Every now and then, Meredith and I take a little extra time for lunch, drive through the scenic Cape Elizabeth and Scarborough tidal flats, and make our way to one of our favorite lunch spots in the area, The Cheese Iron.

With an unbelievable spread of sandwiches, wines, charcuterie, and of course, cheeses, you’d expect the Cheese Iron to be wedged between shops and restaurants somewhere on Exchange Street in the Old Port, not slightly outside of town on Route One. The trip is definitely worth it though, because if you fancy yourself a cheese connoisseur, or just a couple of wannabe enthusiasts like Meredith and I, or if you’d just like to grab a delicious lunch or well-vetted bottle of wine, you’ve come to the right place.

On this most recent trip, Meredith ordered the caprese sandwich, with tomato, basil, Lioni mozzarella, and balsamic vinegar, and I opted for the Wednesday special “Roast Beast”, with plenty of thin-sliced roast beed, horseradish mayo, tomato jam, and comte. After our tasty lunch, Meredith and I spent some time perusing the wines and cheeses, and talking with the extremely knowledgeable staff. We ended up taking home the Vermont, Spring Brook Farm raclette that we’d tried on our last trip to Petite Jacqueline, and a new staff-suggested Alpha Tolman, from Jasper Hill Farm in Vermont – both of which we pretty much killed in one evening. On our way out the door, we made sure to grab one of Meredith’s favorite parts of The Cheese Iron – the chocolate chip sea salt cookies – and a few images for Map & Menu.

I’d highly recommend making the trip out to The Cheese Iron. If work doesn’t allow you to make it for lunch on a weekday, make the trip on a Saturday, and justify it by adding some dinner wine and cheese – if the meal doesn’t justify itself.