![]() Little did I know how much I would fall in love.This is a list of things to do in downtown Sarasota, FL. They are purveyors of varied fine artisan (hand-made) cheeses from across the country and across the pond, and I am very glad I went out of my way that first day to visit what I hoped would be a new obsession. ![]() They take as much time with every single customer as they need and deserve, explaining, and sampling, therefore the wait can be somewhat longer than what some may be used to, but rest assured they will spend as much time with you as they did with previous customers. Anyway, every experience I've had at this lovely little cheese shop has been fantastic. Plus, I learned a lot more about my favorites and why I probably love them so. I fell in love with some of them, and others, I'd rather avoid, but the point is that I had the opportunity to try them and make up my own mind. Ten different cheeses, a variety of different fruits and condiments, plus 3 glasses of wine - what's not to love? It was also a great experience, I was introduced to cheeses I would never have tried otherwise. It was great! I've also been able to sneak into a Cheese 101 course, and it was a fantastic experience. It was all phenomenal! I was there for probably over an hour, eating, chatting with the girls in the shop, chatting with fellow customers, and realizing that everyone who walked into that shop loved cheese as much as I do. I asked for suggestions from the cheesemonger, Angela, what my plan of attack should be, and she made recommendations, which I followed, but also tried other cheese/condiment combinations and was never disappointed. It was lovely! Three very different cheeses, grapes, dried apricots, strawberries, and two different condiments adorned the board, and was accompanied by thinly sliced baguette. My first introduction to their cheese selection was through their 3-cheese plate, and allow me to say, I was hooked from the moment the cheese board hit the counter. From the moment I stepped foot into their small, well-organized, shop, I have never been disappointed and I have been back many, many times. I have the very good fortune of being a Sarasota local, and can't believe it took me over a year to finally check out the Artisan Cheese Company. (And they don't deserve to be torpedoed as a result of one visit by a rude, condescending, exaggerating - if not outright lying - local ignoramus who is undoubtedly responsible for whatever understanding may - or may not - have occurred.) (FWIW, I've shopped at WF every day for five years before moving here, and twice a week since then.) They had a bit of a rough time for a few months recently, with all the construction on their block making it hard for people to tell if they were open and to get to the shop, but they have *always* been open as scheduled. You'll find cheeses here that you will never see in WF, and you will not be subject to WF's corporate decisions about what you should and should not eat. ![]() ![]() This is the kind of specialty shop that *real* foodies hope to find when they visit or move to a new area, and generally don't. They seek to continually expand their cheese knowledge for the benefit of their customers. The staff, from Louise and Parker to the newest arrival, have invariably been as polite, helpful, friendly, and generous with recommendations and samples as you could hope for in any shop. The cheeses are carefully selected and aged, with an eye toward finding new, top-quality, offerings. We moved here full-time, and have been regulars ever since. on the day they opened, while we were down here buying a house in Lakewood Ranch. Then we stumbled across Artisan Cheese Co. Background: For the past twenty years, we've done our cheese shopping at Murray's and Artisanal in Manhattan, and Cheesetique in Alexandria, VA.
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