I can’t believe we don’t have a thread dedicated to CHEESE in this city.
Cutting to the chase, after years of shopping at better known shops we discovered and are absolutely loyal to Cremerie Rochechouart aka le Ferme St. Hubert. Excellent and comprehensive products, professional but patient service, very good (read: better) prices. On rue Rochechouart at rue de la Tour d’Auvergne.
Husband usually buys from Fromagerie Laurent Dubois (Meilleur ouvrier de France), because it’s closed to his office in 15e.
They have several addresses in Paris including Bastile, Saint Germain, Haussmann, Auteuil, Lourmel etc.
Sometimes, we buy directly from the producers from food salons like Salon Saveurs (December), Paris Fermier (several times a year), Salon Mer et Vigne etc… advantage is you can ask for samples to taste before you find your favourite cheese.
Good to know, it’s close to the Italian grocery RAP, A la mère de famille (sweets), Sebastien Gaudard (pastry shop)… one stop for all.
I’m sure it was you who introduced us to (or at least seconded) this lovely place years ago. I can also almost sense the rich and pungent one when gets when opening front door. We we’ve since learned to time our visits there to have lunch across the street at #47-- https://www.bouillonparis.fr/
Lots of good places; most neighborhoods that I know have at least one good cheesemonger. In our local neighborhood, we like Charlicot, but there are others, too. For those who have seen the delightful series Alice in Paris (nothing to do with Emily in Paris) about a young Parisienne with “perfect taste”, the episode in a cheese shop takes place at Charlicot.
Coming back from the Left Bank, I’ll often get off at St Paul to shop – cheesewise, there is a Laurent Dubois there, a Bellevaire (another good shop and also makes some of its own cheese in the Loire Atlantique region), and the Monoprix on the rue St-Antoine there has a cheese counter that features cheeses from Anne-Marie Cantin , the venerable cheesemonger over in the 7th near the Rue Cler.
And for those off-hour situations, even in Monop’ or Carrefour, if you are selective, you can get quite decent cheese on some of their select lines (fairly recent developments, but worth noting).
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Oops. Clumsy fingers and an errant keystroke deleted my post and I can’t figure out how to get it back.
So here goes try 2.
Because there are so many excellent fromageries in Paris, “the best” for me is the one that is the most convenient at the time. So just google “Paris fromagerie” for the one closest to where you are staying or most easily slides into your schedule. For maximum quality, just make sure that the description includes the magic word “affineur” (a cheesemonger who tends the cheese in his shop’s “cave”/ cellar through the last stages of aging until perfect for consumption). Although not the finicky quality you can find in any fromager-affineur shop, market stalls of “producteurs” in the 2x- or 3x-a-week open-air “marchés” can also have some unusual and spectacularly good farmhouse cheeses… but usually a case of serendipity and what was available one day is not necessarily there the next time.
In France, many cheeses are seasonal and the fromager-affineur is a master of matching his/her inventory to the season. Just put your trust in the shop assistant and ask what’s best on that day. For a rough guide of cheeses by season → https://androuet.com/Les%20saisons%20du%20fromage-3-10-guide-fromage.html
A slight detour. For an education in French cheeses, a cheesemonger shop is not the best place. The counter staff usually only have basic English, there are a zillion choices, and it’s very bad form to hold up the other customers (i.e. me) while you taste a dozen samples before buying your 50g slice. For a cheese adventure/ exploration, so much better to go to a cheesemonger like Fromagerie Hisada (rue Richelieu near the Palais Royal) where you can get lunch platters of 6 (or more, I suppose) different cheeses in the little cantine annex upstairs. Or my fave, La Vache dans les Vignes (combo wine bar + fromagerie-affineur) on quai Jemmapes/ Canal St Martin for an education in both wine and cheese (exceptionally good and well chosen) from the very clued-in, chatty, and enthustiastic young staff. Or Mon Bleu (rue Faubourg Monmartre/9th and, smaller, rue Dupetit-Thouars in the charming Temple micro-quartier in the Haut Marais/3rd) for another wine-bar/ resto + fromagerie. Or La Claque Fromage in the trendy SoPi neighbourhood in the 9th. Or Formaticus in Les Batignolles in the 17th.
https://www.monbleu.fr/
https://www.claquefromage.com/
http://www.restaurant-formaticus.fr/
Another detour. Maybe we should compile a cheese map like the one we did on Chowhound for oysters and which I recently quickly updated and now bequeath to HungOn. Just google “Paris oyster map” to find it.
