http://blogs.seattleweekly.com/voracious/2011/08/beechers_grilled_cheese_martin.php
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Grilled Cheese Martini?!
Sandwich making is going to be delayed until tomorrow night (so probably no post until Friday), but in the mean time this might help to quench your thirst! This sounds a little crazy to me, but it could be worth a try (looks like I JUST missed it, though)!
http://blogs.seattleweekly.com/voracious/2011/08/beechers_grilled_cheese_martin.php
http://blogs.seattleweekly.com/voracious/2011/08/beechers_grilled_cheese_martin.php
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Smoked Salmon and Brie Quesadilla
Phew! It feels like forever since I've been in my home kitchen frying up a grilled cheese, so I was excited to be back in business this week. Since I haven't done a quesadilla in awhile I figure it was time to give one a go. I was torn between two different recipes, but one looks like it might involve a trip to a specialty grocery store, so I figured I'd stick with the easier one and worry about building in extra prep time some other week.
As mentioned, the ingredients were easy to find-- tortillas (already had these), smoked salmon (1/4 pound), cream cheese (4 ounces), diced red onion, capers, lemon juice, pepper, butter and 8 ounces of brie. There were a couple of varieties of brie ranging from mild to strong. I know I like brie, but I didn't know specifically what kind of brie I like best. I figured I'd split the difference and go with medium (it was described as "buttery," and we all know that's a good thing ;-)).
OK, so prep was actually very easy. In a small bowl I combined the cream cheese, 1 Tbsp capers, 1 tsp lemon juice, and 2 Tbsp diced red onions.
I had left the cream cheese out to soften, but it still required a little work to get the mixture to just the right point (where the red onions and capers were evenly mixed in throughout).
While I was finishing that up, my sous chef worked on buttering one side of four tortillas and placing them buttered side down on a plate for me-- although I guess stacking buttered tortillas means all but the one on top will end up buttered on both side. Oh well! If I've learned one thing from Paula Dean it's that more butter is never a problem.
It was then up to me to spread half of each tortilla with the cream cheese mixture.
Easy enough. Next came the brie. The recipe advises to cut the brie into 8 slices with the rind removed. After channeling my fourth grade spatial relations skills I figured out how to cut four (relatively equally sized) slices of brie from a triangle wedge and proceeded to slice the rind off of each. Once this was done each tortilla got two slices of brie (I cut some slices in half again to make sure it was evenly distributed so as to allow for easy melting, but even this left some pretty big pieces that didn't quite melt easily).
Voila! Time to fry. I cooked the tortillas on medium heat (the recipe advises medium high, but my gas stove will have none of that) for about 2 minutes on each side (while covered, of course) to make sure the cheese melted.
Once I removed the quesadilla (and let it cool for a second), I opened it back up and added a slice of smoked salmon (luckily the 1/4 lb. pack I bought was already separated into four slices-- makes my life easy).
Now, time to eat!
Taste Review:
Strangely enough, the first thing we smelled was the cream cheese (you would think the salmon would take charge). The quesadilla itself had a perfectly crispy tortilla-- it was nice and thin and crunchy. I like this better than cooking a tortilla in oil and having grease ooze everywhere (then again this may have more to do with the amount of butter used than the fact that butter was used).
I didn't notice a huge salmon taste, but that may be because I actually like salmon. Colin isn't a huge fan and his immediate comment was "I don't like the salmon, this would be better with turkey." That may be, but I know the whole salmon/cream cheese thing is a popular bagel topping, so I have a feeling plenty of people would be happy with this combination.
I was pretty skeptical about the capers, but at first they provided a good bite to contrast the creaminess of the cream cheese and brie. Sadly, the more I ate the less I liked the capers. The sandwich would be bland without them, but when you get a bite with a caper in it the flavor is so strong it drowns out both the red onions and the salmon (two pretty strong flavors in and of themselves). In fact, for awhile I forgot there were red onions on the sandwich at all! There's no doubt that some sort of additive is necessary to keep things from getting too bland, but I don't think capers are the answer. Colin suggests pepper instead (like a green bell pepper), but I think that might just add one more flavor. Instead, I would go with more onions and no capers. The onions would balance out the blandness whereas the peppers might override it.
Speaking of additives-- as soon as I handed Colin his plate he said "I'll get the salsa!" I pointed out that salsa with salmon, cream cheese and brie may not be the best combination. He agreed and said he would wait to taste to decide what to add (oh ye of little faith-- not all sandwiches need a condiment)! Anyway, he didn't actually end up adding anything, but (per above) that doesn't mean he wouldn't have changed/amended things if he could have.
