Best of Boston

1997 Best Cheese Shop

Formaggio Kitchen

Craving a tangy taste of ash-coated chevre? A mouthful of manchega? A genuine Gorgonzola? Proceed directly to Formaggio Kitchen, the closest you’ll come to a European cheesemonger on these shores. A recent addition to what is already a mecca for Boston chefs and epicures is an innovative cheese-ripening cave, the first of its kind in a retail store in this country. A 100-pound wheel of Beaufort, still not quite ready, has been down there for two years.

244 Huron Ave., Cambridge, 617-354-4750,