Olé! Olé! (cheese) Olé!

KH and I rarely get much time to hang out because we generally have opposite schedules. We both had a free Monday afternoon and I had an all too exciting and generous gift certificate to the South End Formaggio!

We went right to the cheese case and the man working there had us sample many many different kinds of cheeses; he told us what he thought of the cheese, good or bad; he listened to our tastes and made suggestions. We bought 4 kinds of cheese and then wandered the little shop and picked up a grape syrup, salted caramels, lomo, and Terroir coffee. So many delightful things! I'll be honest though, if it weren't for the gift certificate, I would find it hard to justify buying what I did. If you need to buy a present for a friend who loves food, or are preparing for a special occasion, or know how to exercise restraint, than I absolutely recommend a trip.

We wanted to visit a few more places in the south end but didn't have much direction. We got some coffee and treats at Flour bakery and Cafe and decided to walk around and look at all of the menus of restaurant nearby and pick one. KH had invited SM to meet us after the lecture she was giving but we didn't realize there would be such a lapse in time. We looked up the address for Toro and decided to check it out first because it had been recommended by Ana Sortun of Oleana.

We didn't get to any other places. We went in and sat at the bar soon after the restaurant opened for service and realized we wouldn't see SM for a couple hours. We saw that they had Tinto de Verano, ordered two and then settled in with the menu and planned what we would order...in two hours.

This Ken Oringer restaurant features the chef, Jamie Bissonette, and so many Spanish tapas. We ordered the charcuterie plate after our first Tinto de Verano, just to tide us over while we waited. After another Tinto de Verano we ordered two more pinchos, beef heart with romesco, and dates stuffed with almonds and blue cheese wrapped in jamon. Oh, these dates were such heavenly salty, sweet bites.

From the start the bartender was less than warm but not neglectful.

Finally, SM made it and we got her a Tinto de Verano and finally ordered everything we wanted, or at least as much of it that we thought we could eat in one night. We eventually had monk fish with mint and yogurt, foi gras with pear and bacon chutney, the juiciest ribs, delicate, salty, bone marrow, some of the tastiest brusselsprouts and best of all, grilled corn on the cob dripping with a lime-pepper-cheese aioli.

We wished a few flavors were stronger on a dish or two, but nothing I would say not to try.

We effortlessly spent 5 hours in the warm restaurant with a roaring fire, long banquet tables and delicious food while a late wintry mix iced the streets. My only regret is not trying the churros at the end. I long for when this restaurant will be the answer to a hot summer night.