Lunch Today....

This restaurant's location may test the 8 minute rule. The St. James Cheese Company, located on Robert and Prytania, brings the devotion to cheese that Martin brought to wine. With cheeses from over 15 countries and Louisiana, you will find a cheese to your liking. Better yet, you can grab a bottle of wine from the Wine Seller next door and Richard and his staff will match up a cheese to go with your wine. If the place is not incredibly busy (unlikely), ask Richard for the story as to why he and his wife decided to open a Cheese Shop in New Orleans. The story will raise your own spirits as to why you decided to return to New Orleans.

St. James sells sandwiches, salads, charcuterie boards, and other arrangements of meat and cheese. The mozzarella sandwich combines mozzarella, pesto, and salami on ciabatta. The resulting sandwich comes off a hot griddle and oozes deliciousness. The taste is not unlike a great piece of pizza, with the pesto soaking into the bread, the cheese relaxing into an almost molten texture, and the salami providing the salty bite.

The Charcuterie Board offers a tempting option for those in the mood to graze. 3-4 meats, 1 or 2 cheeses, and a couple of pates are presented to the diner(s), along with peasant bread, cornichons, and whole grain mustard. This allows you into build multiple sandwiches and try things you normally would not. The pates are made from local chefs, including the crew from Cochon and Peter Vazquez.

Great outdoor seating in nice weather. French lemonades, designer teas, and some unique cheese related cooking gear round out the selections.