Best Bets
Best cheese plates
Julia Beizer and Stephanie Merry | Washington Post Staff Writers | Updated 10/19/2009
Cheese plates are common, but a few restaurants deliver standouts, offering sweet/nutty/biting flavors that go well with a good wine.
Bistro Bis
Washington, DC
It's all about variety at Bistro Bis, where the imports include pungent French blue vein, a paprika-rubbed goat cheese from Spain and a Dutch offering with a subtle caramel flavor. (Selection of three for $16.)
Cheesetique
Alexandria, VA
The blackboard at this charming shop-cum-cafe lists a selection that spans the mild-to-stinky spectrum. Choose a few, along with accompaniments such as orange-fig spread and olive tapenade, and they'll arrive on a rustic wooden cheese board with sweet quince paste, crunchy cornichons and red grapes. (Three for $14.)
Dino
Washington, DC
The best feature of Dino's formaggi offerings may be the artful descriptions. Words such as "funky," "earthy" and "grassy" clue diners into the breadth of flavors on the Italian-accented list. ($4 to $5 per selection.)
Grapeseed
Bethesda, MD
Sharp notes from Humboldt Fog goat cheese and an Australian blue dominate the plate here. The spread is sweetened with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar and a handful of diced strawberries. (Three for $14.)
Proof
Washington, DC
Raw honey and other accoutrements such as pitted dates or fruit purees accompany the rotating selection of cheeses, sometimes including a meltingly creamy Mount Tam and a barely veined Roquefort. Many can be purchased at nearby Cowgirl Creamery. (Three for $13.)
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