Day 972 : Cheese at Swine

Swine, inspired by the name given to pigs, hogs, and boars, otherwise known as the family Suidae, is a neighborhoody restaurant and bar located on Hudson between Charles and West 10th streets. Lowkey and laidback, Swine's bar area has somewhat of a tuned down rock n' roll vibe, populated with posters from bands like Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and an old school arcade game -- it walks the perfect line between chill and comfortable yet with a refined polished air. 

Sure there's a definite focus on charcuterie and pig related dishes hence the name of the joint but apart from your swine offerings. there's a large selection of small production wines, beers, and spirits and a wide offering of local small purveyors' delectables. Cheeses, pickles, small plates, toasts, snacks, and much more. It was nice to see that they made a wide variety of their offerings in house -- from their Ricotta to their Gravlax to Merguez sausage and much more. 

Their cheese selection is curated by Murray's Cheese and tends to change seasonally. At any given time they tend to have five distinct cheeses each served with their own accompaniment or preserve including their house made Ricotta which was a must try! 

So what did we have apart from the Ricotta? 

Twin Maple Farm's Hudson Red which was served with brandied cherries. Hailing from upstate New York, Ghent to be exact, this is a washed rind raw cow's milk cheese that has been aged for anywhere between two and four months. A semi-soft consistency and a yellowy interior with a classic washed rind orange exterior hue, this is an excellent washed rind cheese for those who love that classic stink and those who maybe aren't completely sold on it. It is buttery and round with an earthy, rustic, funky, meaty richness to it. Served at just the right temperature, this was perfect with a glass of Zweigelt. 

We also had Ram Hill Farm's Dante hailing from Wisconsin which was served with Anarchy in a Jar's Strawberry Balsamic Jam. Crafted utilizing milk from the Wisconsin Dairy Cooperative, this firm pasteurized sheep's milk cheese is rustic and nutty with hints of grassy, hay notes. Crumbly and with slight nuances of that classic aged crumbly cheese caramelization, Dante, is a wonderful snacking cheese. 

And what of the homemade ricotta?

Bright, crisp, milky, fresh, chalky, and everything a ricotta should be, dense in a lovely manner, this was ricotta done right.

Whoops sorry about the fabulous reddish tint here, the resto didn't have the best lighting unfortunately...

Overall a nice cheese selection at a new fun place that I'd definitely return to for drinks and nibbles.

Swine
531 Hudson Street