I'm guessing what Zin means by "usual places" are the ones that have been in existence the longest.
Nick's, Bistro Maison and La Rambla in McMinnville
Tina's and Red Hills Cafe in Dundee
...maybe The Painted Lady in Newberg but it seems somehow not right to call that one "usual".

I love that you compared them to Jimmies!

I haven't had regular Cambozola recently but I don't remember it having the same issue. It's not quite as creamy in texture as their Black Label.

Another one that I remember having the different textures is Bleubry- a creation from Canadian cheesemaker Alexis de Portneuf. Not nearly as creamy as CBL but still has those mold pieces you describe that differ in texture from the rest of the paste.

Yep - 60%. Did fine with the "true" cheese questions but the sports ones tripped me up!

That's how it should (or was intended to) be. Because it's a double cream cheese, the mold pieces are never going to soften like the paste will and will just offer a contrasting texture. Maybe you would enjoy it not quite at room temp when the paste isn't quite as soft.

I don't mind the textural difference but also mostly eat it on soft bread so I don't also notice the moldy bits as much...

I think you're going to have to be more specific. What exactly did you buy? Many people refer to anything small and cylindrical that's soft as a brie... do you have a picture of the label? Brie is generally sold in wedges but small 6" rounds in the US can be also labeled brie -those are actually a Camembert by definition.

There are many small, artisan cheeses which ripen from the outside in that are pleasant in many stages. They start out in a cheesecake sort of texture all through then move to a pudding texture on the outside with softening cheesecake in the center then to completely pudding texture eventually. They won't ever get to the gooey brie texture you might be expecting.

Once you cut into a soft-ripened or bloomy rind cheese, it will no longer continue to ripen.

I haven't eaten at Thistle since Eric left but Emily is still there nightly and she's not going to stand for sub-par food. They still seem to be busy. Patrick is still pouring drinks - one of the best bartenders out there.

Paulee also recently lost its chef and we haven't been back since but loved it before...

I have heard great things from friends regarding Walnut City at dinner. Have just been for lunch and really liked it.

You have been to Nick's before, right? They just remodeled the dining room and have a completely different feel now.

Yep, Doobie - that's what I meant!

Buy smaller amounts and let your cheesemonger store the larger pieces for you until you need more.

Obviously that's not practical for your basic cooking cheeses like cheddar or Parmesan that many of us keep on hand in larger quantities but those cheeses are also sturdier. I like Formaticum's Cheese Paper but I've also just wrapped in waxed paper and kept in a Tupperware-type container.

Finally!! "6 weeks" after ordering, I received my Chiriboga this last Thursday.
Thanks for the reco, Cheesemonger. It's the consistency of room temp butter but still has a nice blue flavor and a little butter-milky. I love it!
It is a bit spendy - I've got it at $29.99/lb - so we'll see how it moves.

So... are you driving directly from Seattle to Yachats or do you have a night between the two destinations? If you are driving direct through, you can pretty much skip anything in-between. That's a long drive- especially if you're going down the coastline. You might look for recs along I-5 if that's the case.

I used to purchase from iGourmet years ago and most cheeses arrived just fine. I've since opened my own small store and so don't buy cheese online any more but they do have a very good selection. The founders have been importing cheeses for decades.

Where did you find it? I miss that cheese!
Still waiting on my Chiriboga...

Sounds like a great time!

Maybe bring up Google Translate on your phone and ask the question? I haven't tried it myself but a friend on vacation in France used it with good success...

They also make a fabulous bacon one (with real bacon in it) and I love their lime pickle flavor. Oh - and the yuzu chili flavored one is great too.
I used the Vadouvan on salmon fillets. Spread on a thin layer and bake at 400 for 10-12 minutes depending on thickness.

In her cookbook, she recommends serving the meatballs over a chickpea salad (she gives the recipe). My husband isn't a chickpea fan so I made a warm white bean salad with olive oil and lemon and served them with that. I think tomato sauce would kill the flavors in the meatballs so I wouldn't do that, personally. I also used ground turkey that included dark meat so it might have been a little fattier than just breast meat.

I think an omelet or scrambled eggs might be good if you skip the balling. My favorite thing when making hash (think Dennison's corned beef hash texture) is the crunchy bits you get when you fry it. The little pieces that broke off the meatballs when I fried them were so good that it made me think of the hash idea so I'm a little hung up on trying that.

I wonder if you could do little meatballs and cook them in a soup?

