210 in Sioux Falls.
October 31
Warm brie, apples, and walnuts with bread at the Rosewood Cafe in Tacoma, Washington
August 23
I found this on Reddit. No context, other than that it’s simply awesome.
August 22
Ricotta and honey on crostini at R Wine Bar in Sioux Falls.
April 15
A picture from my friend John. He tells me the blue-ish stuff is something called “grijs spetserke” which I admit I have never heard of.
February 14
Fruit and cheese appetizer onboard DL11 from London Heathrow to Minneapolis.
February 14
Fruit and cheese tray at the Oakley Court hotel in Windsor, UK. Incidentally, this is the same hotel where they filmed The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
2019
December 23
Cheese board at Bouchon Cafe in The Shops at Columbus Circle, NYC.
December 20
Little cheese stick snowmen, from an event at the Blend Interactive offices in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
November 23
Warm brie baked into a puff pastry topped with blueberry-lemon compote.
November 7
Another nice-looking plate from a conference in London.
November 7
Meat and cheese tray at a conference somewhere in London.
November 5
Fried mozzarella patties at some random restaurant in the Minneapolis Airport. They had a more impressive name, but I forgot it. The sauce was a spicy tomato mash, which was quite good.
July 23
Burrata at Flortentine at the JW Marriott in Chicago.
June 22
The classic, at Parkers. The pulped kiwi was lovely.
May 25
My friend Rasmus ordered “Gammelknas cheese, rosehip tonka compote, and ryebread” at Cofoco in Copenhagen.
March 3
Cheese board at Fire Lake Grill in the Raddison Blu at the Mall of America in Minneapolis. The little pot in the center had spiced honey from hives that the University of Minnesota maintains on...
February 15
At 150 Central Park onboard the Harmony of the Seas. They made the cheese plate table-side, which is the first time I’ve seen this. The waiter brought a cart of cheeses, explained each one,...
February 12
Goat cheese and beets at 150 Central Park onboard the Harmony of the Seas.
February 10
Cheese bar in the Windjammer Cafe onboard Harmony of the Seas, a Royal Caribbean cruise ship.
January 1
A nice-looking cheese/charcuterie combo from my friend John’s wife, Mary.
2018
December 12
So, we thought this was a cheese plate, but it was more of a charcuterie board. There is cheese hidden under there. It was an Italian restaurant so it was all mozzarella and parmesean....
December 3
Charcuterie board at The Country Club of Sioux Falls.
September 20
Four-cheese plate at Serafina in downtown Boston.
August 31
Macadamia-encrusted goat cheese on flatbread and chili sauce at Turks and Caicos Cabana Grill in Sioux Falls
July 21
The charcuterie board at Morrie’s Steakhouse in Sioux Falls.
July 1
Cheese samples at Stensland Family Farms Country Store in Sioux Falls.
June 22
A plate at the Minnehaha Country Club in Sioux Falls.
June 21
Caprese bowl at Heat in Berlin, on the Alexanderplatz.
June 21
Charcuterie board at Steadfast at the Kimpton Gray in Chicago’s theater district.
June 16
Sesame-encrusted goat cheese and arugula at the Restaurant Granada in Stuttgart, Germany.
June 14
“Marinated Feta” at the Maratim Hotel in Darmstadt, Germany.
June 9
A beautiful centerpiece by my friend MaryLisa.
June 9
Three-cheese plate at The Market in Sioux Falls. The flowers were edible and filled with goat cheese.
June 6
So, this is technically cheese in a plate…of sorts. I don’t even know what it was called, but you spooned it out into a tortilla, and it was amazing. At El Caballito in Toronto.
May 26
Less of a plate; more of a bowl. This is fresh mozzarella, orange slices, mint leaves, and pine nuts, at Strandvagen 1 on the Stockholm waterfront.
May 15
A minimalist plate at La Merenda in downtown Milwaukee. The maple nut was nice.
May 12
At Crawford’s in Sioux Falls. It was a little weird: bread but nothing spreadable, and…chocolate.
May 6
The three-cheese plate at Splash in downtown Des Moines. The fig jam and goat cheese (in the middle) was spectacular.
February 9
The cheese plate at The Country Club of Sioux Falls.
January 23
Saganaki at Meraki Greek Bistro in Miami. Ten seconds before I took this picture, this cheese was on fire.
January 22
The five-cheese flight from the legendary Murray’s Cheese Bar in the West Village, NYC.
