Corks aims to cheese

Cheese plate

Upon entering the dining room, guests can browse cheese selections which are laid out for ogling on a marble table. (Don't worry: There's plastic casing to prevent drool from contaminating these perfect specimens.)

Cheese plates can come with just one selection for $4, three for $12 or five for $19. The portions are each one ounce, and are served with crisply toasted baguettes. The cheeses are all domestic, hailing from New York and Wisconsin among other states, and run the gamut of livestock (goat, sheep and cow) as well as consistency and flavor.

We asked the knowledgeable general manager to make our selections for us (our cheese knowledge being slightly lacking) and he patiently explained the dairy location, type and origin of each cheese. After the thorough briefing, we got carried away consuming the assortment of milk products and forgot which was which. Still, there wasn't a disappointing cheese on the plate, and we were given an excellent array of consistencies (flaky, creamy and samples with rinds), origins (goat, sheep and cow), and flavors (sharp and tangy, nutty and sweet). The toasted baguettes with embedded raisins proved the tastiest, though there are plain slices available as well.