Cracker Barrel Asiago
READING TERMINAL MARKET Philadelphia boasts a few fantastic vendors. Regularly I saddle up to a short counter for a bowl each of rice & steamed greens with scallions and oyster sauce. Then maybe to the Amish deli case, where you can still lay a dollar on the counter and get a dollar’s meat. Don’t forget the donut maker. Hundreds, nay, thousands, boiled daily in vats of fresh oil. Mmmmmmm donuts.
Today the Health Angel whispered from my shoulder. No donuts. After rice and greens, I happened past a cheese counter the better part of a city block long. If cheese you want, this is the place.
A few weeks ago, the local grocer’s featured a seasonal Cracker Barrel offering, Asiago. A very interesting flavor. Cracker Barrel will sell you a chunk for a fifth of the cheese counter’s price. It is a decent offering. Pairs nicely with olives, pepperoncini, maybe a few crackers.
If you see Cracker Barrel on sale, stock up! Be sure to grab a 7 oz package of chunk Asiago. Later, join me at RTM. We’ll splurge on the real stuff at five times the price. A little comparative munching. Both are worth it. Both are great values.
What happened at the RTM cheese counter? I sampled. Much stronger then Cracker Barrel. “This is real cheese, son”. Well worth $12.99 a pound. $9.99 if over a pound. They happened to have a single ½ pound piece already cut from the wheel. I did them the favor of buying for a fiver laid on the counter.
American Lunchbox 