January 22
Lique in Miami Beach. The white cheese with embedded blueberries was fantastic.
2017
October 16
My employees got me this for bosses day.
July 7
Humboldt Fog, Prairie Breeze Cheddar, and some prosciutto at Prairie Berry East Bank in Sioux Falls.
July 2
The cheese plate at Parkers now includes sausage.
June 14
The charcuterie board at the Xi Bar at The Tower Hotel in London. (Literally, at the base of The Tower Bridge.)
June 8
The charcuterie board at Gordon Ramsey’s Union Street Cafe in London. The stuff at the far end is a hard, parmesean bread.
June 8
The four cheese dessert plate at Gordon Ramsey’s Union Street Cafe in London.
May 13
The classic ash stripe of Humboldt Fog at Prairie East Bank in Sioux Falls.
March 29
The three-cheese board at Vertical in Downtown Detroit.
March 28
The cheese board at Downtown Louie’s in Detroit.
March 27
The three-cheese plate at Sheldon Standard in Downtown Detroit.
February 24
Found this on Reddit. That’s a bunch of French cheese, arranged in the shape of France.
February 23
The large cheese plate at Parker’s. Big enough for the table.
January 3
Sausage plate with cheese curds at Longhorn Steakhouse in Council Bluffs, Iowa.
2016
November 5
The cheese selection at KaDeWe, or “Mall of the West” in Berlin. These are all the shots I got before a very unpleasant lady told me very strongly in German that I wasn’t allowed to take...
November 5
Cheese with bacon (and reading) at The Pullman Hotel in Berlin.
November 5
A dessert. Warm camenbert over apples, drizzled with honey and garnished with grapes and walnuts. Served with bread. It was amazing. I found it at some Swabian restaurant somewhere in Berlin,...
October 17
Bosses day. My employees hid the good cheese plate behind one with Spam and Velveeta slices. In the first picture, you can see the real one hidden under a white towel on the lower counter.
October 5
Brie, baked in a pasty, sitting in a yogurt sauce. It was ridiculously good.
October 5
The classic at Parker’s. It was for the table, so it was the “large.”
September 27
At a private reception at The Urban Farmer in Portland.
September 26
Conference reception at The Nines hotel in Portland.
September 26
The Urban Farmer in Portland. The honey (lower right corner) was from their own hives on the rooftop. When I told the server I was going to blog it, she rushed to get the sprig of rosemary to...
September 3
My birthday present: Manchester, by Consider Bardwell Farm, courtesy of Murray’s Cheese Shop.
August 29
At the free continental dinner at the Homewood Suites.
August 23
At 8407 Kitchen Bar in Silver Spring, Maryland.
June 22
This is something called “Goat in a Coat” at a place called 709 in Point Pleasant Beach, New Jersey. The thing second from left is warm goat cheese.
June 21
The five cheese flight at Murray’s in NYC.
June 2
The Grill on the Alley at The Westin on Michigan Avenue in Chicago.
June 1
Swift and Sons in Chicago. You basically needed to spread them all on bread.
April 9
My brother’s neighbor smokes cheese at home.
March 9
At the restaurant in the lobby of the Hyatt Regency Minneapolis. The grilled apple was a neat touch.
March 9
A half-eaten cheese plate from a client’s office in Minneapolis. The card said it was from some place with the inventive name of Cheese Shop.
February 4
The classic at Parker’s. Unpitted olives are a new touch.
January 3
Gorgeous catered plate at a friend’s Christmas party. The brie in the middle was so, so good. I still don’t understand how some brie ends up waxy and some (like this one) ends up creamy.
2015
December 16
The three-cheese plate at La Tomate in Dupont Circle, Washington DC.
December 1
I legitimately can’t remember where this was. Somewhere downtown Minneapolis at a place filled with small plates and happiness.
November 6
The Bedford Cheese Shop in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
November 6
The one, the only, the legendary Murray’s Cheese Shop and Cheese Bar.
September 7
My friend Rob, on vacation in Italy: “ Just your average everyday run of the mill supermarket selection. Commence drooling in 3, 2, 1…”
September 4
It was my 44th birthday yesterday. My wife surprised me with a 2.5 pound half wheel of Humboldt Fog goat cheese, which she turned into a “cake.”
August 15
The Fire Lake Grill at the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota.
July 22
Post by a Camille LeBlanc Bazinet, competitor at The CrossFit Games.
May 12
The classic at Parker’s.
