Hey, East Village! Say Cheese!
Posted October 8, 2009  |  No Comments  | 

Something delicious is happening in East Village. It's the welcome arrival of a cheese shop, just down the street from Vantage Pointe.

Gina Frieze, owner of Venissimo, has just opened her third shop in San Diego on G St. between 8^th and 9^th in the Nexus building.

The 1,110-square-foot retail space is her largest. And, she says, that means she can finally offer her "cheese university," classes that instruct customers in the differences between different styles of cheese and how to pair them with wine, chocolate, and other foods and beverages. She'll be teaming up with local artisans like Will Gustwiller of Eclipse Chocolat and Rey Knight of Knight Salumi Company, whose products she already sells in her shops.

Venissimo is the result of a lifelong passion Frieze has had for cheese, that comes from her Austrian mother and their family visits back to Austria and its cheese shops. Frieze, who had a career in marketing with Coors and other companies, decided she wanted to follow her passion and opened her first store in Mission Hills several years ago with her husband, Roger. She later bought the Aniata Cheese Shop in Del Mar's Flower Hill Mall, and then opened a shop at Belmont Shore in Long Beach.

Here's just a sampling of what you'll find:

Hook's 10-Year Cheddar: This Wisconsin cheese is bold, sweet, and even crunchy. Not a lot, but it's there as the result of calcium lactate crystallization. Some experts say this is not a good thing and there are technologies to try to eliminate it. They're wrong. A little crunch in a cheese adds an element of fun to the palate.

Il Boschetto: This is Frieze's stated favorite. It's well deserved. It's a semi-soft cheese blending sheep and cow's milk with, get this, white truffle shavings. This is all decadence.

Cathare: From Languedoc-Rous, this ash-covered goat cheese has that subtle tang you expect from a goat cheese, but with a richness that comes from aging. The "occitane" cross stamped on the top is a symbol of the Languedoc region. (Below is the Cathare with a slice of orange Mimolette and Tomme de Savoie, a nutty skim milk cheese.)

Pecorino Foglie di Noci: Brushed in olive oil and wrapped in sheets of walnut leaves, this hearty cheese is great over pasta or drizzled with honey. A crisp dry white Italian wine is the perfect pairing.

Speaking of pairing, when you buy cheese from Venissimo, save the register receipt. It is filled with information about the cheese, its provenance, and food and wine pairings. Very smart. And, if you like, the store will keep track of your favorites and send you a newsletter and information about when they're in stock.

On average, the shops carry 120 cheeses at any one time. And, they sell a variety of cheese implements--knives, planers, spreaders, cheese wrap paper, French paper leaves, cheese boards, flags and holders. There are packages of crackers, jars of olives, tapenade, honey and jams. Frieze also carries Bread & Cie breads, chocolates and little cakes. Like the Del Mar shop the East Village Venissimo will have a meat slicer so that customers can buy prosciutto and Serrano ham. And, as at the other shops, Venissimo in East Village will have "grab & go" sandwiches available.

In short, it's a picnic or cocktail party in the making all in one place.

"We live downtown so we're thrilled to be here," she says. "There are a lot of downtowners looking for good food in the neighborhood. It's the people who live here, who might want picnic packs for the parks or the ballpark or a tray for a cocktail party, and it's also the businesses nearby who want lunch and party platters."

Venissimo East Village is located at 871 G. St.