You Get What You Paid For

The first thing anyone says when asked about Formaggio Kitchen is, “It’s soooo expensive!” The next thing they say? “It’s soooo good!” I love it when things are worth the hype… and the cost.

I am going to have to do much more thorough and painstaking research on Formaggio Kitchen in Huron Village before I can really make up my mind about it (it’s going to be awfully unpleasant, I can just tell), but my first impression is that it is an eater’s paradise. It may well be my crack den, Part 2. In addition to picturesque produce, imported spices, nuts, jams, and teas, there are also baked goods, prepared foods, cured meats, and cheeses that look like they fell out of cheese heaven. They sit in a line, wrapped up in leafy pouches, cocooned in washed rinds, pressed into funny shapes and emitting grassy smells. I could stand and stare at the cheese counter for an hour.

Yes, it’s expensive, and snotty, and just a little too precious, but every weekend during the summers it is a local neighborhood gathering place. The hipsters that staff Formaggio set up a grill and tables on the sidewalk outside the shop. People from the neighborhood queue up for hot dogs, pulled meats on grilled buns, and minimal sides, until 2 PM or until they run out of food.



Unlike the shop itself, their hot dogs are anything but precious. The half pound Pearl hot dog on a grilled bun was so huge it bordered on obscene. The casing was a bit thick for my taste but the inside was creamy and juicy. And did I mention that it was giant?



Oh and the pulled lamb…


Mmmm as I write this, I am still stuffed full of fat and juice that trickled out of the fragrant pulled lamb and soaked into a crusty roll, along with a spicy sauce ladled on top of the tender meat. You see the whole clove of garlic mixed in with the meat? Umm, yeah. Worth waiting in line, worth the price and the praise, even worth smelling like a campfire when you get home.