May 12
From my business partner Joe: “Kids ate all the bread, so here’s a high-class charcuterie board…”
January 2
At MB Haskett in Sioux Falls. It was good, but small for 11 bucks.
2014
December 17
Cheese plate at the Sioux Falls Content + Design MeetUp.
December 9
If there’s anything I like more than cheese, it’s 80s New Wave. Combine the two and…
November 28
Cheese tray for the office Christmas party.
November 24
The five cheese plate at Petit Robert (“ro-bear”) in downtown Boston.
November 23
The charcuterie board at the Hyatt Regency in Boston.
November 18
Evening appetizers at The Ayers Hotel in Redlands, California.
November 18
The five cheese plate at Baco Mercat in downtown Los Angeles.
November 8
The cheese car at Prairie Berry East Bank in Sioux Falls.
November 8
Parker’s. The brown stuff is caramel goat cheese.
October 10
The Crawford’s. Good looking plate, but I object to cranberries on principle.
October 1
The cheese plate at Spezia. They dropped the hummus, but still served the crackers, which seems odd. The cheese was okay; nothing to write home about. The salami was good.
September 22
From my wife, for my birthday. Made by Cheeseworld in Sioux Falls.
September 22
My friend David provided this from a cheese case in Rio De Janerio.
August 15
From my friend Mark who didn’t even send this to me directly. No, I had to see it on Facebook like every other chump. That’s loyalty for you.
August 1
The Mars Cheese Castle in Kenosha, Wisconsin. These people take cheese seriously.
July 31
At The Mason Street Grille in Milwaukee.
July 31
Ehlenbach’s Cheese Chalet in DeForest, Wisconsin, just outside Milwaukee. I got a 10-year cheddar that was as sharp as a razor blade. They had a 10-year, but it was huge. And there was a...
July 13
Parker’s has re-split their cheese plate. They had turned it into a larger charcuterie board, but have now split that back into separate appetizers. Still great.
June 13
Poolside at Westward Ho Country Club in Sioux Falls.
June 12
Sampler pack from CostCo. Dutch Gouda, Creamy Havarti, French Swiss, and Aged Cheddar. Not the most sophisticated thing ever, but some damn tasty cheese nonetheless.
June 8
The new-ish “Cheese and Charcuterie” page at Parker’s. It’s way more entree-ish than before, though so presented as an appetizer.
June 6
The Anthologist in London.
June 6
The cheese of Borough Market in London.
June 6
A glob of Burrata cheese on top of thinly sliced Parma ham at a tiny little Italian place in London. “Burrata is a fresh Italian cheese, made from mozzarella and cream. The outer shell is solid...
April 26
A “cheese cake” by Cheese World in Sioux Falls.
April 23
The new charcuterie plate at Parkers. Wow.
April 7
A nice little plate at The Modern Hotel in Boise, Idaho. The fig confit was great.
March 22
Crawfords has had a charcuterie board forever, but they’ve supplemented that with an honest-to-God cheese plate now. The stuff in the bowl was a cheese spread that was quite good on the toast....
March 21
I like Tre in Sioux Falls, I really do. But to call this an “artisan cheese plate” is a little absurd. These were straight-up cheese cubes that you could get in the diary section of any...
March 20
A sausage and cheese plate at Gluek’s Pub in Minneapolis.
March 18
Anonymous cheese plate being carried by a waiter in an elevator at the Crowne Plaza Northstar in Minneapolis. The waiter thought I was a little weird, but whatever.
February 11
From my buddy Karla, taken at The Magnolia Hotel in Omaha. She notes this from the menu: Brie, Grana Padano, Machego, Vecchio, Beemster, Smoked Gouda, Boursin, Prosciutto, Lavosh I’m pretty...
January 19
A big ‘ol plate of cheese at the CrossFit Sioux Falls holiday party at Bros Brasserie in Sioux Falls. The brutal irony is that a lot of CrossFitters eat Paleo (even more so during the annual...
January 19
From my friend Peter, who says it’s “quesa manchego & membrillo” from his friend Dom, who is clearly either obsessive compulsive, way too into feng shui, or a frustrated geometry teacher.
January 10
Feta cheese cubes in some kind of sauce from Sanaa’s in Sioux Falls. Can only be described as “angry.”
2013
December 21
This was a fantastic cheese plate we got from The Market for David’s going away party. There was a big hunk of goat cheese in the middle, surrounded by little bell peppers stuffed with goat...
December 19
Corey took this at Empire State South in Atlanta.
