4/5 for Cavern. To be completely honest, I'd never heard of Cavern until we received gift cards to their establishment for our wedding. Normally, we'd been fulfilling our fancy cheese requirements at Paddy's International Cheese Market, but they don't offer any type of sit-down experience the way that Cavern does. Located Downtown on the very popular 104th Street (shouldn't have been surprised, everything good and interesting is popping up there), you'll find Cavern by stepping though the wide-open double doors, and down the stairs into their secret cheese lair. The space is small, but adorable. You get to feel like you're in on a pretty great secret. There are only about three or four tables, and of course a small glass case filled with cheese. You can either stop in to pick up cheese on the go, or you can choose to sit down for what they're all about... The cheese board.
Our intentions on the Thursday evening that we had visited was to sit down and enjoy some dinner, as well as purchase some cheese to take home. Seated at a table, we were handed menus on clipboards and began to get a feel for their specialties. Clearly wine would be in order. You can't order cheese without wine. The list was quite extensive, with the option in most cases to order by 3 or 6oz, as well as by the bottle. As someone who greatly prefers red wines (something on the sweeter side) I decided to order the 2011 Feudi di San Gregorio Primitivo di Manduria from Puglia, Italy (Cherry & strawberry notes with slightly sweet yet elegant spices & mineral notes - $10.00 for a 6oz glass). The tasting notes deemed that this wine should be right up my alley, and it was. I loved how delicate and fruity it was, without being too strong and spicy, which I don't enjoy. I loved the big glasses that funneled all of the aromas right into my sensory centers.
We decided to begin our meal with a few things to nibble on, Olives ($3.00) and Popcorn ($3.00). I noticed that the price point for these were low, but I was still a little bit surprised by the tiny portion sizes, mainly for the popcorn. (Actually, the size of the olives was perfect.) These were both delicious though, I loved the variety of olives and spicy punch from their marinade. I suppose that the popcorn was a bit of a let-down not only due to the size, but because we were pretty sure that it was just the kettle corn that can be purchased outside of the restaurant on Saturday mornings at the City Market farmers' market. Don't get me wrong, I am obsessed with kettle corn, it's just that many restaurants are offering popcorn these days, and they all seem to have taken it in much more innovative and exciting directions than this.
Time for what we've come for! Cheese & Charcuterie for Two (Choice of 2 cheeses and 2 meats - $29.00). This was a difficult choice since there was so much to choose from, especially in cheese. For our meats we settled on Genoa Salami and Proscuitto di Parma. For the cheeses we went with a bloomy rind cheese, the Soeur Angèle from Quebec (goat & cow's milk: double crème with lovely mushroom flavour) and a blue-veined cheese, Stilton from Britain (cow's milk: moist paste, sparkling minerality, balanced salt & roasted nuttiness). Yes, they are very serious about their cheeses. The board also comes along with a plethora of other delights, including nuts, fruit (fresh as well as dried), bread, and a spicy pepper jelly. Upon it's delivery to our table, every component was explained to us in detail, and the love and pride for their work was very evident.
We loved working away, trying different combinations of the various items and rotating though everything. Every single morsel was delicious and the board was the perfect size for two people. I especially enjoyed the beautiful fruity bread, and of course the excellent cheese that seemed to match harmoniously with everything. The balance of flavours and textures was perfect, with some crunch, some sweet, some salt. The combinations that you could make are simply endless and you could never get board of creating new boards and trying new options.
In the mood for something sweet for dessert, we were told about the Cavern + Jacek Inspired Chocolate & Cheese Pairing ($11.00). This sweet treat was comprised of goat cheese with shaved 'The Jackie' bar on top. Now The Jackie bar (Caramelized milk chocolate accessorized with Fleur de Sel) was voted as one of The Tomato's 'the top 100 best things to eat or drink in Edmonton' this year, so trying it has been on my to-do list. This dessert was decadent. The firm yet creamy goat cheese almost took on the form of the most rich cheesecake. The chocolate on top danced in perfect balance, with it's salty and sweet flavours. So beautiful! They also offer two other cheese and chocolate combos, and I would be interested to try every single one!
The service was excellent at Cavern. Everything came up in a timely manner, and each time we were treated to a bit of a story about what we were about to enjoy. It was lovely to see how much care they are putting into their business. We did not leave the restaurant empty-handed either! We picked up another Jacek The Jackie bar as well as some cave-aged Gruyère. Our cheese adventures shall continue at home!
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