Whoa, I'm addicted to great brie, so the chance to go to an eating place called Bloomy Rind was irresistible. Just in case you're wondering, a bloomy rind is the soft white covering made by the Penicillium camemberti fungus and you find it on cheeses like brie and Camembert. Hey, why can't a Yelp review be educational as well as informational?
The place is kind of like a little French bistro, but since I've never been to one and only seen them in the movies, I can't be 100% sure. The display area dominates and there is sitting space for about 8-10 people.
The obvious star of the place is the food. It's fantastic. They have stacks of these wonderful little sandwiches as well as a wide variety of larger sandwiches and all sorts of other mouth-watering foods, such as the fattoush salad and country pate (pate de campagne for you Francophiles). The Cubano sandwich is killer with generous slices of meat melted together with cheese on kickass bread. The chocolate chip cookies are a must-eat, and everything else I've tried there has been top-notch, which is what you'd expect from Chef Robert Gonsalves who has cooked at notable restaurants such as L'Espalier and Olives.
One thing to be aware of is that if you're going to order the Cubano or other hot-pressed (i.e. Panini-style) sandwiches, you're going to have to wait for several minutes because they don't pre-make them. A quality sandwich requires a little patience, and if you're in a rush, they have the mini prepared sandwiches at the very front of the display counter.
But the other stars that make the place special is the chef's wife Mary and the rest of the staff.
Mary seems to be everywhere at once as she runs the front of the place and is quick to welcome people as well as give them free samples of all sorts of cheeses and other foods. That's how I got hooked on a brie-like cheese called Harbison. As another patron said, "It's like brie on steroids." But a warning that if you want the full splendor of this cheese to come through, you have to warm it to room temp and scoop it out of its bark container because at room temp it's a bit runny. Btw, they have a great cheese selection and Mary is kind of like a cheese encyclopedia. So, you can learn a lot about the cheeses they sell.
They say that you can always tell a great business by its employees, and it's abundantly clear that Mary and Robert run a strong ship because all the employees I've met there so far (Jessica, Paula, Betsy, and Kelly) have been fantastic. They're hard-working, pay attention to detail, and friendly. Who could ask for more?
Parking is plentiful. There's parking available right in front of the place, and a huge parking lot behind it.
I should warn you to be prepared to spend some money because you can walk in thinking that you're just going to get a sandwich and then walk out with a whole lot more. The food is that good.
And if you just don't know where to start when you walk in, just tell them that Mr. Miami sent you, and they'll take care of you.
Oh yeah, their dulce de leche bread pudding is sinfully delicious. read more