I love going to the market to buy cheese for a dinner party. When I’m really inspired and I have plenty of time on my hands, I’ll venture to CheeseBoard in Berkeley because there’s nothing like CheeseBoard for all things cheese and bread. When I’m short on time — as I was this time — I’ll head over to Market Hall in Rockridge. What I love the best about buying cheese for a special meal is when I can inspire the server helping me with my cheese selection. When I begin to tell the server about the meal and what I want to serve each cheese with, I can see their eyes get bigger as they envision my meal in front of them. I tell them about the flavor and textures I’m looking for and then they start showing me the cheeses and telling me why this or why that or what this one will add in flavor and complexity. Sometimes, if I’ve been really descriptive or the server has been truly inspired they’ll do what the server did THIS time. In one shot, she said: “I know exactly what you want. This is my favorite cheese. It will be perfect!” Indeed it was — served warm then drizzled with caramelized shallots simmered in honey and topped with toasted cacao nibs. This cheese was the perfect accompaniment atop sweet cacao nib crackers.