December 19
Lots of Parker’s lately, but do the portions seem to be getting bigger, or is it just me? The preserves are new (and awesome). And when you put “Drunken Goat” on a plate, you just can’t go...
December 19
My friend Peter sent me this. There was no elaboration other than “I was at a dinner party at my friends’ home - Mike & Dom.” So, here’s a recap of what we know: Mike and Dom are amazing human...
December 14
At Southern Accent in Toronto with my buddy Peter. The presentation on this one was a little simplistic, but the cheese was first-rate. They had a firm goat cheese in there that was just...
December 14
At the Blend Christmas party at Leonardo’s in the Washington Pavilion in Sioux Falls. The real treasure in this one was a smoked Gouda hidden among the more pedestrian cubes.
December 14
Back at Parker’s. They’re getting really consistent with the honeycomb, which is nice.
December 14
Proof that there is a God and that He loves us.
October 30
At The British Pantry in Redmond, Washington, right outside the Microsoft campus. Of course, it’s a Stilton.
October 22
My friend Allan from Copenhagen sent me these from a birthday party at his sister’s house. I visited Copenhagen once with Allan, and I was determined to get a “Danish danish” (meaning the...
October 18
A $4 cheese and cracker tray on the Amtrak Acela Express from Boston to New York.
October 15
At NoMad in New York City. It was…okay. Nothing special. The cinnamon/raisin toast was interesting, and the little dish of white stuff was a mild brie.
September 28
Fromage a Trois at Leadbelly in Lincoln, Nebraska. More meat that cheese, really, but a decent smoked gouda, and an interesting hard blue.
September 27
At a reception for parents of students at the University of Nebraska Lincoln Parent Weekend. That’s a whole lotta cheese. There is beauty in overflow.
September 26
At Spezia for this one. They call this a “Tuscan Cheese Plate,” which I think is apt. The olives and asparagus give it an Italian feel. There was a great honey mustard sauce on the asparagus,...
September 25
Back at Parkers. The nuts were awesome on this one — candied with kind of a burnt twist to them. I asked for extra honeycomb and had enough to put some on every piece of cheese.
September 25
Here’s something different. Joe got this as an in-flight meal on American Airlines. “It was better than I thought it would be.”
September 20
Karla sent me this from Crawford’s, in Sioux Falls. I believe this is actually their charcuterie board. In my experience, it has more meat than cheese, but is still awesome.
September 13
At Grotesk in Helsinki, Finland during a wine party at Content Strategy Forum 2013. This really had a perfect mix of flavors. The blue was sharp; the orange stuff is a pumpkin puree, which was...
September 13
Fantastic plate made by my friend Daniel and his girlfriend Jessica at her home outside Stockholm, Sweden. I made a complete pig of myself with this. (Hint: a communal cheese plate that I’m...
September 10
At Victoria in Stockholm, next to King’s Garden. These are a selection of Swedish cheeses, which were wonderful. Two very sharp blues. I had this after a fantastic lunch of…wait for...
August 22
Posted without comment, because nothing else needs to be said.
August 11
Stumbled onto this on Reddit, under the title “Instant Mood Booster.” Indeed.
August 9
Last time I was at Murray’s Cheese Bar (back in June), they had a promotion where they gave out an illustrated cheese wheel poster if you posted a photo to Facebook and tagged them. I did so. I...
August 8
This is what me and my friends Karen and Lou did tonight. The eight cheese plate from Murray’s. It was the Cheesemonger’s Choice, and we told him to “keep it gooey.” The cheesemonger there...
August 4
Back at Parkers. The honeycomb is back (it’s hiding under the upper right corner of the nut dish), and the big hunk of brie is a nice suprise.
August 2
At The Tortoise Club in Chicago. This is actually a hybrid of a cheese plate and a beet salad.
August 2
My business partner Karla downed this baby at Perennial Virant in Chicago.
August 1
At Filini in Chicago. Not a fan. I paid $18 for this. Very little cheese, no toppings. Overpriced and not very good.
July 23
My wife made me a cheese plate. Figs and cheese go together perfectly.
July 10
At McNally’s Irish Pub in Sioux Falls, which is a little weird for an Irish pub, I think. There was a lot of cheese here. I find crackers a little pointless if the cheese isn’t spreadable –...
June 26
At Markethouse in the DoubleTree hotel in downtown Chicago. The gooey stuff in the middle is a little pile of heaven called “Creamont” from some place in Vermont. They served it with toasted...
