OMG That’s a Fine Cheese Plate

“ A nice board at Wind River Ranch outside Estes Park, Colorado ”

“ Charcuterie plate at Il Milo at Nyhavn in Copenhagen. No cheese on this, but it looked nice. ”

“ My grandson, rocking a Lunchable in one hand and a Rubik’s cube in the other while sitting on the floor at an airport. This reminded me of the time my daughter told me that my charcuterie board was just the adult version of a Lunchable. ”

“ At Terroni in Toronto. ”

“ It’s a cheese board… game about cheese boards. ”

“ Lovely little plate at Katerschmaus in Berlin. There were two of the creamiest soft cheeses I’ve ever had. ”

“ Lovely little board at my friends Mark and Sydney’s house in Ottawa. That little mouse knife has made an appearance on this site before. ”

“ At a corporate event in Seattle. These were called ‘Individual Cheese Boats.’ ”

“ Another board from my friend Susan. ”

“ A lovely board from my friend Susan. ”

“ From my friend Justin. ”

“ From my friend, Morgan. 12/10. ”

“ I stayed a weekend with my friends Mark and Sydney in Ottawa, Canada. They made this one themselves. I went with them to buy the stuff, but I can’t say I had much input in the components of it. I do love the little mouse knives. ”

“ This can only be described as ‘brie nachos.’ It was positioned as a dessert. Somewhere in Montreal. ”

“ Fine-looking plate at an event in Montreal. The French know a thing or two about cheese. ”

“ A ‘vegetarian charcuterie’ board at Lola’s in Omaha. ”

“ Nice-looking plate at the Hilton Kensington in West London. ”

“ A fine cheese and meat plate at the offices of Yext in New York City. They brought it in for a meeting (clearly, they knew I was going to be there). ”

“ Parkers again. A lot of meat on this one. ”

“ My wife bought this at the local liquor store. It was pre-packaged, but really good. I ate it while she beat me at Catan. Twice. ”

“ Solid plate at a restaurant in the Barcelona airport. No crackers, though, which seemed odd. ”

“ Back at Parker’s in Sioux Falls for the first time in years (it was my wife’s birthday). Always a lovely plate. ”

“ My daughter made me this. There’s no cheese, but it has that cheese plate vibe, doesn’t it? It’s apples, oranges, almonds, chocolate chips, garnished with peanut butter. She called it ‘fruit nachos.’ ”

“ Lovely plate at my friend Tim’s open house at his new workshop for Dale Tree Construction. It was done by a lady here in Sioux Falls, but I can’t remember the name. ”

“ Lovely plate at The Majestic in Kansas City. ”

“ This was a tired, used up plate at a retail store called Simply Perfect in Sioux Falls. It had clearly been out for a few hours, but I like the little flowers they made with salami. And a retail store that puts out a cheese plate? Bravo, friends. Bravo. ”

“ Nice plate at Juniper and Ivy in San Diego. I don’t know what the white stuff was, but it was delicious. ”

“ Nice plate at some place in Washington DC. ”

“ Shockingly good cheese board from Crawford’s in Sioux Falls. They didn’t have any meat, so they couldn’t do a charcuterie for us, so they scrambled together ‘just’ a cheese plate. It was amazing. ”

“ A deeply underwhelming plate from a beachside restaurant at Manly Beach, just outside Sydney. ”

“ An amazing burrata appetizer from Sapristi in Quebec City. ”

“ A collection of cheese boards from the Chateau Frontenac in Quebec City. Annie and I stayed up there for a week. ”

“ A ‘char-boo-terie’ plate for a Halloween celebration at Blend Interactive in Sioux Falls. ”

“ A small plate from the Jin Bo Law Skybar in London. I didn’t eat any of this, it just showed up at the table with a bunch of other food. ”

“ The ‘sausage board’ at Taphouse41 in Sioux Falls. It’s a little weird because there was only one ‘sausage’ on the board, but it was still very good. The fruit was all fresh, and the tomatoes in olive oil (at the top) were fantastic. ”

“ Back at Parker’s for the first time in years. The classic cheese plate is now a ‘meat and cheese plate.’ While I was eating it, my daughter said, ‘How is your Lunchable?’ ”

