Grilled cheese sandwiches are one of the great American comfort foods: almost all of us have memories of someone we love grilling up cheese sammies with care. Not surprisingly, this delicious simplicity lends itself to nostalgic one-upmanship and friendly competition, including an annual Grilled Cheese Invitational and my own local Grilled Cheese-Off.
The very basic requirements — bread, cheese, meltiness — lend themselves to countless creative combinations, resulting in another modern grilled cheese phenomenon: the grilled cheese sandwich-centric restaurant. Check out five temples to the tasty classic after the jump.
Melt Bar and Grilled is definitely on my sand wish list, as long as I don't have to order the 13-cheese "Melt challenge." My friend Joy, a Cleveland native, counts Melt among her hometown favorites and recently shared thisdisgusting but delicious gourmet grilled cheese specimen.
Served on Texas toast, the Northcoast Shores features crab cakes, garlic spinach, roasted red pepper, and herb cream cheese. Why, yes, I would take that challenge. How about you?
Got your own crazy sandwiches to share? Email a photo and a description of your sandwich to nancy@betweenthebreadblog.com.
From the same restaurant that offers lifetime discounts to customers who get a tattoo of its logo comes the "Melt Challenge," a feat of eating that involves a five-pound grilled cheese. Based outside Cleveland, the Melt Bar and Grilled sells this monstrous melt, featuring 13 different cheeses and three layers of bread, served with a pile of fries.
Customers who finish the sandwich "without any help or trips to the bathroom" (ew!) win a Melt t-shirt or pint glass, plus a $10 gift card and a spot on the wall of fame. I think I'd rather get a tattoo, and honestly, Melt's Monte Cristo looks good enough to get inked for.
I like tattoos, I love sandwiches, but to my surprise, I have never considered getting a sandwich tattoo. It would just make me hungry.
Meanwhile, this joint Melt Bar and Grilled in Lakewood, OH, is offering a 25 percent discount for life to fans willing to get a tattoo featuring the restaurant's logo: a grilled cheese sandwich and cross bones. Awesome.
So far, more than 50 people have taken Melt up on its offer. Considering that the restaurant is currently offering a macaroni and cheese melt with bread crumbs as its sandwich special, I can't really blame them.
Latest Comments