It was a dark and stormy night . . . Really. The kind of night when you'd expect most people to be curled up at home with a good book or a bad TV show. But here we were on a rainy Tuesday evening, dodging puddles, expecting our destination to be empty and desperate for customers.

Boy, were we were wrong. If you doubt the demand for simple pleasures, pay a visit to The Cheese Course, a tiny bistro and gourmet shop in Weston's posh Town Center. There's counter service only and the menu is limited, but patrons pack the place for its delectable sandwiches, huge salads and delightful array of cheeses and varietals from around the world.

Open five years, The Cheese Course has a strong fan base that appreciates gourmet cheeses like a cabra al vino (also known as Drunken Goat) from Spain, Ossau-Iraty made from sheep's milk in the Pyrénées and slightly sweet Primadonna from Holland. Display cases brim with more than 150 varieties.

You'll also find preserves, cured meats and kitchen accessories like cheese plates and knives, cookbooks and fondue sets.

Owner Sara Petri, a Wisconsin native and former president of Einstein Bagels in Florida and co-founder of Offerdahl's Bagels (former Miami Dolphin John Offerdahl is her brother), searches for products when she travels (her latest find is a luxurious extra-virgin olive oil from Provence). Petri, along with managers Tracy Barber and Janet Ribera, are happy to answer questions and offer recommendations.

''Certain wines complement certain cheeses,'' says Barber. She suggests sauvignon blanc to complement the creaminess of Sainte Maure de Touraine goat cheese, for example, and a cabernet for a hard cheese like aged mahon from Spain's Balearic Islands. Choose from 70 wines (or pick a bottle of the house wine for $12.99), with 24 available by the glass.

Have fun pairing your wine with a classic ''Cheese Course.'' Select one to three varieties, served with bread and accompaniments like cranberry-raspberry relish, olive tapenade or sun-dried tomato pasta. Pay $3.45 more to add pté, prosciutto, serrano ham or sopressata sausage. We savored a pungent British Stilton with fruit chutney, a few caramelized walnuts and a glass of port.

With urban charm and frenzy, The Cheese Course is best appreciated during off hours. It's self-service, so there are often lines to order and pick up. On our rainy night visit we staked out a table the way we would a parking space at Christmas.

Along with nine small gray-and-white marble tables, there's an eight-seat wood communal table where conversations unite strangers. If you want a more private, intimate meal -- and the weather cooperates -- grab one of the sidewalk tables under the outdoor umbrellas.

No one seems to mind. With good reason. Petri's premise that a wonderful piece of cheese can elevate even a simple sandwich holds true. The bread -- frozen dough imported from Spain that's baked into baguettes every hour -- is the crowning touch.

My favorite sandwiches include the toasty Applewood bacon with a goat Gouda, avocado and rosemary aioli and the grilled chicken breast with basil pesto, roasted red onions, rosemary aioli and fontina from Valle d'Aosta. The rich, earthy Italian cheese enhances the other ingredients so that, as Barber says, ``the flavors pop.''

The Cheese Course recently added three varieties of house-made, personal-size quiches: broccoli, chicken and Applewood bacon, made with the cheeses of the day (on our visits, fontina and Swiss Gruyre), with a side salad and shallot-mustard dressing.

You can finish with a house-baked cookie or brownie, but the Europeans have it right: It's tough to beat a bottle of wine -- a wedge of cheese -- and thou.