A visit to Scardello Artisan Cheese, new cheese shop in Dallas

by Donna Chen of Donna Cooks

DALLAS — Scardello Artisan Cheese is the latest to open in the recent explosion of Dallas cheese shop openings; Scardello officially opened its doors to the public on October 30. Two days later, we headed down to the shop to scope it out.

Scardello is located in a classic 1929 building with original brickwork. The owner, Rich Rogers, has remodeled the interior to a rustic feel with modern accents.

Scardello features over 100 cut-to-order seasonal cheeses with an emphasis on local Texas offerings. The back corner also features a few microbrews and a sizable wine selection. Since I’m a relative newbie to the world of cheeses, we decided to have a sampling plate assembled based on rough preferences (I’m a big fan of the creamy, soft cheeses, S.O. loves his bleus).

The staff chose for us a mild, soft ripened cow’s milk Camembert-styled cheese from Georgia, rich and nutty Fontina Val d’Aosta from Italy’s Vallet Pietro, and the creamy and relatively mild (less pungent than most) Hopelessly Bleu from Pure Luck Farm and Dairy in Stephenville.

The cheeses were served with honey (a surprisingly intriguing combination with bleu cheese), dried cherries (brought out subtle flavors from the Green Hill), and bread from local artisan bakery Village Baking Company. We paired the cheeses with two glasses of white wine, a Joel Gott Sauvignon Blanc and a Spanish Priorat on the staff’s recommendation (there were several by-the-glass options).

We enjoyed our wine and cheese selection at the large bench-styled dining table in the rear, with the helpful staff answering many of our amateur cheese-related questions.

It was a lovely way to spend an hour of a relaxing afternoon. Scardello is a great addition to Dallas’ new and growing cheese scene.