Pastoral - Artisan Cheese, Bread & Wine
Did I mention before that I consider myself a very lucky girl? Naturally, I work as hard and as long as many fellow creatives but than again-despite the occasional moans and groats – I love what I do, and who I get to work with, and where.
I work in a great location; Millenium Park is my front yard and I am only a walk or a short cab ride away from places that can be considered every foodie’s object of affection.
Pastoral is one of these coveted places, after all that’s where few of the prominent Chicago restaurants are getting their salamis from.
It has become my new favorite Friday ritual to stop at Pastoral’s loop location. The tiny space is efficiently filled with dreams of old Europe – wall of hand picked wines on the right with a eclectic collection of cheeses and display of artisan breads on the left. There are even few small tables squeezed in the middle for the more picky types who will not be consoled with Potbelly’s during lunchtime.
The crew is very knowledgeable and pleasant – it’s fun to watch them carefully carve slices off the precious deliciousness as if they were little sculptures. And one should be careful around this collection – Bucheron, Humbolt Fog, Pecorino Tartufo, Tripple Cream, among some of the local stars from Wisconsin and Oregon. The staff is generous with samples so each visit at Pastoral is like a mini exploration.
Once you done selecting your cheeses (wrapped in a pretty paper), you can pick from the artisan breads- fresh baguettes, rustic multigrains, or colorful flatbreads and than move over to decadent meats. It is at Pastoral where I get to explore a generous selection of Charcuterie. I experiment with bringing home various thin slices of ruby saucission san salami for the weekend or cubes of fragrant, fluffy pates.
What’s fun about the portions is that I never get anything by weight – rather by a slice. The crew seems used to customers who plan small cheese parties for two and want to cram in as much variety on the table as possible without breaking the bank. That’s how they get curious girls like me who wants to explore the land of artisan cheeses, local baked goods, and quality meats on a three-bite scale. That’s three bites times two – because food always taste better when it’s shared!
