Monday night I stopped into Kashkaval in Hell's Kitchen, a gourmet cheese market and wine bar. My older sister had raved about the place and I wanted to see if her rave was warranted. It was!

Don't be deceived by the market up front when you walk by. There is a cozy and quaint wine bar lurking right beyond that cheese case. There is a wide array of Mediterranean tapas, cheese and meats, and fondue!

For $12 I had a sampler plate of five tapas which came with pita bread. I ordered four spreads and grape leaves. The spreads were absolutely wonderful! The stuffed grape leaves with rice, onions, pine nuts, olive oil, and herbs, were fine, but I think I would have preferred another type of spread instead, for the spreads were simply brilliant! They were: spicy walnut pepper spread (with fire-roasted peppers, walnuts, oil, garlic, parsley), hummus (Chick peas, tahini, garlic, lemon, olive oil), red pepper spread (roasted red peppers, olive oil, garlic ), and baked beets (Beets, garlic, dill vinaigrette

Fate was on my side this night, for I had been craving fondue for some time now, and low and behold, not only does Kashkaval serve fondue, they serve fantastic fondue! I went with the namesake Kashkaval fondue with kashkaval (a type of sheep milk cheese) and extra virgin olive oil. It is served the traditional way in a cast iron pot with French baguette, and was addictive and delicious!

Kashkaval is one of those hidden gems people should know about. For well priced Mediterranean tapas and fondue, I don't know another place like this in NYC. Get your wine, cheese, and spread on quick, before more people find this secret treasure!

Kashkaval
856 9th Avenue (bet. 55th and 56th)
New York, NY 10019
212-581-8282