Murray's Cheese Shop (New York City)

I love cheese. There is no occasion that isn't made a little bit better by a plate of cheese and some bread. Whether it's a pre-UCLA football game picnic in the Arroyo Seco, or wine tasting on the central coast, or even a relaxing evening in front of the television watching baseball, cheese is always good.

There are some great places in the Pasadena area to buy cheese, like the Whole Foods on Arroyo Pkwy, Bristol Farms, or Nicole's Gourmet Foods in South Pas... but nothing that compares to Murray's Cheese Shop in Greenwich Village. They have hundreds of varieties of cheese, from American cheddar to semi-soft cheeses from the Beira region in the middle of Portugal.

I visited Murray's for the first time on my most recent trip to New York. After lunch at John's of Bleecker Street (I was told it was the best pizza in New York; it was not, but it was better than any I have had in California) I walked down the street to Murray's with the idea of picking up some cheese to eat with dinner. Within two minutes of being inside and looking at the long counter, I decided that cheese would not be an accompaniment to dinner, it would be the main course.

I picked up some Le Châtelain (a Camembert from Normandy,) a Danish blue cheese, some Humboldt Fog (a California goat cheese and my favorite cheese made in America,) and another soft cheese, the name of which I cannot remember.

I made a salad and ate the cheese with a sliced baguette. I purchased a bottle of Justin Cabernet; something about drinking a California Cab in New York seemed fun.