It’s hard not to love grilled cheese sandwich. The buttery, toasted bread. The gooey, tangy cheese. The robust flavor of a well-ripened slice of tomato. Just thinking about it brings me great happiness. Growing up in New Jersey, I was lucky to experience many a wonderful grilled cheese concoction at countless local diners.
One of the best grilled cheese sandwiches I ever tasted was at the Home Grown Cafe in Newark Delaware. Simply put, it is heaven. The only reason I haven’t been back in a while is because it’s too far away from where I live now. But if I close my eyes, I can imagine it in all it’s splendor. The thick, crusty goodness of the bread. The brilliant mixture of cheeses. The mouth-watering pesto sauce. Perfection.
The Cheesecake Factory also makes a darn good grilled cheese. I can’t get to a Jersey diner or to Home Grown that easily, but if I need a fix that a homemade plate can’t cure, The Factory will do.
If we’re talking at-home fare, Mike’s mom made a darn good grilled cheese. We visited his parents one year around New Year’s, and because the weather was bitter cold in Western, PA, we spent a lot of time around the house, drinking coffee/tea, watching movies/TV and eating comfort food. When I tasted her grilled cheese, I fell out of the room. I don’t know what she did to make it so special, but it was amazing.
I am not bad in the kitchen, but I have little to no skill when it comes to grilled cheese sandwiches. I think it has something to do with willingly ingesting a sandwich after full-well knowing how much butter has been slathered all over it. I. Just. Can’t. Do. It. But Mike inherited his mother’s knack for the dish and has thus been given the responsibility honor of tending to all of our grilled cheese needs.
Yesterday, in honor of National Grilled Cheese Day, one of my favorite national days of all time, Mike fixed us up some not-very-fancy-but-totally-delicious creations. Since we did not have a standard loaf of bread, he used Amoroso rolls turned inside out along with New Yorker American Cheese, and some slices of Beafsteak tomato.
The result? De-flippin’-licious.
How did you spend your National Grilled Cheese Day?
Didn’t realize it was National Grilled Cheese Day! I’m so sorry –mine must have been a poor, pathetic excuse for the real deal. I didn’t realize there was an art to it
Glad you were so gracious, though!
Actually, I kept thinking it was so delicious as I was eating it. Don’t worry, you make a mean grilled cheese. I promise to never torture you with mine!!
My favorite is grilled cheese with tomato soup!