The Cheese Named Best In The US For 2022 Comes From A NYC Cheese Shop
Here at Tasting Table, we love New York City. Most foodies probably do. NYC is a world-famous hub of global gastronomic innovation. Take a stroll down any avenue and you'll see what we mean. In fact, as of 2018, the city is home to more than 27,000 restaurants. The figure becomes even more impressive when you consider that New York City's five boroughs in total only span about 300 square miles, via WorldAtlas. (That's roughly 90 restaurants per square mile.) From some of the best bagels in the world to the classic "New York slice," there's something for every palate — even the more unconventional ones.
In addition to pizza and pastrami, New York City is now home to another global culinary great: cheese. And not just any cheese. The cheese named best in the U.S. for 2022 comes from an NYC cheese shop.
Seasoned home cooks are no strangers to unique cheeses and their varied birthplaces. Maybe you've enjoyed some Neufchâtel of France with crackers, or sampled Norway's Jarlsberg cheese. Now, a New York cheese is on the list, all the way in the number-one spot for America.
Murray's Cave Aged Reserve Greensward is 'bold and creamy'
Introducing: Murray's Cave Aged Reserve Greensward. This year, at the World Cheese Awards, professionals put cheeses from around the globe to the test and named Murray's Cave Aged Reserve Greensward as the best cheese in America. Greensward also made the list of Super Gold Top 16 Cheeses in the entire world. And earlier this year, the American Cheese Society named it the third Best of Show cheese in the U.S.
So, what does it taste like? Murray's describes the Greensward's flavor as "bold and creamy" and "delicately pungent," flavored with mushrooms and brandied cherries and wrapped in a woodsy spruce rind. Its texture is liquid and spoonable. The cheese was created exclusively for NYC fine-dining pillar Eleven Madison Park's "Iconic New York" menu back in 2011, per Astoria-based café Château le Woof. (Ironically, Eleven Madison Park has since gone totally vegan, per the New York Post.)
The cheese's namesake Greensward comes from its NYC roots. Before Central Park was built, it was called the "Greensward Plan" during development. The cheese, says the outlet, aims to evoke a similarly harmonious blend of pastoral lushness within a metropolitan backdrop. For cheese fans who want to give it a try for themselves, Murray's is an NYC-based cheesemonger with locations in Greenwich, Long Island City, and Grand Central, but they also have an online store and work with over 800 Kroger stores and 600 restaurants nationwide.