Some eager staff even got to know the cheese producers and found new cheeses to place on the list. About 30 to 40 percent of diners order the tasting menu. By providing this fixed menu, guests let the kitchen decide what items go best together, and the cheese course frequently comes as a new experience. It can take some cajoling to get inexperienced or reticent diners to try the cheese cart's often-odoriferous offerings. But it was so strong that pretty soon the whole dining room smelled from it.
Waiters also encourage diners with some advice on choosing cheeses appropriate to their experiences.
If the customer says, 'I like Brie,' we encourage them to try similar cheeses. Some diners find themselves so enamored of a particular cheese from the cart that they ask the waiter to take the balance of that cheese home. Those who want to duplicate the Ritz cheese course at home aren't likely to find many of these cheeses in local groceries. The Ritz Dining Room and similar restaurants have already snapped up the full production of most of these rare American beauties. But occasional examples of the French offerings, such as triple-cream Explorateur and hearty Reblochon appear in cheese sections at gourmet food emporiums.