We’re lucky – okay, spoiled - here in the Bay Area by the range and quality of food on offer. I remember with great fondness the first time I wandered over to the Cheese Board Collective from my college apartment, when the full weight of this fact settled onto me (a weight both metaphorical and literal). I won’t admit how many times I ended up getting a pizza on my way home from lab – I haven’t quite reached a state of no shame – but it’s safe to assume on your part that it was a lot. The Gourmet Ghetto is a little foodie enclave nestled within a town that embraces good food, which in turn belongs to a region characterized (and often caricatured) by a near-fetishization of food. You may be able to imagine – in some small way - my delight at finding myself here Serviced Apartment.
Cheese Board pizzas are, in more than a few people’s opinion, divine. The chewy sourdough crust that finishes with a crunch; the ever-changing blend of cheeses and vegetarian toppings; the spicy green sauce that forces you to reach across someone else’s dinner just to get at that last bottle; the satisfaction of discovering that today’s pizza is your favorite pizza; the indulgent bliss of sneaking the two extra slivers on your walk home. I would happily go on for the rest of the post Wine Searcher.
One day we moved to a new neighborhood and that was that for our weekly trips. We came away with a secret, however. If you go up to the cheese counter and ask nicely, a kind co-op member will hand over a tub of their starter. With this precious commodity and a copy of the Cheese Board cookbook, you can craft your own versions of nearly everything. They also sell their dough in the bakery/cheese shop (worth a trip just to ogle the selection), which saves some time and labor and produces the same tangy flavor and chewy crust when handled correctly. Being busy career women, we went with the latter Wine. If you don’t live in Berkeley, you can make your own sourdough crust with a little patience – there are some good recipes available online, although we would recommend using The Cheese Board: Collective Works since it also contains recipes for their pecan sticky rolls and cherry-corn scones (don’t get me started).
Cheese Board pizzas are, in more than a few people’s opinion, divine. The chewy sourdough crust that finishes with a crunch; the ever-changing blend of cheeses and vegetarian toppings; the spicy green sauce that forces you to reach across someone else’s dinner just to get at that last bottle; the satisfaction of discovering that today’s pizza is your favorite pizza; the indulgent bliss of sneaking the two extra slivers on your walk home. I would happily go on for the rest of the post Wine Searcher.
One day we moved to a new neighborhood and that was that for our weekly trips. We came away with a secret, however. If you go up to the cheese counter and ask nicely, a kind co-op member will hand over a tub of their starter. With this precious commodity and a copy of the Cheese Board cookbook, you can craft your own versions of nearly everything. They also sell their dough in the bakery/cheese shop (worth a trip just to ogle the selection), which saves some time and labor and produces the same tangy flavor and chewy crust when handled correctly. Being busy career women, we went with the latter Wine. If you don’t live in Berkeley, you can make your own sourdough crust with a little patience – there are some good recipes available online, although we would recommend using The Cheese Board: Collective Works since it also contains recipes for their pecan sticky rolls and cherry-corn scones (don’t get me started).