Reservations

Do you have reservations? Yes, but I came anyway!

Dilly Cafe Wines & Gourmet has entered the era of cyber reservations. All you need to do is go to or website (www.dillydeli.com) and click on the reservations button and voom! you get sent to Open Table.

Reservations of any sort are new to us, so we appreciate your patience as we get used to the process!

Speaking of the website - yes it is still sadly out of date in parts, but you can view our current menu now. And we have since garnered TWO Wine Spectator Best of Awards of Excelence (two cups).

This month Cincinnai Magazine named Dilly Cafe Wines & Gourmet the best beer by the bottle selection in the city!

Feedback appreciated - just give us a call.

Robbie

Thanksgiving Cheeses

We're "beefing up" our cheese case for the Thanksgiving holiday and beyond! Plese see the previous post for new dips and cooking tricks to make a fast, elegant and delicious meal!

Here are some of the newer cheeses in the case. More are on the way!

Carozzi Taleggio Italy

Type of Cheese: Whole, cow's milk. Texture: Taleggio's high fat content (48%) gives it a very creamy, semi-soft texture that turns runny as it ages. Rind: Washed rind, reddish-orange color with mold. Tasting Notes: This extremely pungent cheese has a very creamy and mellow taste. It's initial salty impact is followed by fruity, yeasty undertones. Wine Pairing: Pair with a young full-bodied wine such as Merlot or with a dessert Riesling or Sauternes. Serving Suggestion: Goes well with fruit on a cheese board, in salads, or mixed into hot pasta or polenta since it melts well.

Vella Dry Jack
A true masterpiece of American cheese-making and an exclusive with us. Made like fresh Monterey Jack and further aged for another 7 to 10 months. Firm, pale yellow with a sweet nutty flavor. This cheese is great for grating, shredding, slicing, cooking or just plain eating. Marvelous in toasted cheese sandwiches, omelets and souffles. Delicious shredded on pasta, soups or tacos --for a taste that is unique and special. Can also be added to casseroles and enchiladas. Dry Monterey Jack will become one of your favorites!
1988 International Gold Medal Winner
2004 Gold Medal, Los Angeles County Fair

Le Vache de Chalais
looks like a Banon, and is made from cow's milk, as the name indicates. It is truly a gourmet cheese, wrapped in chestnut leaves or grape leaves that has been soaked in white wine (eau de vie), and tied with raffia.
This lovely cheese comes from the Provence, which is the same region as Saint Marcellin. When the cheese is young, it is chalky and crumbly, with a sweet-tart tang, but during ripening, when the leaves become more brittle and turn brown, the cheese becomes creamier.
The rind will be covered with a blue-yellow mold crust and is slightly chewy. The flavor is complex and you might need a couple of bites to really appreciate all the flavors.

Bleu d'Auvergne is a name-protected (Appelation d'Origine Controlée, AOC) cheese from the Auvergne region in south-central France, where it has been made since the middle of the 19th century. Bleu d'Auvergne is made in the traditional manner from cow's milk and features blue veining throughout. Its moist, sticky rind conceals a soft paste possessing a grassy, herbaceous, and (with age) spicy, pungent taste. Bleu d'Auvergne pairs well with Alsatian Rieslings and classic dessert wines such as a Sauternes.

Haystack Mountain Applewood Smoked ChèvreA unique award-winning chèvre that is cold-smoked with applewood.
Ingredients: Cultured Pasteurized Goat Milk, Salt, Vegetable Enzymes
Serving suggestions: Add to a salad, crumble over grilled vegetables or serve on its own with an assortment of olives. Pair with Sauvignon Blanc or a non-oaky chardonnay.
Awards: American Cheese Society 2003, 2005 and 2006

Haystack Mountain Red Cloud
A smooth, soft washed-rind eight-ounce wheel with a reddish rind and a powerful flavor that is balanced and complex. Made with raw milk at our farm. Aged for 60 days.
Ingredients: Raw Goat Milk, Salt, Cultures, Enzymes
Serving suggestions: Serve with brandied cherries, roasted walnuts, any kind of citrusy chutney or Cerignola olives. Pair with a spicy Alsatian Pinot Gris, a good Reisling or Gewurtztraminer, or a strong dry beer.
Awards: American Cheese Society in 2007.

Haystack Mountain Snowdrop
A small white seven-ounce disc that is firm and silky with a dense, creamy interior that’s surprisingly mild. The thin, snowy-white edible rind contributes to its unique flavors.
Ingredients: Cultured Pasteurized Goat Milk, Salt, Enzymes, Mold Cultures
Serving suggestions: Serve with spiced pecans, dried fruits, oil-cured olives and savory crackers. Pairs well with Sauvignon Blanc, Sancerre or other fruity white wines. milk.

Epoisses:
The first Epoisses was made by monks in the Abbaye de Citeaux, in the heart of Burgundy. It is said that Napoleon liked this cheese very much. Epoisses is a remarkable cheese and follows a complicated traditional making process.
Epoisses making: Epoisses is one of last cheeses involving milk coagulation in France. The milk is coming from cows which have grazed for three months in the meadows of Burgundy. Epoisses is first washed with salty water. The cheese is kept in a humid cellar. After one month, Epoisses is washed again with a mix of rainwater and Marc de Bourgogne's spirit, two to three times a week. Epoisses imported to the US is made from pasteurized milk, which is required for unaged cheeses.

Tasting Epoisses: Epoisses has a powerful rich flavor, salty and creamy with a pungent smell and barnyard-y nose. The rind is edible and a matter of personal taste. Serve with a big red wine – ideally a Burgundy – a domestic Pinot Noir will also do nicely.

Serrano Jamon
The delicious, delightful Spanish cured ham (if you've never had it, think of procuitto). Wonderful as an addition to an artisan cheese plate, or wrap around melon, blue cheese stuffed dates or pitted almonds. We slice to order - please allow a little more time (or call ahead!)