Fewer than 24 hours after moving to Denver, I found myself in a familiar routine: sitting on the couch, Googling where to find cheese.
It’s no surprise that the Truffle Cheese Shop registered first on Google’s list. They’re the second oldest cheese shop in Denver, supplying many of the city’s restaurants with their selection of delicious dairy. When I saw they have a dine-in outpost in LoHi called The Truffle Table, I immediately grabbed my keys and got in the car to make it in time for happy hour.
Truffle Table has happy hour daily from 4 to 6 p.m., with a menu boasting enough cheese to please even the biggest connoisseur. The small cutout menu offers three wines by the glass ($5 each) and a series of appetizers including hummus with veggies and Sriracha caramel corn. For the cheese lover, they serve a daily bruschetta ($5) and cheese plate ($10), which I enjoyed chasing down with a glass of Hopler Pannonica Pinot Noir blend.
The cheese plates are nothing short of works of art, with the house-chosen cheeses (Tête de Moine, Malghese and Caña de Cabra) accompanied by two types of almonds, fresh jams, honey and bread. The daily bruschetta paired nicely, topped with truffled Gorgonzola dolce, mango-peach jam and a balsamic reduction.
We munched on the appetizers while taking in the atmosphere of the small restaurant, filled with first dates and girls-night-out gangs. When we saw a vat of fondue pass us and head towards the couple next to us, we knew what we had to do next.
The fondue, on the regular dinner menu at $30, arrives with seasonal accompaniments, which were carrots, cauliflower, potatoes, green beans, salami, gherkins and a bowl of bread. The spread is plenty to share amongst three or four friends.
The “cheesemonger” wait-staff is friendly, engaging and eager to offer suggestions—which is easy when every dish is a home run. For the price and atmosphere, Truffle Table is a perfect spot for a brief happy hour with friends, a first date or an evening when you find yourself on your couch Googling cheese.
All photography by Alexandra Palmerton.