Grilled Cheese

I've recently started to order grilled cheese sandwiches on a regular basis at various restaurants around Atlanta. I'll try to add more to this list. Here are the ones I've tried so far:

Twain's: This establishment is actually in Decatur, GA, but that's close enough to Atlanta. Wow! This was the best grilled cheese I've had in restaurant in a long time. I went with the "classic grilled cheese" exactly as they had it on the menu (sourdough bread... I'm not sure what kind of cheese... it tasted like American I guess). The cheese was melted nicely, the toast was evenly, lightly golden brown leaving the bread just the right level of crisp yet moist (not all dried out and hard). I had a salad for my side, and it was huge and impressive. Romaine lettuce, green pepper, beautiful tomatoes, fresh mushrooms, red onions, and fresh grated parmesan cheese. This sandwich was awesome and also a very good price. I will definitely get this sandwich again, and I would, in fact, go to Twain's just to get this sandwich again (as opposed to just waiting until I happen to be back in the neighborhood or until someone schedules another event at Twain's). Yum!

Thad and Joe's: Well, they're closed now... but let me tell you, they had great grilled cheese sandwiches. Nice, gooey, melted cheese on Texas style toast, toasted to a nice, golden brown tone. The toast was crisp, but not dry, and the cheese had a great texture.

Smith's Olde Bar: I believe this one was on sourdough bread. I'll have to try it again to give you a better report.

Manuel's Tavern: Simple, yet tasty. This sandwich is on pretty plain bread, but they do a nice job with the cheese, and I've only had one grilled cheese here that I didn't like. You can add tomatoes, and I think you can add ham, though I can't say I remember if I've tried it that way. The tomatoes were a tasty addition one of the times I ate there, but one time it seemed to make the sandwich a bit soggy and the tomatoes were not very good.

The Local: I had a grilled cheese on sourdough bread. I think this had two cheeses. Nice and gooey at first, but I think that this fancy cheese tends to cool off into a less desirable product. So, I'm not sure I appreciate really high quality cheese the way they might have expected. The bread was lightly golden brown, and, over all, this was a good sandwich. I'd get it again.

I tried it again. This time, I think it was regular bread, though the menu said "Texas toast". It was tasty and very reasonably priced, though. This was a yummy sandwich with tasty cheese that was melted and warm. The cheese was not as snobby as I recall, which was nice.

The Vortex: I sent mine back because I thought it was the most pathetic grilled sandwich I have ever seen. I chose cheddar chese... that may have been one of the problems. I hear the burgers are great, though.

Guest Review of the Heaping Bowl: In the spirit of AniAni and because I am awed by the love of cheese in evidence here, I offer my humble review of my very favorite grilled cheese sandwich. The Heaping Bowl grilled cheese is both hearty and fancy. The bread is always properly toasted, the cheese melted, but the addition of pesto makes it a truly unique grilled cheese experience. Also, I recommend trying the cranberry mustard sauce with your fries even if it sounds funky. Andrea

The Highlander: Grilled Cheese? I think that's what the menu said. This was clearly a toasted cheese sandwich. I personally would have like to be warned... Lambo liked his sandwich, but I was less than thrilled with the bait and switch. I guess for toasted cheese it was okay, but I prefer grilled.

Grilled Cheese outside of Atlanta

Buffalo Trading Post: This fine establishment near Colton, SD boasts a mighty fine grilled cheese sandwich. Traditional American cheese on white bread grilled to a beautiful speckled golden brown. The cheese was melted, but not at all runny. The price was certainly right as well... right around $2 for the sandwich with a small additional charge for a basket of fries on the side. I highly recommend this grilled cheese sandwich. The atmosphere was nostalgic and the general store sort of area offered "Lollies", which I also enjoyed.

Kristina's 433 Cafe: Kristina's is in historic downtown Sioux Falls, SD. The sandwich sounded a bit too fancy for me, so I asked for a plain version. The one on the menu included sour cream, tomatoes, havarti dill and cheddar cheeses, and sesame seeds on french bread. I just got the cheddar on french bread. This was a great grilled cheese for being cheddar (one of the more difficult cheeses to grill in my opinion). The bread was fairly evenly golden, and not too crunchy, though the crust on french bread does not lend itself as well to grilling as a softer one might. In spite of these obstacles in the ingredient choice, Kristina's did not fail in delivering a good grilled cheese experience. The pasta salad on the side was a nice change from the usual fries.

Turtle Mountain Cafe: Fondly known as TMC, this cafe is located in the student center at the University of Minnesota, Morris. When ordering from the "grill" options, you may like to arrive early for the meal if you are a vegetarian. I'm not sure, but I think my grilled cheese had some burger stuck to it from the grill... maybe that would be avoidable if you came at the start of a meal rush... The sandwich itself had a nice color (not burned, a nice even golden brown). I think the "cheese" was Velveeta or something similar, which was fine. The cheese was melted to a nice texture (not gummy or runny, warm all the way through). I'd get this sandwich again. It was pretty good.

Last modified 21 March 2005 at 10:49 am by K.K. Lamberty