Curd & Cleaver

A Gourmet Deli and Cheese Shop in Downtown Newton

The name gives it away before you even walk in. Curd & Cleaver, tucked into 7 Moran Street (just off of Spring Street) in the middle of historic downtown Newton, is exactly what it sounds like: a cheese shop with a serious deli counter attached. It’s run by the same team behind The Farmer’s Daughter, and that lineage is obvious the moment you see the case, farmhouse and artisan cheeses stacked next to charcuterie and DeBragga meats, with a shelf of gourmet gifts nearby for anyone building a spread rather than just grabbing lunch.

The Sandwiches

This is where Curd & Cleaver has built its reputation. The Tony Soprano has become a genuine local favorite, and the prosciutto with arugula and fig jam is the kind of combination that sounds like it’s trying too hard until the first bite proves it isn’t. The menu also rotates through seasonal specials, heirloom tomato BLTs and crispy eggplant sandwiches on pinsa bread have both made appearances, along with soups and salads for anyone who wants something lighter than a sandwich stacked three inches high.

More Than Lunch

Curd & Cleaver works just as well as a source for a dinner party or holiday gathering as it does for a weekday lunch run. Between the cheese selection, Brook Hollow wine, and charcuterie, it’s an easy stop for building a board without piecing it together from three different downtown Newton NJ shops. You order at the counter rather than being seated, so a few tables and a bar top cover anyone eating in, and everything travels well if you’d rather take it back to the office.

The Cheese Case, and the Second Case Next to It

The main case runs dozens of cheeses at any given time, and the selection rotates, so the wedge you fell for in March may not be there in June. That is the point. Ask what came in this week and someone will tell you, cut you a taste, and steer you toward what is drinking well right now.

Cheese Orphans

The second case is where things get interesting. Cutting and shaping cheese in the kitchen leaves behind odd little pieces, hard cheeses, semi-softs, bries, none of them the tidy wedge shape a case wants. Curd & Cleaver sells them anyway, under the name cheese orphans, and they have developed a following at local picnics and wine tastings. The appeal is obvious once you think about it: a chance to try four or five things you have never had without committing to a full wedge of any of them. They are not the prettiest pieces in the shop. They taste identical to the handsome ones. Mix and match whatever looks good, and if one turns out to be the cheese of your life, tell the counter and they will get a proper piece in for your next gathering.

The Rest of the Shelf

The same case holds pre-packaged cheese and a curated run of things that belong next to it: honey butter, cured meats, local honey, pickles made nearby, jams and spreads. There is usually a small fresh shelf too, stocked from Sussex County farms and changing with the season. A recent visit turned up garlic scapes and garlic cloves, which is the kind of thing you find here and then spend the drive home planning around.

Charcuterie Boards for Two, or for Fifteen

Boards are built to order and priced by how many people you are feeding. Every size comes with nuts, fruit, crackers, mustard, jams, pickles and olives alongside the meat and cheese.

Box size	Serves	Meats and cheeses	Starting at
10 inch	2 to 4	2 meats, 2 cheeses	$40
12 inch	5 to 8	3 meats, 3 cheeses	$70
14 inch	9 to 12	4 meats, 4 cheeses	$100
16 inch	12 to 15	5 meats, 5 cheeses	$125

Boards come in brown craft pizza boxes, which travel better than they sound like they would. If you would rather have it arranged on your own board, drop the board off well ahead of ordering and make sure it is big enough for the headcount. Selections are chef’s choice, built around what pairs best that week, and dietary restrictions and special requests are handled where possible, though some requests affect the price. For twenty people or more, call the shop directly at (973) 579-2873 to work out details and pricing.

This is the part worth knowing before your next party: a board for eight from Curd & Cleaver costs less than most people spend assembling a worse one from three different stores.

Snacks While You Wait

Sandwiches are made to order, which means a few minutes at the counter, which the shop has turned into a feature. There is usually popcorn out, made by the chef in whatever flavor he is working on. There are cubes of whatever cheese is being featured that week. And then there is the honeycomb.

It sits in a honeycomb frame display stand, a real piece of beekeeping equipment repurposed as a serving piece, holding a full slab of capped comb with the wax still on it. You scrape off a patte, put it on a cracker, and eat it. Wax and all. It is a genuinely great bite and it is the sort of thing nobody warns you about before your first visit, which makes finding it better.

DeBragga Meats Available in Sussex County

Curd & Cleaver sells DeBragga meat, which is not a sentence you get to write about many shops in Sussex County. The family-owned New York purveyor supplies beef, pork, poultry, lamb and specialty cuts to top restaurants in New York City and across the region, and is known for traditional butchering, careful sourcing, and dry-aged beef. If you have eaten at The Farmer’s Daughter and wondered where some of that meat comes from, DeBragga is part of the answer.

The connection here is personal. Kristi worked for DeBragga for nearly 10 years, and her husband has been with the company for more than 30. That means the people behind this counter know the products, the cuts, and the producers firsthand, and can tell you both what to buy and how to cook it.

There is a selection in the case on any given day, but the more useful part is that you are not limited to it. Ask about a specific cut or product and they can place a special order. Ordering runs Wednesday through Friday, and deliveries typically arrive about a day later. Brands that come through include:

• Certified Angus Beef
• Niman Ranch
• Murray’s Chicken and poultry
• Crescent Duck
• DeBragga dry-aged beef

Looking for Dry-Aged Beef in Sussex County?

Dry aging is the part worth planning around. It develops a deeper, richer, more concentrated flavor than anything in a supermarket case, and it is usually something you order at a steakhouse rather than cook at home. Curd & Cleaver can get it for you here instead.

If you have a special dinner coming up, or you want a roast or a particular steak you cannot find at the grocery store, that is the call to make.

Local Tip: Call ahead and ask what DeBragga products are in the case now and what can come in on the next order. The staff can help with selection and cooking recommendations too.

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Curd & Cleaver is located at 7 Moran Street, Newton, NJ 07860, open Tuesday through Saturday. Check curdandcleavernj.com for current hours, menu updates, and events.