Out and About: Fair Oaks Farms

I visited Fair Oaks Farms a couple weeks ago with my parents and my son. They were on vacation and wanted to have all these adventures with the little guy before they went back to work - Fair Oaks was just one of them. We thought we'd have a great time doing all fun things a kid can do there: going through mazes, seeing the baby cows and eating at their cafe. Well, none of those even happened with the exception of the cafe. I'm not going to get into the lack of things for a kid (or an adult) to do though - because I think we just went on the wrong day - so I'll keep this food-related.

The cafe...oh, the cafe. The food wasn't up to par and didn't live up to the hype at all. My mom and my son got their 'Almost Famous Grilled Cheese' and I'll tell ya, there's a reason it isn't famous! My son took one bite of his kids meal sandwich and said he didn't like it. I did the mom thing and tried to get him to eat more until I tasted it myself. It was so dry and bland and tasted like melted Cheddar on toast. And it wasn't even good toast! My mom's grilled cheese wasn't as dry, but it wasn't anything to write home about. My dad and I got Cuban sandwiches that were also pretty bland. It was a tad dry and the best part was the mustard packet they put on the side.


The day wasn't a complete waste though because we visited the store before we left. If you've never had cheese from Fair Oaks Farm, you're missing out. They have many different types and they each bring such wonderful flavors and experiences. I love their best-seller, Baby Swiss, and I recently fell in love with their second best seller - Butterkase. It's like a buttery, mild white cheddar and is just so tasty. I also tried a new one called Emmentaler. The name was a little strange, but the description at the cheese counter made me want to try a sample. It's a hard cheese with a slight tartness and a hint of fruit and might just be my new favorite.

All in all, I'd definitely suggest going to Fair Oaks to check out the cheese selection. If you do go for activities, be sure to go on a weekend so there will be more to do. I wouldn't suggest wasting your time at the cafe thoguh.

Fair Oaks Farms Buttercase Cheese

Fair Oaks Farms Emmentaler Cheese