You can’t help but say cheese at Little Muenster, a clever new culinary spot on the lower east side. Picture superior cheese pairings with appropriate condiments inside buttery grilled country style bread from upstate new York, and then add the aroma of their toasting and you are on your way to cheese heaven. Of course there is no shortage of good food in New York, but it’s fantastic to see a new place open that is different, that doesn’t try to do burgers and french toast better than anyone else, but tries something original. And good. Vanessa used to work in her family’s gourmet deli – in the cheese section of course, where she played with the idea of making great cheeses available in an everyday situation. Enter partner & chef Adam, and they started to cultivate the idea…

Flash forward to Stanton Street where a chandelier made from dozens of shiny silver graters lights the room, cheese boards stack one on top of the other to create a menu space, and a tiny mouse-door going into the kitchen adds good humour ( like the holes in the business cards ) that the owners abound in. Even if you weren’t already a cheese devotee, their enthusiasm would make it so.  It took two years just to find the spot, and quite a few 14 hour days to launch, but what a unique menu and a thoughtful presentation they have. We tried the gruyere / chevre / leek confit & pancetta with the most delicious tomato soup I have ever tasted and then our hosts insisted we try the stilton / muenster & pear puree combo. Fabulous. A cheese board in a grilled sandwich. And a glass of wine to go with it. How civilized!