“ My Canadian friends Mark and Sydney continue to make me jealous with pictures like this. That’s Lake Huron in the background. ”

“ My friend Karla is wandering around Denmark. This is from a place in Odense called Eydes. ”

“ Burrata with split peas and candied walnuts. At the Union Square Cafe in NYC. ”

“ Burrata on…something. Tomatoes, maybe? This was at Sophie’s Steakhouse in Soho, London (it wasn’t mine, so I didn’t eat it, or else I would know more about it). Also, for some reason, I regularly encounter burrata in London. It’s Italian, for the record, but the English must enjoy it? ”

“The five-cheese flight at Beecher’s in the Flatiron District of NYC. True story When I’m in NYC, I love Murray’s Cheese Bar in the West Village. I went there to find – to my horror – that it had closed (the huge cheese shop is still there, but the bar/restaurant has switched to a takeout format on…”

“ Great little plate at my friend Jacob’s house in Miami. ”

“ An awesome spread at a business reception in Sioux Falls. No idea where they got it. The ‘flowers’ are actually pepperoni. ”

“ At Kindred, just outside Charlotte, North Carolina. The aioli was super-strong. ”

“ Charcuterie board at the Fire Lake Grill at the Mall of America. ”

“ Baked brie with blueberries and toast…and arugula, for some reason. Kitchen 2210 in Sioux Falls. ”

“ Warm brie, apples, and walnuts with bread at the Rosewood Cafe in Tacoma, Washington ”

“ Ricotta and honey on crostini at R Wine Bar in Sioux Falls. ”

“ A fine cheese plate from my friend Mark in Ottawa. ”

“ A good-looking selection from my friends Mark and Sydney from Ottawa. Complete with adorable little vermin. ”

“ 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. ”

“ Fruit and cheese appetizer onboard DL11 from London Heathrow to Minneapolis. ”

“ 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. ”

“ The five-cheese flight at Murray’s, with an Allagash White which is tough to find outside the northeast. ”

“ The cheese board at Todd English in The Plaza hotel in NYC. ”

“ The dessert cheese plate (which they told me comes from Murray’s Cheese Shop) at Charlie Palmer in The Knickerbocker Hotel in NYC. ”

“ Cheese board at Bouchon Cafe in The Shops at Columbus Circle, NYC. ”

“ The five-cheese flight at Murray’s Cheese Bar in the West Village, NYC. ”

“ Little cheese stick snowmen, from an event at the Blend Interactive offices in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. ”

“ Warm brie baked into a puff pastry topped with blueberry-lemon compote. ”

“ The ‘Fruit and Cheese’ appetizer onboard Delta 019 from London to Detroit. I was in economy. ”

“ Another nice-looking plate from a conference in London. ”

“ Meat and cheese tray at a conference somewhere in London. ”

“ 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. ”

“ An incredible charcuterie board at the LIV nightclub at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach. (It looks weird because the lighting was poor, and I had to brighten the image manually.) ”

“ A burrata appetizer at Scarpetta at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach. It was shockingly good. One of the creamiest things I’ve ever eaten. ”

“ The charcuterie board, deviled eggs, and a margarita at The Treasury in Sioux Falls. It’s the bar inside the upcoming Hotel on Phillips. ”

“ The dessert cheese plate at Florentine at JW Marriott in Chicago. ”

“ Burrata at Flortentine at the JW Marriott in Chicago. ”

“ The classic, at Parkers. The pulped kiwi was lovely. ”

“ My friend Rasmus ordered ‘Gammelknas cheese, rosehip tonka compote, and ryebread’ at Cofoco in Copenhagen. ”

“ 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 the roof of the mall. ”

“ 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, then cut them right there and added the garnishes. It was neat. ”

“ Goat cheese and beets at 150 Central Park onboard the Harmony of the Seas. ”

“ Cheese bar in the Windjammer Cafe onboard Harmony of the Seas, a Royal Caribbean cruise ship. ”

“ A nice-looking cheese/charcuterie combo from my friend John’s wife, Mary. ”

“ Christmas presents from my wife. ”

“ The cheese bin of a random store in the Vienna airport. ”

“ 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. Wienstein and Gaviano’s in Montreal. ”

“ A good looking tray my friend Jayson made. ”

“ Charcuterie board at The Country Club of Sioux Falls. ”