I made Smitten Kitchen's Sesame Spiced Turkey Meatball recipe last week and loved the flavors. http://www.deliciousmusings.com/?p=13400

One thing I discovered though, when I was browning the meatballs before putting in the oven, that the mixture would make a great hash. Next time I make the recipe, I'm going to skip the balling up stage, mince some potatoes and onions and make a hash out of the combo. I think it would be great with an over-easy egg over the top.

Generally you want to eat blues last - often they overwhelm your palate and throw off the flavors of more delicate cheese. Mild to sharp is best provided you've been given a clue as to which is what - which you should have been if you're in a reputable restaurant. Hopefully the cheeses have been plated in a certain order to help you out.

As far as accompaniments go, sometimes specific toppings are placed near the cheese they would best pair with but experimentation is your best way to learn what you like. Honey is fabulous drizzled over a wedge of sharp blue and quince paste is a traditional pairing with Manchego - but tastes great with a variety of similar cheeses. Try the cheese alone before pairing so you can get an idea of how your accompaniment affects the flavor- I don't use bread or crackers when first trying a cheese.

Personally I remember the Regina so fondly, I would have to say that. I remember it being the consistency of butter - not as soft as the Cambozola but rather a cheese you could still slice. It sounds a lot like what the Maestro describes Chiriboga to be.

Ha!
Still waiting for that Chiriboga...

The Champignon website refers to Cambozola Black and Classic as triple creams. I just checked a box from the Black and it states a content of 70% butterfat... so... close...

I love Regina Blu but haven't tasted it in years. It's harder for us to get Bavarian cheeses here in the NW. I think you would find it stronger than Gorgonzola Dolce but it's still not particularly strong. Cambozola Black is milder than Regina but stronger than their "regular" Cambozola (but not by much)- it's definitely creamier and richer though.

I just talked to my rep yesterday - 2 more weeks... "ish"! So much for the original 6 week estimate!

I mostly agreed with your tips and have often said that if I'm not drinking water, I'm drinking alcohol. Though I do have my one latte (though in weight loss mode, it's black coffee) in the morning. It's more of a statement that I'm not going to bother with soda or other sugar-laden beverages and that I DO enjoy drinking wine and cocktails. If you're watching calories, you must take that into consideration.

Maybe using an example of 3 hours to eat a sandwich was a little extreme but I think the advice to seek help was a reach. You are being honest and clearly are cognizant of nutrition and health.

I applaud you for being mostly kind and gracious to the "helpful" poster.

Received an answer this morning to my mystery from GB:

"Apologies for the confusion. We were shipped from Spain, in error, the Cinco Lanzas with Rosemary rather than the original Cinco Lanzas.

We had not planned on bringing in the product rolled in Rosemary, however after we realized product was shipped to customers in error and the feedback was WONDERFUL…we decided to add the item to our Garcia Baquero portfolio and offer both products: the Original and the Rosemary.

Please note that the Cinco Lanzas with Rosemary will be a higher price than the original product (which is still available)."

Now I can sleep at night :-).

Ha! I was looking around for the "contact us" tab but now I see the icons on the bottom of their page. I'll email them-

Still curious if any other cheese shops/counters have had the same experience.

A question for the cheesemongers out there. I have a small cheese shop and have purchased through my distributor 2 wheels over the past couple of months of Cinco Lanzas from Garcia Barquero. Both have been coated with rosemary.

I am having trouble determining whether or not this cheese has been mislabeled or if maybe they've changed their recipe. According to my distributor, it comes from the cheesemaker labeled and wrapped (I am buying whole wheels - not pre-cut). GB doesn't show any cheese on their website coated with rosemary and when I first sampled Cinco Lanzas at a trade show, it did not have rosemary on the outside - was more of the traditional Manchego basketweave rind. The ingredients list doesn't mention rosemary either.

On a positive note, it is tasty! I would just like to know exactly what I have and I can't seem to find contact info for GB. My sales rep has been of no help.

That's the way I do it too - don't know where I read it but by the time the oven reaches 400 (at least my oven) the bacon's about done. Always crispy.

Just tried the Celery with Red Pepper and Soy Sauce tonight (I'm too lazy to get up and look at the exact name but this is close). I've been looking for different vegetable side dishes in an effort to eat more veggies and lose a little weight (who isnt?). We really enjoyed it even though I didn't have organic Shoyu (I did use a very good quality one though) or excellent quality rapeseed or sesame oil (I used sub-par quality sesame oil). If you like celery, it's a nice dish. If you think celery is slimy or bitter - you might not like it. We enjoyed the break from the normal broccoli and salad to accompany our pork chops.