Y’all don’t even know how long I have waited to use that phrase. I thought of it during my Communication Research class in the spring, and I have waited until this exact moment to use it. Are you blown away by my creativity or what?
I decided we needed to talk about the king-daddy of all cheeses. Burrata.
According to Cheese.com (the authority on all things cheese) this cheese is in the mozzerella family, made from buffalo’s milk, and has an oozy-soft interior when you cut into it. Apparently the word “burrata” means “buttery” in Italian. And the interior consists of mozzerella bits, which is why it is so flavorful and fresh. Who knew?
Cheese is my favorite food and honestly the reason why I can’t cut dairy out of my diet. I also believe my love of cheese is genetic due to my mom. She is on a ketosis diet mainly because she did not want to give up cheese; rather, she incorporated it into being a heavy part of her diet. Cheese works wonders, she lost 40 pounds! *Disclaimer: results may not work for everyone, do not get your health advice from me. I am not a doctor.
Thank the burrata gods that Charlotte delivers when it comes to this beautiful cheese.
1. Crepe Cellar
I once told a follower of my Instagram page that if I were to die tomorrow, my last meal would have to be burrata from Crepe Cellar. This European gastropub serves their housemade burrata with grilled bread, proscuitto, olive oil, smoked salt, and a brûléed honeyed lemon. You cut into the mountain of burrata they give you with a knife that looks like a miniature garden hoe, it’s awesome. It’s smoky, sweet, creamy, and extremely satisfying. Its flavor profile only gets better when you smear it on some grilled bread or sweep it through some honey.
2. Flour Shop
This restaurant is tucked in the back of Park Road Shopping Center, and the atmosphere just oozes warmth and hospitality (like burrata, ha). The open concept kitchen allows for visitors to peek at the chefs doing their thing. Flour Shop specializes in house made pasta dishes, which pack a flavor punch. My favorite is the Gemelli with NC shrimp and lime breadcrumbs. But the burrata is out of this world. It shifts according to the seasonal menu, but at its core the burrata is buttery and creamy. When I went, the burrata was the size of my fist and was served with honeyed figs and drizzled with olive oil.
3. Pizzeria Omaggio
You may know Omaggio for their excellent Roman-style pizzas, with thin crusts and savory tomato sauce. Their burrata is exceptional! It’s served with balasamic, proscuitto, bread, and seasonal veggies. It is a great appetizer to go along with the housemade pizza and pasta dishes, or if you want make it your meal with an Illy Italian coffee on the side you can do that too. Or maybe a glass of wine. Maybe both. Live life to the fullest, everything is delicious and you can’t go wrong!
Where are your burrata go-to spots? Let me know on Instagram @CLTChomp!