Cheese please! National Cheese Day is almost here

COMMENTARY

What do pasta, eggs, potatoes and tea have in common? They’re all ingredients in a few of the unusual cheese dishes in Central Florida. June 4 is National Cheese Day. Don’t ask me who decided this — let’s just celebrate with a bowl (or cup) of cheesy dishes. into the United States. Locally, it can be found at KrungThep, a tea and sandwich shop in Winter Park, in limited quantities (Tip: Call ahead). KrungThep’s cheese topper reminded me of a saltier, gummier version of cream cheese. The eatery is keeping the exact ingredients under wraps. It’s a nice sweet-and-salty mix when paired with Thai iced tea, Thai iced coffee or matcha milk tea.

Bonus: Royaltea, a chain tea shop based in China, soon will be bringing cheese tea to Orlando’s Mills 50 neighborhood (714 N. Mills Ave.).

Go: 1051 W. Fairbanks Ave. in Winter Park; 407-733-3561; KrungThepTeaTime.com

One of the newest kiosks in Winter Garden’s Plant St. Market, Morthan Cheese is the spot for folks who enjoy dumping cheese over almost any dish. Using special tools, a cheese professional partially melts a halved 13-pound wheel of raclette, a Gruyere-like cheese that’s typically made in France or Switzerland.

The melted cheese is scraped over different dishes — from simple baby baked potatoes to the makings of an Italian sandwich (ciabatta bread, prosciutto, arugula and sundried tomato). The menu changes, but the dishes are $12 each. It’s an entertaining experience, but I do have one warning: Raclette is a somewhat stinky cheese.

Go: Plant St. Market, 426 W. Plant St. in Winter Garden; Facebook

This French-Southern restaurant has the simplest dish in this lineup, but its decadent flavor made me a fan. The oeuf cocotte ($6) dish buries a softboiled egg in a truffle béchamel sauce and a healthy dose of gruyere cheese.

Give it a stir before scooping out the velvety mixture onto toast.

Go: 2445 Edgewater Drive in Orlando; 407-845-0016

Similar to Morthan Cheese’s showstopping dish, Tartini’s Pasta La Ruota ($23) is one to (literally) watch. Spaghetti is tossed into a wheel of parmesan cheese (that’s gooey in the center, thanks to a quick flambe earlier). The pasta is mixed up inside, allowing for some fantastic chunks and strands of cheese to be incorporated into the noodles.

A sprinkle of black pepper finishes off the rich dish. It’s not for wishy-washy cheese fans.

Go: 6327 Orange Ave S. in Orlando; 407-704-8011; TartiniPizzeria.com