This little midtown gem may just be one of Reno’s longest running and most beloved mid-day eateries. Located on California Avenue, flanked by equally fabulous local businesses, The Cheese Board is serving up a variety of lunchtime classics and specialty charcuterie boards both inside and out.
For those of us ready to venture out, the restaurant is open with social distancing protocols in place—they’ve removed about half of the tables—and they are still offering takeout via pick-up or delivery for those choosing to stay home a little longer. If you step inside, grab a seat and a glass (or bottle) of wine, or order your meal at the counter and sit on the shaded outdoor patio with a great view of the neighborhood.
We opted for takeout lunch last week, choosing to pick up our sandwiches from the counter. The process was simple: order online or call ahead and wait about 30-35 minutes for food to be ready. Each meal is stored in its own cardboard container and our sandwiches, the prosciutto turkey and patty melt, came with sides of chips that could be upgraded to a small salad for $1.50. When you order online there are places to substitute bread type and write in comments on how to prep your sandwich, i.e. no tomatoes for me.
Getting home—all the way across town to South Reno—the sandwiches stayed warm, which was a nice surprise considering the drive took more than 20 minutes.
The flavors in the turkey prosciutto, served on sourdough bread and layered with turkey, prosciutto, grilled onions, melty jack cheese, pea shoots and garlic aioli (plus tomatoes if you don’t nix them), did not disappoint. The sourdough is warm and slightly crunchy without being rough and the pea shoots offer good color while meeting a vegetable quota we probably all miss on a daily basis.
The real treat, however, is the grilled onions, mixing with the melted sharp cheese to offer a subtly sweet component. The sandwich itself is mostly turkey, which was a welcome surprise, but there is a thin layer of prosciutto that creates a more complex flavor profile than that of most turkey sandwiches ($12.95).
The second sandwich ordered was a patty melt, a quarter-pound beef patty served on marbled rye bread and topped with melted Swiss cheese, grilled onions and a side of Dijon ($13.95). The option to dip the patty melt in the Dijon was divine, but the sandwich would have been equally as delicious without the extra spread, too. Again the grilled onions added flavor to the sandwich and really stepped it up, creating a concoction that is more signature than a run-of-the-mill menu item.
Both sandwiches were filling but not oversized. These aren’t sub sandwiches you’d pick up from the local deli; instead, they are re-imagined, gourmet meals served on sliced bread and considerably smaller than the foot-long you were eyeing at Subway. That being said, one serving certainly filled us up; I wouldn’t recommend splitting.
If you dine in, take advantage of the varied wine selection, which includes bottles from all over, many of which can be ordered by the glass. We also recommend trying out the eatery’s namesake; the cheese board is served with assorted artisan cheeses, a combination of fresh and dried fruit, ancho chili jam and assorted crackers ($15.95). For a heartier option, opt for the charcuterie board complete with a selection of cured meats, whole grain mustard, cornichon, olives, peppers, grape tomatoes, olives and crostini ($15.95).
Details:
Open Monday – Friday, 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Online: https://cheeseboardcatering.com/
247 California Avenue, Reno, Nevada 89509
Phone: 775-323-3115
