Andante Dairy
Category: Food Specialty Food Cheese Shops Cheese Shops [Edit]
1550 Ridley AvePetaluma, CA 94952
(707) 526-0517
- Price Range:
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$$$
13 reviews for Andante Dairy
Review Highlights
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"...little stand at the Ferry farmer's market and is located at..." In 3 reviews -
"Apparently Thomas Keller loves the cheese as well, because..." In 3 reviews -
"They use jersey cow's milk, which apparently is the best..." In 2 reviews
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13 reviews in English
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Review from Candace C.
Palo Alto, CA
4/2/2012
It started with a sampling of their butter and yogurt at the French Laundry and naturally, we worked our way to their cheeses. I love the fresh goat cheese. I want to eat the entire round, but it would make tomorrow a sadder day. It's fresh, light and not goat-y at all. It pairs well savory or sweet. I had some on crackers yesterday and crumbled a little on my nectarine galette this afternoon. Mmmm..
I can't wait to work my way through even more of their cheeses--absolutely my new fav vendor at the Ferry Building Farmer's Market! -
Review from Kelly K.
4/22/2012
Metronome is a luscious cheese, a thin rind encloses a layer of creme fraiche which surrounds a dome of perfectly ripened semisoft cheese. This cheese stands with the very best of the french and is clearly the work of an artisan. We also enjoyed partita and piccolo, the former a pure sheep cheese and the latter a triple creme. We found these cheeses in oliver's, a santa rosa market that specializes in local products. You can purchase andante cheeses at ferry plaza but if you are in santa rosa pick them up at oliver's, you will pay half as much. Either way, if you love cheese you will be impressed.
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Review from Lindley E.
Chicago, IL
3/24/2008
Thomas Keller may have put Soyoung on the map, but long before TK 'discovered' her, Soyoung was already making some of the best artisan cheese in the country.
I discovered Soyoung's cheese in 2000, just as she was finishing up a stint at Barbara Backus' Goat's Leap Dairy. Working alongside Barbara, Soyoung started making early versions of the cheeses so many now know and love - Metronome, Piccolo, etc. She was making tiny batches, selling some locally, and selling the rest to high end restaurants around the country. I purchased some for the cheese shop where I worked, fell in love with the cheese, and now always make a point to seek it out when I'm in the Bay Area.
Soyoung is a passionate perfectionist - she is not only technically skilled, but a doting craftsperson with an eye for even the most minute detail. She won't sell anything less than perfect. In recent years, I have loved her Baton, which is one of the best aged goat cheeses I've had in years, since it became all but impossible to get great farmstead cheese from France.
This is a cheese to buy and savor right away, not hold and age in your refrigerator - that would be an act of heresy and stupidity. Soyoung sells her cheese - most of the time - 'a point' (at the peak of ripeness). If it needs a few more days, she'll tell you. But don't dally - serve it immediately. You'll be thrilled that you did.
Soyoung does not operate a retail mail order, so you'll have to seek her out at the Farmer's Market, the few restaurants she sells to directly, or some of the local stores she works with. It is well worth it. -
Review from Nathalie L.
Houston, TX
4/15/2008 1 photo
Cheese, cheese, the magical fruit, the more you eat, the more you toot! Yes, I know this little jingle is about beans (see previous review) but Andante cheese just makes me SO HAPPY and I always hum this jingle when I am happy. (Which is pretty often and annoying to friends and family.)
Anyway, my favorites from Andante include Rondo (I think it is so cute I had to take a picture) and Minuet. Rondo is a mix of cow's and goat's milk and according to the website, has "the fine texture and brightness of a goat's milk cheese and the mouth feel of a cow's milk cheese." Basically just means it is damn good cheese. The Minuet is a goat's milk triple-creme and is super, super smooth and is designed for champagne tasting. However, I am a heathen and prefer just to have it plain.
Andante has a little stand at the Ferry farmer's market and is located at the far backside of the building next to Della Fattoria. A must visit! -
Review from Barbara M.
Sebastopol, CA
7/12/2011
I just opened some Figaro, a seasonal mixed cow and goat cheese wrapped in a wine soaked fig leaf. I am not embarrassed to say I finished the whole round! It was so worth it. The lovely flavor of the fig leaf had permeated the rind, imparting an earthy, savoriness that was just delicious. I wish Andante cheeses were more widely available. Then again maybe not, because if the production were increased, some of what makes these cheeses so special might be lost.
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Review from Sooj O.
