It's one of my favorite places for cutting corners.
If you can't make it to Union Square, Grand Army Plaza, or Fort Greene's Greenmarket on Saturday — the only day that the Cato Corner folks drive in from Connecticut — you can still find their raw-milk cheeses at many of the city's better restaurants and specialty shops. What you'll miss though, is the pleasure of chatting with the farmers themselves, and being treated to a "soft sell," sliced thin. This aged Dutch farmstead cheese (above; $21.99 per pound) was creamy, but with a moderate bite as well as nutty (and perhaps smoky) overtones. A 4-ounce serving is well worth lingering over; it certainly lasts much longer than your typical quarter-pounder.
Previously: Hooligan cheese (below, in the "9:30" posture; $19.99 per pound) had an assertive, almost overripe aroma and slight acerbic bite, tempered by the very creamy texture. Bridgid's Abbey (at the top of the same photo; $13.99 per pound) was smooth and mild; definitely a Bridgid and not a hooligan.
Cato Corner Farm
Colchester, Connecticut
At the Union Square Greenmarket, Saturday only
www.CatoCornerFarm.com
