Where to Shop: Cheese
• Larry’s Market Intimate and staffed by knowledgeable folks who know cheese and how to serve and store it. If you want an artisan Wisconsin treasure (not a mass-produced cheddar), you come here. In the fall, the shop carries Uplands’ seasonal raw cow’s milk Rush Creek Reserve – special and hard to find. Larry’s Sarah Seymour, who turned us on to LaClare Farms’ light, mellow goat cheese curds (another rarity in these parts), says the best tip she learned for selling cheese is “let people taste it.” (8737 N. Deerwood Dr., Brown Deer)
West Allis Cheese & Sausage
Co-owner Mark Lutz’s philosophy is to “carry everything I can get my hands on.” Find many styles and types of cheese from the big dogs in state cheesemaking, including Henning’s U.S. Champion cheddars. And check out the Cheese Orphans bin. (6832 W. Becher St.; Milwaukee Public Market, 400 N. Water St.)
Village Cheese Shop
For eons, Sabina Magyar dreamed of running a cheese shop. Magyar loves “epiphanies and sharing the cheesemakers’ stories,” she says. At the threshold of her sunny French-country-like shop in Tosa, the customer receives a subliminal message to slow down, linger and sample. Her selection includes cheeses from the Midwest, other parts of the U.S. and Europe. (1430 Underwood Ave.)
Wisconsin Cheese Mart/ Uber Tap Room
Shop here for niche products like smelly Limburger and cheddars of every kind. Outside of a cheese factory, this is a great weekend stop for curds – delivered fresh on Fridays and Saturdays. Samples are always plentiful, and the beer selection is solid. (215 W. Highland Ave.)
Clock Shadow Creamery
The only working cheese factory in the city, Clock Shadow makes curds and soft quark every day. As you browse the store – which stocks gems like LaBelle’s buttery, flavored “Wisconsin Original” cow’s milk cheese – you may see some of the cheesemakers in action. (138 W. Bruce St.)