I was in Formaggio Kitchen about 10:30 this morning and they had an unholy amount of gorgeous roasted half chickens, fried chicken (quarters or wings), ribs, and all manner of sausages on the grill, plus sides. Should have taken pics, sorry!
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I am in awe that you ventured to Fomaggio Kitchen for Super Bowl food. Inspired thinking! I think I would have been tempted by everything.
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And what makes you think I was not? 
The friend who is hosting the SB party I’m going to asked me to bring a cheese platter so I figured if I hit FK when it first opened that would be my best bet. Got some nice cheeses and other goodies plus a croissant for my breakfast and some fried chicken for tomorrow. For me the key with FK is hitting it early or late, and pretty much limiting it to special occasions.
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Well played, @GretchenS! Sounds like you scored fabulous treats that will inform my future Formaggio shopping.
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Gee, I never would have thought to hit up Formaggio for SB treats. Sounds amazing. I guess we’ll have to wait for next year’s SB!
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you can go when they first open the day before or of (not Christmas) any “holiday” and you’ll have a better chance of seeing all the wonderful stuff…later on, even if you give up on facing the cheese counter, you can’t see the amazing condiments, spices, pastas and grains that are opposite that very narrow cheese counter. And they usually put out the free cheese samples just as they open…try it!
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Oh, I usually head to Formaggio late afternoon or early dinnertime. I’ll have to head there earlier in the day before a special local celebration! Thanks for the heads-up, M! It’s impossible to have too many free cheese samples.
Their cheese is just incredible, as you know. They’ll give you a sample as you order from the counter, as well. It’s not cheap, but they “clean it up” and cut off any less than great parts every day. Close to the prices of local Whole Foods stores, who package it in plastic for days/weeks and don’t necessarily store it in optimal conditions.
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As Madrid says, they optimize each piece of cheese you buy. They also had me taste everything as they guided me to my selections. Here you see (clockwise from the top) Bianco Sardo (sheep) from Sardinia, Grey Owl (goat) from Quebec, Aurelie (goat) from Belgium and Harbison (cut in half) (cow) from Vermont. They also recommended the crackers and the nectarine-plum-honey-ginger conserves. I could have put together a tasty cheese platter on my own. This was spectacular and that made me and my fellow guests very happy.
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Lovely. One interesting way to eat Harbison, if it’s soft enough, is to slice off the top and dig a spoon into the lovely goo. Also, its sister cheese from Jasper Hill, Winnimere, at its peak right now. (I had wheels of the two, plus a couple of other things, shipped to me from Jasper Hill two weeks ago.)
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Yes, I’ve found WF, even the one at Fresh Pond to offer suboptimal, pre-wrapped cheese, at prices not lower than Formaggio (and occasionally higher). Ditto for Wine & Cheese Cask and Pemberton Farms, despite their recent makeover. If you’re buying cheese in the broad Cambridge area, I can’t think of a better place to go (or even one remotely as good).
I think they get, if not a bad rap, at least a not-good one, on prices. Their cheese is expensive, but no more so than good cheese anywhere, and comparably priced to getting some of their cheeses “straight from the farm” as I sometimes do. Much of their prepared food is priced very reasonably, and given the quality, their price/quality ratio is very, very low (low is good here).
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