Date of Visit: Saturday, October 10, 2015
O Grove, Galicia celebrates the Festa do Mariscos (Shellfish Festival) every year for the first two weeks in October (this was the 52nd annual). We were fortunate enough to be able to rent an apartment just a block away from the main hub of activity in the town square, Praza do Corgo. Mr. Vacation and I made the journey from A Coruña to O Grove on this Saturday afternoon and got settled into the apartment with plenty of time to enjoy a bit of the festival before our 10:00 p.m. dinner reservations at La Queserí Tasting Room. We were dining with José of Turismo Verde de Galicia and his lovely wife Montse, who live in O Grove. La Queserí Tasting Room is located a mere 5 minutes away from the Praza do Corgo, so it was a quick trip from the festival to dinner.
Here, Gonzalo explains how the cheese cave is organized. Photo by @Turvegal
La Queserí Tasting Room first came to my attention via social media in the months leading up to our October 2015 trip to Galicia. Following their Facebook page, I had the impression it was just a cute little restaurant where one could stop by for some wine and cheese in the afternoon. I was wrong! It turns out to be a cute little private dining restaurant located in a cheese cave! Proprietors Gonzalo Germade and his wife Diana have turned the lower level of their home into a cheese cave / dining room that is available by pre-reservation only, for a maximum of 10 people. The comfortable dining room actually adjoins the temperature and humidity controlled cheese cave, which is separated by a glass door.
Just look at these beautiful cheese specimens! They are monitored, rotated, and taken care of on a daily basis by Gonzalo in their temperature and humidity controlled cave as they ripen. Note the bamboo mats below each wheel, for moisture control.
To kick things off, we toasted our first meal together in Galicia with a nice bottle of Xión Albariño from the local Rías Baixas wine region. I’m blogging a little bit out of order here, so this was actually the first dinner (of many!) the four of us had together. As such, we all clinked glasses in a “Welcome to Galicia” toast over a big beautiful seafood empanada that we dove right into. (Note: photo credit on the close-up of the empanada on the right goes to José @Turvegal – he’s got a way with food photos!)
When toasting at an event in Galicia, it is tradition to say “de hoxe nun ano” (‘de hoy en un año’ in Spanish or ‘a year from today’ in English) to express the hope that the celebration can be repeated the following year. I’m happy to say that we have been able to repeat many lovely dining experiences with our gallego friends since first learning this toast.
Our menu for the evening was prearranged about a week in advance. Because of the name of the restaurant I was most focused on the cheese, but it turns out La Queserí Tasting Room also specializes in the local seafood. Gonzalo regularly visits O Grove’s lonxa (fish market) to source the best and freshest seafood. I continue to follow Gonzalo and La Queserí on social media (Facebook) and it is a non-stop parade of the incredible mariscos he purchases at the lonxa to prepare for their guests.
Next came a plate of these gorgeous, fresh, delicate navajas (razor clams). Wow! Photo credit again here to José @Turvegal. Yet another example of how a very simple preparation allows a first class product, such as these flavorful and tender clams, to shine. We always enjoy this Galician delicacy, and this was one the best example we’ve tasted, before or since.
For me, the cheese course was the main event. The photo below on the right (by José @Turvegal) shows the cheese plate “before”, while mine (left) is more of a “during” representation. I will just fess up and say that I dug right in and then remembered to snap a pic. Gonzalo is extremely knowledgeable about all of the cheese in his cellar and explained the origin and age of each of the six unique cheeses, along with some tasting notes to help us to become familiar with those that were completely new to us. He was nice enough to write down the names and origins of each of the cheeses … and when I find that list again, dear reader, I’ll be sure to update the blog. But for now, let me assure you each of the cheeses on this thoughtfully composed board was delicious. The Spanish blue cheese (see photo on right, lower right cheese with grape on top), a Calabres from the neighboring province of Asturias, was my favorite. Funky in the best way possible, I surely ate more than my fair share of it.
Edit: Descriptions of the cheeses are now listed below. Please refer to the photo on the right, beginning with the tall cheese in the top left corner:
Brillat-Savarin (Burgundy – France) – French triple cream cheese made of pasteurized cow’s milk aged for 1-2 months.
Selles sur Cher (Loire – France) – French raw milk goat cheese with a light wood charcoal on the rind, aged for 1 month.
Langres (Champagne – France) – French raw cow’s milk washed rind aged for 2 months.
Calabres Reserva (Asturias – Spain) – Spanish raw cow’s milk blue cheese aged natural caves at 1000 meters of altitude in the Picos de Europa – a mountainous area of Asturias (the province next to Galicia).
Cantal “Vieux” (Auvergne – France) – French cow’s milk brushed rind cheese cured for 24 months. It is very rare to see this variation of Cantal outside of France; it has a strong taste and can last up to 18 months without spoiling if handled properly.
Guía (Gran Canaria Island – Spain) – Spanish raw sheep’s milk soft cheese aged for 8 months.
Check out the delicious bread that came along with the cheese selection: Our first taste of Made In Fofán squash & poppy seed bread (left) and traditional pan de leña bread (right).
The main course! Naturally, we knew we were going to have some sort of seafood as the main entrée, but while planning the menu the week before there was an option for Gallego beef. I had been seeing a lot written about the high quality of beef in Galicia, but hadn’t yet had the chance to sample any myself. We opted for one plate with Gallego beef, served as a hamburger with French fries. The other three plates were sargo al horno, baked white seabream, fresh from the market, over potatoes. Our mains were accompanied by a Spanish red from Pagos de Araiz (from Navarra).
For dessert, we finished with satisfying cheese and membrillo (quince paste) filled empanadillas.
The walls were decorated with wine and cheese … we felt right at home.
Did I mention that in Galicia, dinner goes late? Very late! It was 1:30 a.m. by the time we wrapped up this memorable meal, after much animated conversation with our dining companions and Gonzalo, our engaging host.
During our visit in the fall of last year the dining room was the only space available for a maximum of 10 people, as mentioned above. In the summer, two additional tables are set up outside, so guests can also be accommodated al fresco for lunch or dinner.
La Queserí Tasting Room
Gonzalo Germade Alfonso
Lugar de Meloxo 65A, O Grove, Galicia
+34 647 215 263
Facebook: La Queserí Tasting Room
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