Speaking of cheese, we’ve always been fans of the dairy experience at Essex Street Market down there at the corner of Delancey. You’ve got the best of American caseus curated at the counter at Saxelby, and the best of the rest (of the world, natch) at Formaggio Essex.
So we were happy to find out the folks who work there wondered, as we did, which continent kicked more ass? (Okay, we agree they both produce incredible products with both terroir and true skill, but we’re trying to build a wrestling-type storyline, right?)
A few weeks back we were among the lucky few to attend the first Formaggio-Saxelby smackdown, in which cheesemongers at both shops partnered with some of Brooklyn’s best independent beer-shops (Formaggio with Spuyten-Duyvil Grocery, Saxelby with Bierkraft) to suss out exactly that. American cheese with American beers, European cheese with European beers, both teams breaking out their best products and their most mind-blowing pairings for just 12 lucky tasters who get to vote at the end of each round.
All were amazing. But in the end, the Olde World did leave the new world with a black eye in the corner of the ring. And they didn’t even use the Parmigiano-Reggiano!
There’s been other matches so far, teams paired with wine or other quaffs, but Monday night is the rematch of the original crew, and there are only a limited number of seats left — if any — so RSVP to bittersweetsoursalt@gmail pronto if you’re interested. You can root for your favorite nation, but as far as we’re concerned, tasting a dozen amazing cheeses and beers is totally a win for Manhattan no matter the outcome.
