… No, that scheme is to keep me from going 
crazy while there. Places like that are the equivalent of Disneyland to me.
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Its pretty hard not to go crazy there especially with the charcuterie and cheese. Once they get wine in…forget it…
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Second Milkfarm…(with fond memories of their raclette nights).
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My needs are usually for either French or German; I usually go to Nichole’s in South Pas for French sausages, cheeses and patés, and to Schreiner’s in Montrose for German/Alsatian sausages, cured meats, sauerkraut and pickles. More specifically, Nichole’s for cassoulet makings and Schreiber’s for choucroute garni, but I know what else is good there too. Monsieur Marcel in the Original Farmer’s Market has a lot more stuff, but for a good bit more money too. And if I want a particular sort of paté, say, or some duck or turkey confit, I’ve got good recipes and I look for excuses to use them.
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Good shout-out on Monsieur Marcel. It’s pricey, but it’s closer and we’re only having a few people over. We’ll trek to Epicurus Gourmet aka Disneyland when we’re having a bigger to do.
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It’s great, but definitely not worth going out of your way for that.
Andrew’s is awesome, but there are probably a number of worthy options between you and Andrew’s.
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Hey, WO. Likely cooking “your” pork shoulder this week for some of the kiddos. xoc
Sounds good. I love Monsieur Marcel, but it is much more money than Epicurus (Farmers’ Market vs. North Hollywood Industrial Park - rent?). MM has better olives but I believe Epicurus has better charcuterie and cheese. Whatever have a wonderful New Year!
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Yah, a lot of their charcuterie is sourced from producers whose pigs are pasture raised. I like that.
I’m serving a few other things so just a small board (2 meats, 2 cheeses, fruits, nuts) will do. It shouldn’t break the bank too much.
You have a wonderful New Year too!
I will get one or the other and I’d like to get something soft as well. Already using Proscuitto for Wrapped Beef bites. Any other suggestions?
Mr. Marcel also has some nice beef bresaola (beef version of prosciutto) if you don’t think that’s too redundant. I would add some liver pate and they have a spreadable cheese topped with caviar that is really tasty too.
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Ohhh… beef bresaola seems like a nice change. I would normally put a pâté on the board and maybe still will, but I doubt these particular guests will dig that or the caviar cheese spread, which seems delicious.
Leave Your Diet at Home…
Just store-bought on this trip.
Crudités - Sundried Tomato & Harissa Tofu Dip
I’m going to have a couple of questions on this one on Home Cooking @robert. I didn’t use your exact ingredients (already had harissa) and added the oil cured tomatoes to cut down on the heat. It seemed simple enough, but my consistency was off. TBC…
The reason we’re here…
Soppressata & La Guercia Prosciutto (Melrose Farmers Mkt), Bresaola & Chicken Liver Truffle Pâté (M. Marcel). I can’t remember the brand of soppressata (maybe Creminelli) but it wasn’t my favorite in flavor (not much) or texture (too hard & chewy ). Maybe I should’ve sliced thinner? Or maybe it’s not my thing. Very good prosciutto, M. Marcel pâté was meh, their bresaola was delicious.
I played it a little safe with the cheeses. M. Marcel: Fromager d’Affinios, Cotswold, Aged Gouda. Sorry to say the Cotswold at Whole Foods (even TJ’s) is fresher, creamier and chivey-er, the aged gouda had the crystals, but Robusto (blend of parmesan & aged gouda) is my favorite. What can I say about Fromager d’Affinios? It’s the delicate love child of butter & brie. 
The Apricot Spread was a sweet & tasty little dollop.
House-made Caviar Cheese
Yes I could make it, but I’d rather pay M. Marcel $8.25 to do it for me.
Thanks @LAgirl.
Prosciutto Wrapped Beef w/Mustard Shallot Sauce
(forgot to photograph / internet photo) I wasn’t sure there was enough of the La Guercia so I also bought Prosciutto di Parma from M. Marcel’s case. It wasn’t as soft or flavorful, but turned out to be good as it was sliced thicker and much, much easier to peel and wrap around the beef.
Hope you don’t mind me including the non-charcuterie type bites…
Cheesy, Ground “Beef” Cups w/Curry Ketchup
The vegetarian loved them.
Salmon Bites in Puff Pastry w/Wasabi Mayo & Furikake
This is a variation of @attran99’s delicious looking Salmon in Phyllo. I was worried when making these but they turned out great!
We served Pear Mimosas w/Roderer Estate & La Marca Prosecco, a Primativo (can’t remember name) Allagash Curieux Ale, and Veuve Clicquot for midnight toasting. Is it true Veuve isn’t the same or have my tastes changed? I didn’t enjoy it quite as much. Would love a comparable rec. 
Overall the Melrose Farmers Market (not all small markets are created equal) and Monsieur Marcel on 3rd & Fairfax were hit & miss. M. Marcel has so much stuff that you need to be familiar like @LAgirl to pick out the specialties. egs., I made the mistake of picking jarred olives. They had been on the shelf so long they were mush and I couldn’t serve them. But we didn’t make it to a bakery and picked some boxed lemon Biscotti and Choco Chip Cookies that were really tasty (no photo). Some things were way overpriced like @ebethsdad said (aged gouda!) and some things were surprisingly modest. The service is fantastic. Shoutout to Alejandro! I would like to check out Milkfarm when I have time, but they didn’t have enough product info on their website to chance it this time.
This was our first time really entertaining since moving back in our place and it was kinda’ crazy not realizing what’s still in storage until searching for it - fancy little spoons & forks, cheese knives, table runners, etc. A run for the inexpensive glasses in the back of Crate & Barrel was in order. But we pulled it all off without breaking too much of a sweat and had stuff leftover for New Years Day brunch with the kids.
Thanks for the help Y’all and thanks for the idea @Chowseeker1999!
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Wow, @TheCookie! What a great spread! Your guests are so lucky.
I agree with you on the Vueve. I think it was better 5-10 years ago. I’ve been drinking Montaudon the last few years. It was recommended to me by some of my favorite associates at Total Wine. It’s about $5 cheaper than a Vueve, and it had been beating out Vueve in tastings…so much that Vueve acquired it. I don’t know what it was like before the acquisition, but I quite enjoy it now. It’s the house champagne when we celebrate mid-range occasions.
Side note…I had another one a few years ago…recommended by the same associate. It was quite delightful…I forget the label, and all I remember was that the house was run by the female members of a family. It was priced in the Vueve range, and tasted just as wonderful.
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Holey moley! We have space in our house for you!!! That is completely drool-worthy and our fave way to eat. Yay for you!
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Thanks @attran99! I got a tad ambitious, but tried to keep it in check. 
Thanks for the Montaudon rec and clues for the champagne riddle to be solved.
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Thanks Cath.
Mine too!
Perhaps you could invite us over? Gorgeous!
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Haha… spring and summer is really the best… tiny home, huge yard. 
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Your very welcome. I think that caviar cheese spread is pretty tasty for a grab and go and the bresaola is always good. Doesn’t Mr. Marcel also have marinated olives in barrels (at least they used to)? Beautiful assortment overall for your guests!
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