Hello Readers,
Craig here. Matt invited me to start posting on this blog now that I’m an official Durhamite. We’re hoping to cover a wide range of topics with The Durhamist but seeing as I have a large love of all things food my posts will likely be gastronomic in nature. Introductions aside - let’s get into this shall we?
Reliable Cheese opened this past Thursday (6/16). Situated close to Rue Cler, this latest Durham addition shows a great bit of promise and instantly adds a nice touch of sophistication to the up and coming downtown area.
On opening day the shop featured a limited but comprehensive selection of cheeses, deli meats, a few pre-made sandwiches, freshly baked bread from Guglhupf Bakery, as well as some odds and ends - olive oils, various condiments, non-alcoholic drinks, and a few variatial six-packs of beer.
In the future the shop plans to offer a wider selection of cheeses, more sandwiches, wine, and local beer from the likes of Fullsteam and Bull City Burger and Brewery. In other words, this little store could be your one stop shopping destination for a fancy night of entertaining friends.
The owner/operator was quick with the samples and gushed forth knowledge of all things cheese related.
On our inital visit we picked up a small sampling of cheeses including Forsterkase, Monje Blue, Beemster XO, and Les Frere’s. While these 4 cheeses run a pretty wide gambit of styles, textures, and flavors, the Beemster XO (a 26 month aged Gouda) with its complex flavors and tasty tyrosine crystals stood out above the rest. We also grabbed a half pound of the “Johnston County Prosciutto”, which is thinly sliced country ham with all the salty/fatty deliciousness of normal prosciutto but at the low low price of only $8 a pound. A fresh baguette for good measure and our afternoon snacking was in full tilt.
I can very easily see myself swinging by Reliable Cheese after a trip down to the farmers market on Saturdays. The prices seem spot on for the quality of products you can purchase and the knowledgeable staff are sure to find you the right cheese (and meats, and bread, etc.) for your taste.
Check it out won’t you?
Reliable Cheese
Tuesday-Saturday 10-8, Sunday 10-3
405 East Chapel Hill St, Durham, NC 27701
(919) 680-3939 | Map/Directions
