Cheese Tour - esp "Paris on your plate"
 

Hi there -
I am looking for a cheese tasting session/tour for our trip to Paris in June. I have no problem with it being a "wine and cheese" but I am looking for something ideally with the emphasis on the cheese then on the wine. My first choice would be something that would be appropriate for my 8 year old as well (the other cheese lover in the family) but I am imagining unless we "do it ourselves" there is not likely to be a 'mother and son' cheese tour option! Barring that, my thought is to do something myself, and then 8yr old and I can do some exploring ourselves (while DH and eldest - both cheesephobic... well maybe not phobic) do something else!
One website I found was Parisonyourplate.com
Has anyone taken part in any of their 'tours'?
Thanks for any insight!

I am curious as to why you would need a tour to sample cheese.. Could you not spend the money buying samples of many cheeses from a good shop with English speaking staff. There are quite a few in Paris that would qualify..

I don't see why 'cheese tasting' is any different than 'wine tasting', as additional / educational information is imparted during those sessions.

There are some fromageries who offer tastings - one is in St Germain, but I'll need to search for the name of the place...

Most, if not all, cheese shops offer tastings. And the proprietors will also offer lots of information about the cheeses.

There are several excellent ones in the 7th including Androuet and Marie-Ann Cantin.

I agree you don't really need a formalized "tour" to taste and learn a lot about cheeses.

There's a wonderful fromagerie on the rue Cler, on a corner a couple of blocks up on the left from the Avenue de Tourville, that will let you hang out and taste cheeses to your heart's content and will give you all kinds of information about their origins, how they are made, etc. Such places exist all over Paris, actually.

Just be sure to buy at least a little bit of cheese in exchange for the samples and information.

I agree that you couold probably do it yourself, but on the other hand, it can be intimdating to walk into a shop and start asking questions, especially if you don't speak the language. It could be fun to do a tour if that's what you want.

You might try asking this question on the chowhound.com France board. Someone there might have a suggestion.

This is fate; being a cheese lover myself, I put this place on my hit-list for my next trip.

Alleosse's (famous cheese vendor)
13 rue Ponocelet
17eme

Thanks for the quick replies!

Eksrunchy/stCirq - Agreed that the do it yourself and "samplings" are always possible, and that is always an option, in the same way as a 'self-guided' walking tour is always possible. My thought was that something 'guided' often answers questions you wouldn't have thought to answer.

Tastings at a cheese shop - do you mean the sort of 'free sample' type tastings as a prelude to purchase, or a "here is a plate with a good variety of cheeses - let us know if you have any questions" type tasting. My only concern with a cheese shop tasting is that I wouldn't want to 'waste their time' with a ton of questions, if I probably don't plan to buy a ton of cheese all at once! i.e.

Travelnut, I was very much thinking of it like a wine tasting, where the information/education is an end in itself, as well as giving background to branch out from on my own. We were going to look for some kind of chocolate tour as well - something that might involve seeing the behind the scenes process as well as the end result.

Kristina, I will try chowhound as well. Thanks!

If you do a self-guided tour of shops, please add the fromagerie on the Ile St. Louis--excellent selection of chevre.

Go early when the shops are just opening and mostly locals are out.

I have visited a really nice fromagerie which had little tables on the street outside (they were serving tartiflette the day I was there. They did tasting plates as well, and you got to choose the cheese.

Unfortunately, I can't remember the name. I would recognise it if I saw it. In the 6th, I think

Thanks again

Cathinjoetown - the apartment we are staying at is on rue Isle St Louis, with a fromagerie right beside the door to the steps up to the apartment. My daydream is to be able to waltz in and impress them with my obviously sophisticated and impressive cheese knowledge (that I will pick up in the tour/course that I am looking for :-) ) yeah, I know... I know !

Does that sound like the shop you are referring to?

Sueciv - I will google Alleosse's right now!

sheila - let me know if you remember that one in the 6th :-)

thanks again!

I'm sure it's the same one--I believe it's the only one on the main street and probably on the ile.

They are friendly but I suggested going early for a few reasons--I love Paris as it's just opening--the streets washed and swept, people out to pick up bread, etc. and you are in the shops before the shops and street get crowded with day-trippers (I always think of the ile as a little village--maybe silly but still...)

Have a wonderful time. You might check out my favorite resto on the ile and close to my favorite in Paris, Le Tastevin--same side of street as the cheese shop, down past the intersection heading east.

thanks cathinjoetown for the recommendation of Le Tastevin. Our apartment is at 40 rue isle st louis, so that is just "downstairs". We were hoping to find a restaurant close to the apartment so that we could comfortable leave the kids in one evening (they will be 11 and 8). If that is a good one, that would be perfect! Anything in particular that you would recommend?

My search for cheese info has now also led me to the following:

http://www.discoverfrance.net/France...ageries2.shtml

This gives a list of cheese shops including specifically talking about a couple that do "tasting platters"

2 suggestions for cheese shops that provide "knowledgably assembled tasting plates" that showed up in other places on my google search were

Fromagerie 31 on rue de la Seine in the 6th and Androuët sur le Pouce which seems to have a number locations including one on rue Mouffetard

Thanks again for everyone's insight!

Harriet Welty Rochefort, the author of "French Toast" offers cheese and wine tastings. Some friends tried this several years ago and enjoyed it.

http://frenchfolio.com/blog/?page_id=13

This place has English-speaking staff and does simple tastings, etc.

La Fromagerie 31
64 Rue de Seine
75006 Paris

Great icecream place opposite it! the best in Paris, can't remember the name, only been open about 3 months.

The ice cream place Tpaxe is referring to is called Grom, I think.
I went there when I was in Paris a couple of weeks ago and it is fantastic. I highly recommend the caramel. Blows the doors off Bertillion ice cream.

this is turning into an even more useful thread then I originally hoped :-)

I found the Harriet Welty Rochefort site, but it looked 'old' and I couldn't get to any details on the tastings - it just kept coming back to the main screen.

We are going to be staying essentially across the street from Bertillion, so the kids have been promised that they are going to be able to try a different ice cream flavour every day when we come home from whatever activity we have been doing, so I will note the info about Gorm, but our ice cream goal is less finding the ultimate ice cream, then having a uniquely Parisien ice cream experience :-)

In addition to my cheese quest, we are planning a 'comparative analysis' of pain chocolat for both the kids and my husband (who has fond memories of pain chocolat from our trip of just the 2 of us some 15 + years ago!)

I do understand the quest for the authentic Parisian experience.
But if you do find yourself in the 6th, then Grom is an excellent choice for ice cream.

I had the Bertillion and the Grom ice cream on the same day. I was hugely disappointed by the Bertillion; it was a stingy, tiny scoop for 2 euro and really not at all special.
I make ice cream at home and Salted Butter Caramel is my favorite.
Later that night, we went to Grom. I had read about it on a Paris food blog and we had been meaning to go the whole trip. It was our last night so what's wrong with 2 servings of ice cream in one day? :-)
I had the Salted Butter Caramel with pink himalayan salt and it was incredible-much closer to "home made".

I've eaten many pain au chocolate in Paris and the best, in my opinion is to be found at Au Levain du Marais, 32 Rue de Turenne (in the 3rd.) Occasionally they have them with chocolate and almond paste combined and that's to die for. Kayser also makes a great one (14, Rue Monge in the 5th)

Kristina: Did you know that GROM has two outposts now in Manhattan?