Sometimes, I just can’t decide what I want to eat, especially at a restaurant. I’m kind of hungry, but don’t want a huge entree that will make me regret it halfway through (I can’t leave food on my plate, so then I’m just left beyond full). And I am all about the appetizers; I’d rather order a heavy appetizer and then get a nice salad for dinner. So considering that, I have come to love charcuterie and cheese options on menus. It is the perfect solution to anyone suffering from indecision. I, unfortunately, always want cheese, and I’d like to think that the rest of America does, too. And what goes better with cheese than salty olives and salty, cured meats? I have a particularly salty palate, so the brinier, the better.
But, let’s back up a bit. I acknowledge that when seeing the word charcuterie on a menu, one can be stumped and confused (that used to be me). The word is French, and although it’s not a direct translation, the word refers to the branch of cooking focusing on curing and preparing meats. Basically, in the old times, people needed a way to preserve meats before refrigerators did all the work.
So, back to the fun stuff, meat and cheese. I went on a hunt to see if Jackson restaurants offered charcuterie, and if so, what are their options. Most of the menus give you mixing and matching options, another reason charcuterie is the way to go for the indecisive folks like me. I’m happy to share with you these charcuterie and cheese plates:
- Local offers handcrafted charcuterie on their dinner and bar menu. They offer 3 for $10 or 6 for $18. Their meat options include: duck prosciutto, duck rilletes, smoked trout, La Quercia ham, pheasant sausage, foie gras torchone, spicy elk sausage, beef frankfurter, country style pate, and Tuscan salami. Accompany your charcuterie with any one of these cheeses: Yellowstone tome, Humbolt Fog goat cheese, Paradise Springs cheddar, parmigiano reggiano, Point Reyes bleu, and Larks Meadow sheep’s milk. All the charcuterie plates are served with house-made mustards and other condiments.
- Bin 22 separates their meat and cheese plates. Their plate options include 1 for $3, 3 for $17, and 5 for $29. Choose from: San Daniele prosciutto, lomo, speck, truffle mortadella,= and coppa picante. Their cheese plate options range from 1 for $4, 3 for $10, or 5 for $17. Choose from: Shelburne Farms cheddar, Midnight Moon, tome d’aquitane, lagrein, and manchego.
- The Four Seasons’ Westbank Grill serves their regional charcuterie and cheese plates with seasonal jam, maple candied cashews, country olives and spicy mustard. They allow you to mix and match three or six from the following: espresso cheddar cheese, country game, terrine, Haystack aspen ash goat cheese, elk sausage, Idaho baby swiss cheese, wild boar salami, smoked blue cheese, buffalo jerky, apple smoked walnut cheese and duck prosciutto.