Was very disappointed at Dubois last time in Paris, quality of aging was very weak, thanks to Pilgrim have been at La Ferme Hubert for many years and shlep there with joy.
This phrase, “[f]or a cheese adventure/ exploration, so much better to go to a cheesemonger . . . where you can get lunch platters” reminded me of doing the same, but quite a few km to the east – in southern Alsace. For those who will venture there, we loved, and hope to return to, Bernard Antony’s shop, where we had a cheese and wine (of course) lunch at his “Sundgauer Käs Kaller” [http://fromagerieantony.pagesperso-or…] (see also, e.g., https://www.visit.alsace/de/242010119-sundgauer-kas-kaller/)
Bringing us back to Paris: On the left bank, we formerly patronized Dubois, and probably will again, but on more recent visits we’ve enjoyed the fairly new “La Ferme d’Alexandre,” 19 Rue Saint-Placide (on the corner of Cherche-Midi), https://www.lafermedalexandre.fr/. Still, our recent repeat favorite is “Fromagerie Sanders,” 4 rue Lobineau, in the covered Marché Saint Germain (no web site; open Tuesday-Saturday, 8 a.m.-8 p.m., closed during lunch, again of course); Sunday, 8 a.m.-1:30 p.m.; closed Monday). Oh, and we also like the cosy, costy, and somewhat intimidating women of Barthelemy, 51 rue de Grenelle, 75007 (closed Sun. and Mon.).
We’ve regularly brought back home in our packed bags vacuum packed chunks, etc., from all of these shops, among others. We’ve not yet found a Paris shop that doesn’t offer to vacuum pack (“emballage sous vide”).
Jake, although I don’t really have favourites as I said in my post, I do have a strong recommendation for you, Fromagerie Griffon on the avenue de la Motte-Picquet between Les Invalides and the Ecole Militaire. The fromagère-affineuse (feminine) and the younger fromagère Perrine are delightful, incredibly knowledgeable, patient, and the products are impeccable. And an excuse to have lunch at Auberge Bressane if in the mood for excellent regional trad before or after your cheese safari or an excursion to the Marché Saxe-Breteuil followed by a bistronomique lunch at delightful l’Antre Amis.
I had completely forgotten about L’Antre Amis, where we had a lovely lunch (5 years ago?) following a visit to the Marché S-B (Thurs+Sat). This fall we’ll check out Fromagerie Griffon - looks like they’re not closed midday, so dinner grazing items can be purchased after lunch. If the Musée Bourdelle has completed its renovations by then, the day will be complete.
Aha… and I a lovely dinner with Ptipois there (L’AA) roughly same era.
Mention of worthwhile l’Antre Amis is buried in this thread. I wonder if we can abstract or somehow highlight these references to gems that would probably go unnoticed for diners/searchers looking for meals. Quartier? Style food? Priceline? C’est compliqué.
Hi Parn/Daniel, belated thanks for this. It certainly goes on our list for our next visit.
— Jake
An example of good cheese that you can get from Carrefour: one of my favorite cheeses is Soumaintrain, a cheese from northern Burgundy that is extremely difficult to obtain outside of Burgundy because of its low production. Under the Reflets de France label, my local Carrefour offers 250g wheels of Soumaintrain for just a bit more than 5€. Those who read the fine print will see that the cheese is produced and matured by the respected Gaugry firm in Brochon (the village immediately north of Gevrey-Chambertin). Gaugry produces two types of Soumaintrain, one pasteurized and one from raw milk – this is the pasteurized version, but still, it is quite good for what it is.
More on reading the fine print: the Reflets de France Moutarde de Bourgogne is from Fallot, one of the finest (if not the finest) mustard producers in France.
Good tips, both the specific and the general. Reflets de /france is often an excellent example of local product and agreeable price. But reading the label can reveal real coups.
Just back in town, left apt and went to Dubois on Blvd St Germaine, major reason iin selecting apt was Dubois proximity. The problem from last autumn continues in spades.
Both the help and the cheese aging are not close to what they were. Whether only this location or all locations l do not know.
Bought 4 cheeses, all stinky, all relatively soft, and all aged poorly. One was very overrated, two were underaged thus gooey on outside chalky on inside and a petite munster was totally tasteless. Threw 2 away and suffering with others.
This is my last trip there for a long while. Damn it !
OTOH, they had a beautiful Soumartraine, farm made for you Claude. Not my fave as too mild for me.
