Atlanta etc.: Marilyn Wolf's Food Blog and Restaurant Blog

I stopped by The Hub near the river in Lincoln for a quick breakfast. To my delight, I spied toast with quark on the menu. Joerg alerted me to the existence of quark, a German cheese somewhere between yogurt and sour cream. I have come to enjoy it at breakfast whenever I can. It turns out that this is faux quark---their supplier got out of the business. It was good enough to fool me and very tasty. The toast was wonderfully crunchy and thick.

How could I pass up the Wisconsin Cheese Mart? The store has been here since 1938, after all. Inside I found a cornucopia of cheese. The manager was very helpful and encouraged me to try the wide range of samples arrayed around the store. A few of their cheeses at the far end of the rack are imported but pretty much everything you see there is Wisconsin. I ended up with a large assortment of cheeses. Everything I've tried so far is outstanding in flavor and texture. I am set for cheese for the next few months.

I have passed Maytag, Iowa and the Maytag Blue Cheese office several times. This time, I pulled off I-80 and drove a few miles through town. I found this attractive modernist office building at the edge of a cornfield. Wikipedia explains that this cheese is based on an Iowa State-developed process to make blue cheese from pasteurized cow's milk; the cheese operation was founded by grandsons of the founder of Maytag. It doesn't mention that the blue is a play on the accent color used on Maytag washers. This display of cheese was tempting. And when I got my slice home, I found it was wonderful. The cheese was rich in flavor and firm in texture. The blue gave sharp notes that perfectly complemented the smoothness of the cheese without being overly aggressive. Wow, what a cheese. You can find it in select stores but the office also ships. And check out this great tractor.

I very much enjoy Star Provisions' new digs as a place for lunch. The bright, airy space is restful and refreshing. And, of course, their food is great. I chose their cheese board for my lunch which turned out to be an excellent choice. The excellent cheeses spanned a range of flavors and textures. They were joined by nuts, peach jam, honey, and a rustic, raisin-studded bread. The meal was simultaneously hearty and flavorful.