A Pinch of the Big Cheese

The first long weekend of the season unofficially kicks off summer. Typically Memorial Day Weekend is spent around the area for me, so no complaints for time with many friends both in Philly and West Chester. And what else says summer more than… two hours after dark in Di Bruno Bros. Market? Don’t worry, there was plenty of grilling and backyard hangs.

Do It Now: Di Bruno After Hours

If you don’t live in Philly, you may not know of Di Bruno Bros. Picture an Italian speciality market meets a cheese shop, deli and all sorts of local and international treats.

The whole Rittenhouse Square store front closed for our group of almost 20, and we spent the evening in the “Cheese Cave” with two incredibly-knowledgable cheese folks, who served us seven courses of cheeses and some pairing along the way. Since you’re probably wondering what that looked like…

I could listen to them talk about cheeses for hours, about those planned courses and the wine pairings along the way. But that’s just scratching the surface of this whole thing.

We could, and did, ask them about any of the cheeses in the case:

• What were their favorites out of everything there?

• What was the funkiest cheese they have?

• What cheese is the most controversial?

• What cheeses can’t be found anywhere else around the city or country?

In another life I went or will go to cheese school. I’m no scientist, but the way that all these cheeses are made and all the different flavors under the cheese umbrella is incredible. A potential monger future.

And of course it didn’t stop at the cheese. We could ask to try just about anything on the shelves, in the fridges and throughout the stores cases:

• Tinned fishes – we may have gotten lucky enough to also try some salmon roe

• Cured meats

• Butters and spreads

• Crackers and snacks

• Pasta sauce

• Olive oil and vinegars

• Local ice cream

• The “just about anything” limits us from things like the dry aged beef, actual caviar – basically the more expensive stuff

After all that, they couldn’t possibly offer us anything else, right? Well since we got to try all of those goods, we got a chance to use a 10% discount on anything we wanted to purchase in the store that night. So naturally after a full stomach, satisfied taste buds and a few glasses of wine, I needed to bring home some of what we tried and more.

I won’t disclose just how much I spent, but I don’t have any regrets and can’t wait to put it all to use for some dinner parties. They got me good.

Also a fun shoutout to Inciardi Prints, who just restocked the print vending machine with new designs for the summer. Added some to my collection for my work desk.

Grillin’ and Chillin’

After a much needed rest day on Friday following the busy week, the rest of the weekend was filled with amazing bites. I didn’t hop on the grill myself, but did get a chance to make some of my favorite burgers, smashed chicken burgers with cheddar and parsley. Also found an incredibly-simple cucumber-avocado salad that’s packed with flavor, and an awesome way to use very ripe avocados.

But I did get to enjoy some grilled treats at some friends’ places: pulled pork, burnt ends, clams, chicken wings and some grilled vegetable for balance. Good eats, many laughs and great friends – what else is needed to have a nice long weekend?

The beach will come soon enough, but I can safely say it’s not always needed for a fun long weekend. And I’ll double down on recommending the Di Bruno After Hours experience at all the Center City locations plus their Wayne location. They did an awesome job at calling out any food allergies and sensitivities that can go along with cheeses, nuts and all sorts of those products. Also just recommend checking out the markets if near one in the city.

Enjoy the short week 🤘