“ The classic at Parker’s. It’s been a long time. ”

“ Four-cheese plate at Serafina in downtown Boston. ”

“ Macadamia-encrusted goat cheese on flatbread and chili sauce at Turks and Caicos Cabana Grill in Sioux Falls ”

“ The charcuterie board at Morrie’s Steakhouse in Sioux Falls. ”

“ Cheese samples at Stensland Family Farms Country Store in Sioux Falls. ”

“ A plate at the Minnehaha Country Club in Sioux Falls. ”

“ Charcuterie board at Steadfast at the Kimpton Gray in Chicago’s theater district. ”

“ Caprese bowl at Heat in Berlin, on the Alexanderplatz. ”

“ Sesame-encrusted goat cheese and arugula at the Restaurant Granada in Stuttgart, Germany. ”

“ ‘Marinated Feta’ at the Maratim Hotel in Darmstadt, Germany. ”

“ A beautiful centerpiece by my friend MaryLisa. ”

“ Three-cheese plate at The Market in Sioux Falls. The flowers were edible and filled with goat cheese. ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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. ”

“ A minimalist plate at La Merenda in downtown Milwaukee. The maple nut was nice. ”

“ At Crawford’s in Sioux Falls. It was a little weird: bread but nothing spreadable, and…chocolate. ”

“ The three-cheese plate at Splash in downtown Des Moines. The fig jam and goat cheese (in the middle) was spectacular. ”

“ The cheese plate at The Country Club of Sioux Falls. ”

“ Saganaki at Meraki Greek Bistro in Miami. Ten seconds before I took this picture, this cheese was on fire. ”

“ The five-cheese flight from the legendary Murray’s Cheese Bar in the West Village, NYC. ”

“ Lique in Miami Beach. The white cheese with embedded blueberries was fantastic. ”

“ Menton in Boston. (Greg, you’re amazing.) ”

“ My employees got me this for bosses day. ”

“ Humboldt Fog, Prairie Breeze Cheddar, and some prosciutto at Prairie Berry East Bank in Sioux Falls. ”

“ The cheese plate at Parkers now includes sausage. ”

“ The charcuterie board at the Xi Bar at The Tower Hotel in London. (Literally, at the base of The Tower Bridge.) ”

“ The charcuterie board at Gordon Ramsey’s Union Street Cafe in London. The stuff at the far end is a hard, parmesean bread. ”

“ The four cheese dessert plate at Gordon Ramsey’s Union Street Cafe in London. ”

“ The classic ash stripe of Humboldt Fog at Prairie East Bank in Sioux Falls. ”

“ The three-cheese board at Vertical in Downtown Detroit. ”

“ The cheese board at Downtown Louie’s in Detroit. ”

“ The three-cheese plate at Sheldon Standard in Downtown Detroit. ”

“ The large cheese plate at Parker’s. Big enough for the table. ”

“ Sausage plate with cheese curds at Longhorn Steakhouse in Council Bluffs, Iowa. ”

“ At 39 Social in downtown Boston. ”

“ The Hawthorne in the Back Bay in Boston. ”

“ 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, populated with locals. ”

“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 pictures. My German friends were embarrassed that she was rude about it, but I didn’t want to start an…”

“ Cheese with bacon (and reading) at The Pullman Hotel in Berlin. ”

“ 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. ”

“ The classic at Parker’s. It was for the table, so it was the ‘large.’ ”

“ Brie, baked in a pasty, sitting in a yogurt sauce. It was ridiculously good. ”

“ At a private reception at The Urban Farmer in Portland. ”

“ 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 complete the look. ”

“ Conference reception at The Nines hotel in Portland. ”

“ My birthday present: Manchester, by Consider Bardwell Farm, courtesy of Murray’s Cheese Shop. ”

“ At the free continental dinner at the Homewood Suites. ”

“ At 8407 Kitchen Bar in Silver Spring, Maryland. ”

“ 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. ”

“ The five cheese flight at Murray’s in NYC. ”

“ The Grill on the Alley at The Westin on Michigan Avenue in Chicago. ”

“ Swift and Sons in Chicago. You basically needed to spread them all on bread. ”

“ The classic at Parker’s. ”

“ The classic at Parker’s. ”

