Would You Like Some Cheese With That?

Why yes, yes I would. Last night, my girlfriends and I went to a new-ish restaurant in Worcester, The Citizen. The tagline wine+cheese+chocolate says it all. If you're from the area, it's the same restaurant group that owns Bocado, Mezcal and The Jewelbox (the former Block5 location); the expected service and ambiance delivered in full, with attention to detail such as hooks under the bar for hanging your purse, and loads of pillows on the cushy banquette.

The menu is simple, with a variety of soft, semi-firm, hard and bleu cheeses that are served in groups of 1-4 (a platter of 4 cheese varieties is $15), which are accompanied by fig paste, french baguette and honeycomb. I don't know that I've ever had fresh honeycomb, but can I just say that it was amazing on the cheese? I can imagine it would have tasted fantastic on the local chevre as well, but I was too busy savoring that on its own.

Incidentally, earlier that day on NPR they were talking about bee-keepers in Paris who'd been granted the opportunity to move hives into unused (or rarely used) city parks, rooftop gardens and public gardens. The hives are thriving there as the pesticide levels are much lower in the city. The request to move the hives in was granted as they are making an effort to 'reintroduce wildlife to the city'. The honey is then harvested and sold at local farmers' markets. It was just interesting because as I was listening, I was imagining a proposition to introduce bees into city parks in the US; I don't think that would fly. (pun intended)

If you choose, there are also a few pressed sandwiches and salads/savories, but we stuck to the basics.

The six of us shared 8 varieties of cheese (about 1 oz per variety) and two meats. I had a fantastic Oregon Pinot Noir, Next, by King Estate out of Eugene (which, not surprisingly practices organic and sustainable farming methods) followed by my own little french press of coffee, enjoyed with a dark chocolate trifle served in a martini glass. We shared a selection of 4 different milk and dark chocolates ranging in cocoa percentages (also about 1 oz per selection).

When you're thinking about 8 ounces of cheese between six people, it doesn't seem like it would be a lot, but it was plenty. I felt really satisfied when we had finished that course, and we were given ample time to visit between the cheese and chocolates.

We spent four hours, eating, talking and drinking. And I left feeling full, fat and happy, spending less than $40 each including gratuity. A fun, very affordable night out with the girls that I would recommend to anyone. Maybe this will be enough to lure some of my left-coasters out for a girlfriend weekend?