New York, NY
8/19/2007
I have loved Andante Dairy's cheese since I first tried them two years ago. However, getting their Metronome cheese is akin to persuing an elusive lover. Here are several key things to note if you want to land this lover:
1. They leave the Ferry Building farmer's market promptly at two o'clock...they are not there a minute longer.
2. A high maintenance lover, the Metronome cheese will not be available if you don't arrive early....sold out.
3. If you don't have a tupperware container and decide to carry around the very fragile beautifully shaped Metronome cheese in a large tote bag with several books in it, you might squish your lover to all sorts of bad shape....and your tote bag, along with your books, will smell like cheese (pun intended...after all, isn't it more romantic to squish your lover in bed...I know, Mom, I am not supposed to be eating in bed, but you don't know what I am doing).
So, get to the Ferry Building early on Saturdays, take an adequate tupperware or other indestructible container with you.
The Metronome cheese: just the loveliest goat cheese with ten percent creme fraiche. $18. I spread it on Acme's Olive loaf and eat it with the juciest, darkest little plums (also found at the Ferry Building). -
Review from Monika M.
San Francisco, CA
3/3/2009
I had some of this cheese at Coi. Best cheese I've ever had. I like cheese, but I am not a person who would choose a cheese plate rather than a dessert or a nice app. This cheese, however, was orgasmic. Seriously.
The figaro is the absolutely the best cheese I've ever tasted and probably ever will. Unfortunately, it's also impossible to get. argh. -
Review from Tracy D.
San Francisco, CA
7/8/2007
This is some of the most amazing cheese. They use jersey cow's milk, which apparently is the best kind, and goat milk from the animals they own. Gotta love local...
And as a former musician, I love how her cheeses are named after musical terms.
Apparently Thomas Keller loves the cheese as well, because he features it at the French Laundry. (Gary Danko, Auberge du Soleil, and the Ritz have also jumped on the bandwagon.) And btw, they produce butter exclusively for FL as well, although we're lucky enough to have a chance at it occasionally at the Ferry Building Farmer's Market.
Mmmm.... cheese... if you're in the petaluma area, I hear there are occasional tours, although I haven't been on one myself yet. I imagine it'd be a very yummy worthwhile way to spend an afternoon. -
Review from Ruth L.
Santa Rosa, CA
9/3/2007
Yeah, she is in Petaluma. I heard all about her story from everyone out here. Farmhouse Inn has her cheese as part of the cheese dessert plate.
Her cheese IS available at the Santa Rosa Oliver's Market, which as you might know from my review of them, have a LOT of locally grown and California grown, and specifically Northern California grown produce and cheese. -
Review from miriam b.
San Francisco, CA
8/4/2007
ANDANTE DAIRY is in PETALUMA....not Santa Rosa
Petaluma, California
tel/fax 707-769-1379
soyoungk (at) http://andantedairy.com
The Cheesemaker was pursuing a PhD in biochemistry at Cal Poly and when she travelled to Europe with her husband, she tried cheese for the FIRST time (being from Korea originally, she had never tried cheese before...hey YELPERS this is not to say that cheese cannot be found in Korea, this is just HER life, herstory...).
She was amazed at the flavors of cheese and started experimenting with the bacterias in cheese for Kraft, but did not feel that development of LOW-FAT and non-fat cheese was what fascinated her.
BLAH, blah, blah
Any.whooo ...who BUT Thomas Keller of FRENCH LAUNDRY fame came upon her cheese, fell in love with her QUALITY and serves her cheese in his FRENCH LAUNDRY which is called "BLUE APRON" contrary to her love for musical names for her cheese.
(Milk she uses are from Jersey cows.)
(She used to accompany her Father who sang opera arias, when she was growing up...hence the name for the Dairy.)
Her cheese can be found on Saturdays at the San Francisco FARMERS MARKET, Whole Foods on California and Franklin Street.
WOOOWWWWOOOOWW...a biochemist forging the fine scientific contribution to the artisonal cheese making process, and being sought after by some of the nationally excellente restaurantes of KAH-LEE-FOOORR-NEE-AAAA...pretty cool. -
Review from kim n.
8/26/2010
I remember when I first heard of Soyoung Scanlan on a program on PBS. Leaving the biosciences to pursue the creation of fine dairy products. In my pursuit of culinary experiences, I've encountered her products in various establishments. Bix, Boulevard, Coi, Chez Panisse, French Laundry, Per Se; she certainly has traction in the haute cuisine restaurants, for good reason. However you don't have to drop the benjamins to get to her wares, Whole Foods will occasionally carry them too. If you''re a lover of dairy products, they're a must try
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Review from Paul S.
Santa Rosa, CA
9/17/2010
A MAZ ING. Extraordinary cheeses which feature pure, clean flavors and fluffy, ethereal textures. My favorite cheeses in Northern California. Seek them out (she lists sources on her website, http://www.andantedair...).
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Review from Ruth S.
Oakland, CA
10/10/2010
Tried a new cheese today - the Contralto - a washed rind goat cheese. Perfectly ripe - a little runny, a little salty, with goat cheese tang. Thanks for making such yummy cheese!
