Cheese-tastic (Relish)

Have I mentioned my obsession with cheese yet? If not, now's as good a time as any to let you in on my secret: I absolutely positively ADORE cheese. If I find myself in a restaurant with a cheese plate for dessert, I'm the happiest gal around. No joke. I'll give up chocolate, cake, custard, maybe even ice cream for a cheese sampling. Even better is when you can make a meal out of a cheese plate AND still have room for dessert. At Relish, you can do just that (eat your cheese as a meal, that is...they don't really have dessert, so that kills my brilliant idea).

Relish has two locations, one on Menual between Pennsylvania and Wyoming, and one on Central between 3rd and 6th (I know that's not quite so specific, but I honestly can't remember exactly). The uptown one has an actual dining room, whereas you just go for pick-up downtown. Both are order-at-the-counter spots where your order is then made fresh for you.

Relish is a lunch joint, though you can catch them for an early dinner (I think before 6, maybe 7), but they tend to run out of things later in the day. Therefore, I'd suggest making a lunch out of it, and get there before noon to avoid the line. They offer sandwiches and salads, as well as my personal favorite: the Ploughman's Lunch. This is a selection of their aforementioned cheeses (usually 3 or 4 different kinds) that come with bread, crackers, and various relishes/toppings. It's rustic fare at it's finest, and it's really rather remarkable that I've ever strayed from it to try any of the sandwiches. But I have, and I'm glad for it.

Relish sandwiches are quite tasty, and as sammies are definitely up there on my list of loved foods, I'm quite pleased to have found them. The Cuban is truly divine and I'll even eat it with the requisite pickles (which I would normally pick off) because the flavor combination is perfect. Another good sandwich is the turkey with apples and fennel...which sounds odd, and is oddly wonderful. As I mentioned before, I like creativity in sandwiches, so I appreciate that Relish has such offerings. Another thing that shouldn't be missed is their house-made fresh mozzarella which is featured both in a caprese sandwich (summer in a baguette) and a caprese salad (which is substantial on its own).

Speaking of salads, Relish makes a good one...though I rarely order them. Asking me to deviate from cheese is one thing, but deviating from cheese AND sandwiches is quite another. But if both the cheese and the sandwiches disappeared, I'd be plenty satisfied with a salad. They are chalk full of fresh ingredients, tasty dressings, and additions like mozzarella or salami. One would be plenty substantial as a meal.

Sadly, Relish doesn't do desserts really. I think they should add cupcakes to their repertoire or possibly homemade ice cream. Both would be well received, especially since I could then have my cheese meal and something sweet for dessert. Until then, though, I'll enjoy their cheese (!) and sandwiches and occasional salad on their own. And I'll still be quite happy.