January 29, 2007

Dairy Queen

Boston Cheese Cellar

Time was, most things in life were pretty cheesy. (After-school specials, slow dances at prom.)

Not much has changed. Only now, with your affinity for all things artisanal, cheese is nothing to be embarrassed about. You rattle off names like Humboldt Fog, Baby Bartlett, and Ben Nevis like they were your closest pals. (And some nights, they are.)

Boston Cheese Cellar, a cozy, antique-filled alcove overlooking a courtyard in Roslindale Village, will give you even more to brag about.

The shop is run by Kathy Lacher, a seasoned cheese specialist, and husband John Pierce, who stock the cases with more than 90 cheeses from far and wide — Ireland, Holland, England, Portugal, and the USA. If you’ve never heard of, say, Spanish Garrotxa, they’ll give you a nibble.

The shop also carries gourmet mustards, olive oils, pastas, jams, and crackers. So you know where to get the fixings for your next sleepover.

Unless you think that’s cheesy.

Boston Cheese Cellar, 18 Birch Street, Roslindale (617-325-2500).