Rogue River Blue, officially the best cheese in the world, on the shelf at Rainbow Grocery.
We had a local (upstate New York) discussion last week about Rogue River Blue, chosen as the world’s best cheese at the 2019/20 World Cheese Awards. Two respected friends and food lovers concurred that was their favorite cheese and wished they could get more of it. We happened to be in San Francisco, and took a picture of the abundant supply in the excellent cheese department at Rainbow Grocery. Our friends replied that the issue was not so much the actual scarcity as the price ($50/lb at Rainbow, more at many other sources) which kept them from enjoying it more often.
Is Rogue River Blue pricey because it’s scarce, or because it’s hard to make? Yes. We used to live in the Rogue Valley, actually, and recall Rogue River Blue as kind of a gadget cheese, showcasing two of the area’s agricultural specialties by soaking grape leaves in pear liqueur and wrapping them around a standard bleu. We passed on the cheese at Rainbow and bought Old Chatham Boujee Bleu, a fine New York product priced at a more affordable $20/lb.
The cheesemonger at Rainbow loves Neal’s Yard Stilton. Guess it’s pretty good because it’s gone! But Trader Joe’s Stilton serves our everyday needs just fine.
At Burnt My Fingers we pursue a consistent strategy on most of our food purchases—picking the in-the-middle option rather than the most luxurious, and avoiding bargain-basement picks. Certified Angus Choice is good enough for us in beef; no need for the extra marbling in Prime. We like to treat ourselves to a nice Islay at K&L Wines and picked up some bottles to bring back on the same trip; our ceiling is well under $100 when many of the most attractive bottles sell out at $200 or more, but we also avoid the Finlaggen at Trader Joe which is audacious, but can’t really compare with a truly smoky dram.
What are some foods for which we’ll willingly pay top dollar? Red Boat Fish Sauce, which amazingly has become a common item even though it’s twice as expensive as generic products. Durkee’s Dressing, of course. And Anson Mills beans and grains which give us the good feeling of supporting a heritage food project as well as good eats. But that’s pretty much the extent of our short list.
The late, lamented Sears Catalog had “Good, Better, Best” choices for many of their categories. Good was entirely serviceable, but a basic product that cut corners when possible. Best was clearly a splurge, well made of top quality components but with features you probably didn’t need. Better was the way to go because it gave you good value along with all the functionality you need.
Back to bleu cheese, we sadly haven’t seen Old Chatham Boujee Bleu at local cheesemongers here in New York. But we’re happy with the Stilton and Roquefort at Trader Joe, though their generic (and cheaper) bleu is too sharp and youthful for us. It’s not the best, but it’s better than just good.
What are your good, better, bests in food selections?