“ My brother’s neighbor smokes cheese at home. ”

“ At the restaurant in the lobby of the Hyatt Regency Minneapolis. The grilled apple was a neat touch. ”

“ 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. ”

“ The classic at Parker’s. Unpitted olives are a new touch. ”

“ 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. ”

“ The three-cheese plate at La Tomate in Dupont Circle, Washington DC. ”

“ I legitimately can’t remember where this was. Somewhere downtown Minneapolis at a place filled with small plates and happiness. ”

“ The one, the only, the legendary Murray’s Cheese Shop and Cheese Bar. I got the five-cheese flight. ”

“ The Bedford Cheese Shop in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. ”

“ My friend Rob, on vacation in Italy: ‘ Just your average everyday run of the mill supermarket selection. Commence drooling in 3, 2, 1…’ ”

“ 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.’ ”

“ The Fire Lake Grill at the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota. ”

“ Post by a Camille LeBlanc Bazinet, competitor at The CrossFit Games. ”

“ From my business partner Joe: ‘Kids ate all the bread, so here’s a high-class charcuterie board…’ ”

“ The classic at Parker’s. ”

“ At MB Haskett in Sioux Falls. It was good, but small for 11 bucks. ”

“ Cheese plate at the Sioux Falls Content + Design MeetUp. ”

“ A LEGO cheese plate. ”

“ Cheese tray for the office Christmas party. ”

“ The five cheese plate at Petit Robert (‘ro-bear’) in downtown Boston. ”

“ The charcuterie board at the Hyatt Regency in Boston. ”

“ The five cheese plate at Baco Mercat in downtown Los Angeles. ”

“ Evening appetizers at The Ayers Hotel in Redlands, California. ”

“ Parker’s. The brown stuff is caramel goat cheese. ”

“ The Crawford’s. Good looking plate, but I object to cranberries on principle. ”

“ 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. ”

“ From my wife, for my birthday.  Made by Cheeseworld in Sioux Falls. ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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 14-year white cheddar that I frankly don’t even want to contemplate. ”

“ At The Mason Street Grille in Milwaukee. ”

“ 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. ”

“ Poolside at Westward Ho Country Club in Sioux Falls. ”

“ 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. ”

“ The new-ish ‘Cheese and Charcuterie’ page at Parker’s. It’s way more entree-ish than before, though so presented as an appetizer. ”

“ The cheese of Borough Market in London. ”

“ 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 mozzarella while the inside contains both mozzarella and cream, giving it an unusual, soft texture.’ ”

“ The Anthologist in London. ”

“ A ‘cheese cake’ by Cheese World in Sioux Falls. ”

“ The new charcuterie plate at Parkers. Wow. ”

“ A nice little plate at The Modern Hotel in Boise, Idaho. The fig confit was great. ”

“ 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. The walnuts were raw, not toasted, which seemed a little odd. ”

“ 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 supermarket. I suspect they came in a plastic bag labeled ‘Kraft.’ ”

“ A sausage and cheese plate at Gluek’s Pub in Minneapolis. ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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 sure half those words are made-up. ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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 Paleo challenges), so not a lot of people were eating it. ”

“ Feta cheese cubes in some kind of sauce from Sanaa’s in Sioux Falls. Can only be described as ‘angry.’ ”

“ 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 cheese. Add some candied walnuts, asparagus wrapped in prosciutto, salami slices – I just loved this. ”

“ Corey took this at Empire State South in Atlanta. ”

“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 beings. That is all. (Here there Brie. I see you lookin’ at me. Making those little goo-goo eyes at me…”

“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 wrong. In all seriousness, though, what I love about Parker’s is the variety. Some restaurants have a…”

“ Back at Parker’s. They’re getting really consistent with the honeycomb, which is nice. ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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 lovely. ”

“ At The British Pantry in Redmond, Washington, right outside the Microsoft campus. Of course, it’s a Stilton. ”

“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 pastry). I got one…and it tasted like pretty much every other danish. But this cheese spread – now this is…”

“ A $4 cheese and cracker tray on the Amtrak Acela Express from Boston to New York. ”

“ 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. ”

“ Fromage a Trois at Leadbelly in Lincoln, Nebraska. More meat that cheese, really, but a decent smoked gouda, and an interesting hard blue. ”