June 21
Another from John Field: […] from my good friends’ wedding a few years a go - oh that we would all think of this for the evening buffet
June 20
At Cena in Appleton, Wisconsin. The bright orange stuff is nine-year aged cheddar. Sharp like a razor blade.
June 20
wanderluxe: Now that’s a damn good looking cheese plate.
June 19
At M.B. Haskett in Sioux Falls. Love the leaning tower of bread.
June 15
This one comes to us from John Field, across the pond. He says: […] Farnham, Surrey, UK, Lock Fyne, fairly standard for these parts, Goats, Brie, Cheddar, Stilton.
June 11
Murray’s Cheese Bar in the West Village. Mostly soft cheeses (by request). Frankly, amazing. To date, this is the King of Cheese Plates.
June 10
The five cheese plate at Artisanal Fromagerie and Bistro in Manhattan, and their cheese bar, behind which stood a cheesemonger who gave me a great impromptu lesson on how to make cheese.
June 5
At Confab at the Minneapolis Hyatt.
June 4
Our first international submission. From my buddy Joe, direct from France. Phare de la Meditaranee, Palavas-les-Flots, France. From the top of a tower with a rotating restaurant. Unfortunately,...
June 2
The Local in Minneapolis.
March 28
Parker’s again. The blue cheese here was strong as hell. I got some assurances from the owner that the honeycomb is coming back, so I’m looking forward to that.
March 27
Spezia. No artichokes this time. Hummus was great.
March 8
The blue cheese on this was so pungent that my mouth actually burned. For the first time in, like, ever, I left some cheese on the plate. (Also, Parker’s again…)
February 25
At The Corkscrew in Omaha. This also came with a big bowl of fresh, warm bread.
February 21
At Parma in Bloomington, Minnesota. Lots of bread, but spreadable cheese with fruit is always a winner.
February 19
The fresh honeycomb is back after a long absence. Yay! (Parker’s)
February 14
Onboard The Kitty Kat, a 65-foot catamaran anchored off the Turks and Caicos Islands.
February 12
Submission from my friend Kerrie. I loved the honeycomb – fresh honeycomb spread on a slice of hard, sharp cheese is as close to heaven as I’ve ever come.
February 9
The Reflections restaurant at Beaches Resort in Turks and Caicos. I made great use of this selection, I promise you.
February 5
Parker’s. Never gets old. Goat cheese FTW.
January 14
At Vitae in NYC. Two words: fig chutney. (More and more, I’m liking this format: small piece of bread, spreadable cheese, and some fruit on top.)
2012
December 27
Our first submission – this is from my buddy Joe, who is home sick today, so I have to assume he made this himself. Nicely done.
December 18
The fruit preserves on the brie is just inspired..
December 5
The old standby from Parkers. No honey this time, which was a bit of a let down, but wonderful fruit. The cut Kiwi was wonderful.
December 1
At Calico Skies Winery in Canton, South Dakota. I like the addition of figs.
November 24
Prepare yourselves, my little ones. This is: Smoked Cheddar, Gouda, Dill Havarti, Camembert, and Blueberry Infused Stilton (which tasted very much like vomit).
November 24
Thirty seven dollars worth of cheese, a few handfuls of smoked almonds, several sprigs of grapes, and 10 minutes of prep later…
November 22
Another interesting find from Reddit. Cheese “plate” on brown paper, with the names of the cheese written on the paper with a Sharpie. I like it.
November 21
My wife made me an awesome plate. Peppered Goat Cheese, Spanish Manchego, Dofini Reserved Guoda, and French Abby Port Salute. Nice.
November 19
Baby Swiss. Munster. Almonds. Grapes. The perfect afternoon snack.
November 19
The charcuterie board at Crawford’s in Sioux Falls. Probably more meat (update: she the definition of “charcuterie” in the next post) than cheese, but the intent is the same.
November 19
There’s just no question that this is a fine-looking cheese plate. (Not mine – I found this on Reddit.)
November 15
Not very sophisticated, I know, but I picked this up for less than four bucks at the grocery store.
November 14
From Parkers in Sioux Falls. Goat cheese FTW. Fresh honeycomb spread on fresh cheese is to die for.
November 14
From Spezia in Sioux Falls, SD. The hummus and asparagus was a nice touch and the vinaigrette was good to sop up with some bread.
November 14
Parkers in Sioux Falls. It’s different every time and I love it for this. Blue berries, yum