Formaggio Kitchen Cambridge
| Address: | 244 Huron Ave, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA |
| Phone: | +1 617-354-4750 |
| Site: | formaggiokitchen.com |
| Rating: | 4.8 |
| Working: | Closed 9AM–7PM 9AM–7PM 9AM–7PM 9AM–7PM 9AM–6PM 10AM–4PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 7
A
A Private User
I have been going to this store for many years and enjoyed the food. Very pricey but good. The staff is made up of young kids, probably college students who are all fairly knowledgeable but snooty, yes "beyond reckoning" as Scotty writes. I have always had problems with them especially since I come from Europe and know a few things about food in general and about the foods they have in the store. One thing they cant get right is cutting the cold cuts very thinly. The ones who cant do it give me the same bs that "you cant go thinner than that because the slice falls apart". Actually it doesnt. Some of the women in the team were able to accomplish just that. But the guys seem to not care at all, are super annoyed by the fact that I am daring to insist in this special cut and just don’t have the patience to at least try accomplishing this task. I have returned 1 lb of two different cuts twice, today being the second time this year that this has happened. And this all came about as they insisted I should call in advance and order the cuts as they have too many customers and I keep the one slicer too busy with my special demands for very thin cuts, which take longer to cut. So for the past year I called in advance and within 1-2 hrs they were able to fill my order. It worked fine for a while until today when they messed up again. Today I had the pleasure to deal with the owner’s son, who was the manager in charge since his father wasn’t there. He is anything but a good manager, took insult at my half jokingly remark that the guys seem to have a harder time to get this cut than the girls in the team and instead of changing it into a joke became rude and ended our conversation with “let’s leave it there”. I wonder if he cares that I am a customer who drops quite a few $$ in there every year. I am not going back and will let his father know of his son’s poor handling of this customer complaint. His father, the owner of the shop Ihsan Gurdal is a super nice person and an excellent manager. In general, those kids making up the staff are very full of themselves for some reason; maybe they think they are too educated in general and on top of that they are overeducated in all gourmet food matters – two “great” reasons to give anyone a sense of superiority over the entire world population, or so they act like! They all provide very poor customer service, I always feel uncomfortable there as if they are doing me a huge service helping me and that I should not be there to bother them in the first place. It feels like a communist store where you get the feeling you’ll be beaten up because you dared enter it and disturb the staff from whatever else they were doing. A very big disappointment as the foods in the store are good and the store itself gives the feel of a trip to a nice food store in any Mediterranean country. Yes, the North End is by far better but it’s too far for most of us to go for a few cold cuts on a weekly basis. And yes, at Salumeria Italiana they know how to cut the cold cuts thinly without this whole big commotion to get them. I got to say they are the losers without even knowing it. I will let Ihsan know about this and will not return to them until they change this horrible staff.
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Bertrand Laurence
Great cheese selection, but beware when buying coffee. I bought a pound of (G.H?) French Roast that ended up being a medium roast at best: caramel color, no gloss at all, no oil on the outside, plain matt beige/brown beans. Upon bringing it back the cashier said, "well, thats the roasters interpretation". Hmm, Okay so give me an expresso roast, to make sure I get dark beans..I ended up with something called Expresso-blue: Exact same thing ! Looked like the very same beans: Same color, no gloss, light caramel, high caffeïne, acidic coffee. When I brought it back I surveyed two folks who agreed: No Expresso, but Medium roast... Then the kind cheese person said...but " Is nt Expresso roast a light roast?". I was floored. I am no expert, but I know the basics: French roast and Expresso are at the dark brown/black end of the spectrum. You want the beans to be very dark and glistening. Lesson learned: never *ever* buy coffee without seeing the beans. That said, still great cheeses...
MI
Michael McEwen
Formaggio is still the best place for cheese, charcuterie and specialty foods. Ive been going here forever. I like their other location to but this is still the best. Il pop in throughout the year while making TG and Xmas a must. They may be just really good at faking it but they seem to recognize you regardless of long its been since the last time you were in. They are always super patient and let you sample the entire store if you need to. Besides the obvious stuff, definitely check out the jams to go with your cheese, the piri piri sauce is awesome, wines are great but a bit pricey and the flowers are always amazing. Also need to swing by in the summer for their grilling sessions on the sidewalk.
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Stavros Macrakis
An extraordinary selection of beautiful cheeses from around the world. Specialty hams (prosciutto crudo, iberico, ...) and salumi as well. Prices are high, but not higher than other local cheese sellers (Whole Foods, Wine + Cheese Cask, Cardullos), and the quality and selection is better. Also a wide range of high-end deli items -- specialty jams, mustards, pastas, etc. Though theyre good and varied, I dont find the prices proportionate. But again, the prices are about the same as elsewhere in the area. Good but tiny selection of wine. Service is generally helpful and patient, though the *clientele* can get pushy and impatient.
LE
Lee Movic
Formaggio Kitchen is my happy place. Packed wall-to-wall with exotic spices, oils, crackers, whosits and whatits, the store can be a little (a lot, frankly) overwhelming to the uninitiated. But the staff behind the cheese counter (behind every counter, frankly; they have multiple departments: deli, bakery, produce, wine/beer) are product experts. Their numerous on/off-site class offerings are a great way to become familiar with the staff & philosophy, but I recommend a visit on a Sunday/Monday evening to avoid the crowds. Saturday morning/afternoon barbecues in the summer, but get there early. Mmmm...cheese...
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Nancy Richert
This place is highly over-rated. Their cheese may be good but the staff is rude, and unwilling to help. I called 48 hrs ahead of time to order a cheese platter for a party. I was told to call back the following day. When I called and they said OOPS we need for 48hrs. We can give you CHUNKS of cheese and you can do it yourself. My previous experience also unsatisfactory- I wanted to order a gift basket for Christmas left an inquiry online- They never contacted me. They can keep their cheese and their help
CA
Caitlin McGlynn
If you love european foodstuffs, this is the place for you. I literally want to buy everything here. It brings all types of wonderful artisanal products together from wine, coffee, pasta, cheeses, to treats. I recently had the most delicious macaron here. I was searching for a certain cider and everyone was so helpful in helping me find the perfect one. You pay for the quality though and the reason why though I love it here, it will remain a nice treat rather than a regular for me.