“ At a reception for parents of students at the University of Nebraska Lincoln Parent Weekend. That’s a whole bunch of cheese. There is beauty in overflow. ”

“ 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, and the hummus was awesome. ”

“ Here’s something different. Joe got this as an in-flight meal on American Airlines. ‘It was better than I thought it would be.’ ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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 supposed to share…is just never going to end well.) ”

“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 very flat; the nuts were coated in honey, which was sweet; and the bread was a pumpernickel, which…”

“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 it…Swedish meatballs (yes, yes, I’m a visitor…) (As it happens, neither me nor my dining companion had our cameras….”

“ Stumbled onto this on Reddit, under the title ‘Instant Mood Booster.’  Indeed. ”

“ 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 is the coolest guy – he comes out and explains each cheese with a passion you can feel. Love this place. ”

“ 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 surprise. ”

“ At The Tortoise Club in Chicago. This is actually a hybrid of a cheese plate and a beet salad. ”

“ My business partner Karla downed this baby at Perennial Virant in Chicago. ”

“ At Filini in Chicago. Not a fan. I paid $18 for this. Very little cheese, no toppings. Overpriced and not very good. ”

“ My wife made me a cheese plate.  Figs and cheese go together perfectly. ”

“ 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 – this isn’t a lunchable, folks. Walnuts were good, as was the salami.  I even ate the lettuce. ”

“ 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 bread sliced thin like potato chips. ”

“ 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 ”

“ At Cena in Appleton, Wisconsin. The bright orange stuff is nine-year aged cheddar. Sharp like a razor blade. ”

“ At M.B. Haskett in Sioux Falls. Love the leaning tower of bread. ”

“ 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. ”

“ Murray’s Cheese Bar in the West Village.  Mostly soft cheeses (by request). Frankly, amazing.  To date, this is the King of Cheese Plates. ”

“ 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. ”

“ At Confab at the Minneapolis Hyatt. ”

“ 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, I didn’t recognize the varieties, and there was a major language gap in finding out what they were ”

“ The Local in Minneapolis. ”

“ Spezia ”

“ 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. ”

“ Spezia. No artichokes this time. Hummus was great. ”

“ 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…) ”

“ At The Corkscrew in Omaha. This also came with a big bowl of fresh, warm bread. ”

“ At Parma in Bloomington, Minnesota. Lots of bread, but spreadable cheese with fruit is always a winner. ”

“ The fresh honeycomb is back after a long absence. Yay!  (Parker’s) ”

“ Onboard The Kitty Kat, a 65-foot catamaran anchored off the Turks and Caicos Islands. ”

“ 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. ”

“ The Reflections restaurant at Beaches Resort in Turks and Caicos.  I made great use of this selection, I promise you. ”

“ Parker’s. Never gets old. Goat cheese FTW. ”

“ The old standby at Parker’s. ”

“ Antipasto at Luciano’s North. ”

“ 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.) ”

“ 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. ”

“ The fruit preserves on the brie is just inspired. ”

“ Not highbrow. But still damn fine. ”

“ 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. ”

“ At Calico Skies Winery in Canton, South Dakota. I like the addition of figs. ”

“ Thirty seven dollars worth of cheese, a few handfuls of smoked almonds, several sprigs of grapes, and 10 minutes of prep later… ”

“ Prepare yourselves, my little ones.  This is: Smoked Cheddar, Gouda, Dill Havarti, Camembert, and Blueberry Infused Stilton (which tasted very much like vomit). ”

“ My wife made me an awesome plate. Peppered Goat Cheese, Spanish Manchego, Dofini Reserved Guoda, and French Abby Port Salute. Nice. ”

“ Baby Swiss. Munster. Almonds. Grapes. The perfect afternoon snack. ”

“ There’s just no question that this is a fine-looking cheese plate.  (Not mine – I found this on Reddit.) ”

“ 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. ”

“ Not very sophisticated, I know, but I picked this up for less than four bucks at the grocery store. ”

“ Parkers in Sioux Falls. It’s different every time and I love it for this. Blue berries, yum ”

“ From Parkers in Sioux Falls. Goat cheese FTW. Fresh honeycomb spread on fresh cheese is to die for. ”

“ 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. ”