The Big Cheese

Cheese lovers rejoice!! We have a great new resource in Scottsdale at The Quarter, that oh-so-ugly, still a work-in-progress shopping center on Scottsdale Road at the Greenway-Hayden Loop. It’s called Oakville Grocery, and it comes to us from Napa Valley where it’s been in operation since 1881.

The concept is similar to that of The Kitchen (see below). Shelves are stocked with all sorts of gourmet items you didn’t know you had to have. There’s an extensive collection of primarily California wines. There’s prepared foods to-go, and a salad/pizza/sandwich counter. Also charcuterie, a butchers station, and - fanfare - an awesome cheese section. We hit it from one end, where there was a bowl full of little cheese cubes to sample. It was Grana Padano, fresh off the boat from Italy. Like a cross between Emmenthaler and Parmesan it can be grated, shredded, or just eaten out of hand. (I went to the refrigerator just now to check on its name, and I couldn’t leave without cutting off a piece to munch on). We worked our way down the display, which took a while because we were reading about all the cheeses that were new to us. There were some old favorites, too, like those from the Cowgirl Creamery in San Francisco. The friendly and knowledgeable staff say that they will be happy to order anything not in stock (this is store policy, and they have a number of speciality catalogs for you to look at). This is probably the largest and most eclectic selection around. The prices are comparable to those at Whole Foods, or AJ, expensive, but “such is life”. 

The same cannot be said for the rest of the merchandise. I spied an Italian ham for $130 a pound, lamb chops for $40 a pound. When I compared the price of jarred, imported tuna filets at Oakville and AJ’s, AJ’s was $3.00 cheaper ($7 versus $10 for a 7 ounce jar). The sandwiches are several dollars more expensive than those at The Kitchen, and pretty much on a par in terms of taste and quality. We had a serrano ham and machengo cheese sandwich on MJ bread for $8.99, served with a side of pasta salad, both quite good and big enough to share, so the price is not totally outrageous, but still... The Kitchen is cheaper. And speaking of bread, while MJ bread is very good, the selection is smaller and less interesting than the house-made bread at, you guessed it, The Kitchen. Oakville’s pastry selection is, in my opinion, boring at best, and unappetizing at worst.

The aisles in Oakville are cramped, it’s difficult for two of their small carts to pass each other. In an effort to display more merchandise the shelves are set up like a maze, and when lines form at the checkout counters, gridlock results. 

But cheese lovers, don’t let these negatives deter you. Go see and taste for yourselves, you’ll be glad you did.

Oakville Grocery

1501 N. Scottsdale Rd.   Scottsdale     in The Quarter 

480-596-8200

Monday - Saturday 10 - 9     Sunday  10 - 7     

espresso cafe  opens 7AM Monday - Saturday,  8AM Sunday

oakvillgroceryarizona.com  the website does not seem to be working yet