As for the cheeses, there was no real distinction between the cream cheese and the brie. In one bite I got a nice big piece of brie and loved how mild and creamy it was! The brie and cream cheese made the quesadilla very rich, but in a good way. I didn't feel sick when I was done eating, just like I had had a decadent treat.
Next Week: Perhaps a meat grilled cheese (even though I'm still not sure they're truly grilled cheeses, I've gotta make them all)! And/or a sweet grilled cheese.
As mentioned, the ingredients were easy to find-- tortillas (already had these), smoked salmon (1/4 pound), cream cheese (4 ounces), diced red onion, capers, lemon juice, pepper, butter and 8 ounces of brie. There were a couple of varieties of brie ranging from mild to strong. I know I like brie, but I didn't know specifically what kind of brie I like best. I figured I'd split the difference and go with medium (it was described as "buttery," and we all know that's a good thing ;-)).
OK, so prep was actually very easy. In a small bowl I combined the cream cheese, 1 Tbsp capers, 1 tsp lemon juice, and 2 Tbsp diced red onions.
I had left the cream cheese out to soften, but it still required a little work to get the mixture to just the right point (where the red onions and capers were evenly mixed in throughout).
While I was finishing that up, my sous chef worked on buttering one side of four tortillas and placing them buttered side down on a plate for me-- although I guess stacking buttered tortillas means all but the one on top will end up buttered on both side. Oh well! If I've learned one thing from Paula Dean it's that more butter is never a problem.
It was then up to me to spread half of each tortilla with the cream cheese mixture.
Easy enough. Next came the brie. The recipe advises to cut the brie into 8 slices with the rind removed. After channeling my fourth grade spatial relations skills I figured out how to cut four (relatively equally sized) slices of brie from a triangle wedge and proceeded to slice the rind off of each. Once this was done each tortilla got two slices of brie (I cut some slices in half again to make sure it was evenly distributed so as to allow for easy melting, but even this left some pretty big pieces that didn't quite melt easily).
Voila! Time to fry. I cooked the tortillas on medium heat (the recipe advises medium high, but my gas stove will have none of that) for about 2 minutes on each side (while covered, of course) to make sure the cheese melted.
Once I removed the quesadilla (and let it cool for a second), I opened it back up and added a slice of smoked salmon (luckily the 1/4 lb. pack I bought was already separated into four slices-- makes my life easy).
Now, time to eat!
Taste Review:
Strangely enough, the first thing we smelled was the cream cheese (you would think the salmon would take charge). The quesadilla itself had a perfectly crispy tortilla-- it was nice and thin and crunchy. I like this better than cooking a tortilla in oil and having grease ooze everywhere (then again this may have more to do with the amount of butter used than the fact that butter was used).
I didn't notice a huge salmon taste, but that may be because I actually like salmon. Colin isn't a huge fan and his immediate comment was "I don't like the salmon, this would be better with turkey." That may be, but I know the whole salmon/cream cheese thing is a popular bagel topping, so I have a feeling plenty of people would be happy with this combination.
I was pretty skeptical about the capers, but at first they provided a good bite to contrast the creaminess of the cream cheese and brie. Sadly, the more I ate the less I liked the capers. The sandwich would be bland without them, but when you get a bite with a caper in it the flavor is so strong it drowns out both the red onions and the salmon (two pretty strong flavors in and of themselves). In fact, for awhile I forgot there were red onions on the sandwich at all! There's no doubt that some sort of additive is necessary to keep things from getting too bland, but I don't think capers are the answer. Colin suggests pepper instead (like a green bell pepper), but I think that might just add one more flavor. Instead, I would go with more onions and no capers. The onions would balance out the blandness whereas the peppers might override it.
Speaking of additives-- as soon as I handed Colin his plate he said "I'll get the salsa!" I pointed out that salsa with salmon, cream cheese and brie may not be the best combination. He agreed and said he would wait to taste to decide what to add (oh ye of little faith-- not all sandwiches need a condiment)! Anyway, he didn't actually end up adding anything, but (per above) that doesn't mean he wouldn't have changed/amended things if he could have.
As for the cheeses, there was no real distinction between the cream cheese and the brie. In one bite I got a nice big piece of brie and loved how mild and creamy it was! The brie and cream cheese made the quesadilla very rich, but in a good way. I didn't feel sick when I was done eating, just like I had had a decadent treat.
