We're Gonna Have a Cheese Party Tonight...

Alright! I'd been wanting to have Martin Johnson of The Joy of Cheese over since he started his in-your-house cheese tasting business last year, and I finally pulled off all the scheduling, the babysitter, the guests et al for last Friday night. Johnson, who I've known for years as a freelance music writer, doesn't hide his passion for and expertise in all things cheese. On this night, he subwayed uptown, brought three flights of rare "Winter Warmer" cheeses and several mystery cheeses, and held forth at the head of the table while explaining their origin, the differences between the cheap stuff and the good stuff, and what to be looking out for tastewise. Throw in some cold cuts (um, charcuterie, I guess), some bread, sliced fruit and top-notch dark chocolate for desert, and it's a delicious and educational dinner. Here's Martin declaiming about the joy of cheese:

I'd recommend this to anyone looking for a bit of a different evening and who wonders what the best blue cheese tastes like. Martin also does a series of tastings at an East Village bar that I've heard are a blast.