Artisanal has incredible wine & cheese classes, but I was excited to attend the recent Whiskey & Cheese event since my experience with whiskey has been limited to bourbon old-fashioneds from cocktail bars. After a reception with cava and an assortment of cheeses, the class started. We moved through six single malt scotch whiskeys ranging from fresh to deep and smoky, paired with cheese from Artisanal's collection. Most of the scotch was a bit challenging for a novice, but I really took to the
Talisker, a 10-year old vintage that was very smoky and reminded me of the bacon-infused bourbon at PDT. As usual for Artisanal, all of the cheeses were incredible, but this
Oregon Blue from Rogue Creamery really left an impression. Sweet, salty and smoked, it really stood out from the other varieties we sampled - Bleu de Laqueuille, Roquefort, Hoch Ybrig, Gruyère, and a soft goat's milk topped with a bay leaf. The night finished with a slice of a dense, creamy cheesecake with a pecan shortbread crust.
My advice for a visit to Eataly: go directly to a food station, order wine and when sufficiently relaxed, proceed to attempt to navigate the crowds and shop. The meat lasagna in the pizza/pasta station was a great place to start - the pasta thin and light with just the right balance of bechamel and sauce.
Dessert was a crunchy almond cookie and this delicate vanilla panna cotta with orange marmalade and salted crumble on top. Delicious!
The other desserts looked delectable and I want to try more on a future visit.
There are also golden roasted chickens available to go.
The cheese section is huge, and stocked.
There is also a tiny station with chocolates, like this praline caramel.