FINAL RESULTS:
Sandwich: | Quesadilla |
Gooey-ness: | 3.75 (oh man! getting into quarter points!) |
Aroma: | 2 |
Appearance: | Crispy brown exterior with interesting pink and white interior. |
Taste: | C+ |
Next Week: Perhaps a meat grilled cheese (even though I'm still not sure they're truly grilled cheeses, I've gotta make them all)! And/or a sweet grilled cheese.
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Field Report: Seattle - Beecher's Handmade Cheese and Icon Bar and Grill
That's right! Once again I've managed to squeeze two field reports into my out of town adventure :-) I was in Seattle for work and decided to hit up a spot that I had already visited during my last Seattle adventure (alas this was pre-blog, so it didn't get a full on review), Beecher's Handmade Cheese. It's located right across from Pike's Place Market, which makes it a fun place to venture to!
One of the coolest things about Beecher's is that they make their signature cheeses in house! So while you're eating you can try to snag one of the few seats (made of milk jugs) to watch the cheese making action.
Luckily a pane of glass shields you from any flying curds coming your way! They're actually best known for their "World's Best Mac and Cheese" (I believe this title was bestowed by Oprah, so take it or leave it), but that doesn't mean their signature cheese isn't delicious enough on its own.
OK, I think I've adequately set the scene. On to the good stuff!
The menu is seen above. Last time I was here I tried the Flagship Sandwich, but I thought for this visit it would be best to let the cheese speak for itself, so I opted for the standard Grilled Cheese.
They grilled it right up and soon I was ready to roll!
As you can see from the picture, it was pretty straightforward. When I first pulled the sandwich apart I was excited by how gooey it looked! The bread was particularly crunchy and toast-like, but it turns out that there wasn't enough cheese to balance out the crunchy bread. Maybe I've just gotten spoiled by all the deluxe grilled cheeses I've been making with all sorts of additional ingredients, but this seemed a little too simple. From what I remember of my sandwich from the first time I visited Beecher's, it was really tasty. So maybe this was just too basic for my current tastes?
As for the actual tastes, the cheese seemed mild at first, but that might've just been because there wasn't a lot of it in relation to the bread. I found that the more I ate the more I noticed that sort of twinge in the back of my mouth like you get when you taste something sharp. I think this was a good simple but high quality sandwich (per the delicious made-in house cheese being the central ingredient). I've just gotten used to gooey, over the top creations, but this should be appreciated for its classic simplicity.
As an aside, the person I was with got the signature mac and cheese and was kind enough to let me taste. It was DECADENT! That definitely had the full rich cheesy flavor that I was expecting. It was too rich to eat too much, but was an awesome treat!
Ultimate Grilled Cheese Sandwich: Fontina, cheddar, Gruyere and herb goat cheese toasted on sourdough bread with fresh arugula. Served with your choice of sides.
Yum! Lots of cheeses all of which I like! And lucky for me, despite the fact that this is listed as a lunch special, the restaurant agreed to give it to me for dinner :-) I wasn't particularly wowed by the presentation-- I mostly saw the arugula and no gooey cheese oozing out. Oh well, looks aren't everything, right?
Only taste would tell the true merits of this one. The bread was perfectly crunchy! Not too thick, just the right level of brown, and you can't really go wrong with sourdough! Sadly, even with this many cheeses, you apparently CAN go wrong with the filling :-( The first bite was much more bitter than I was expecting-- the goat cheese and arugula combined to be very bitter. I thought as I went on I would start to taste the other cheeses more-- and I definitely could tell they were there, but only because they made the sandwich chewy, not because of their taste. Since the goat cheese was made more bitter by the arugula the sandwich actually bordered on bland-- it was only when I got little taste snippets of the other cheeses that I got a feel for the fuller flavor.
I guess goat cheese is just a hard flavor to overcome, even with a combination of three other cheeses. Luckily I like goat cheese, so once I accepted that this was basically a goat cheese grilled cheese I was fine, but I would be wary of someone choosing this sandwich for its diverse assortment of cheese and only tasting goat cheese.
Anyway, it was a mixed bag in Seattle-- Beecher's showed me that simplicity can be just what the doctor ordered and Icon showed me that overloading on cheese isn't always a recipe for success. If only I were willing to pay the money to have some flagship cheese mailed out to me to experiment with-- now that could be awesome :-)
Now that I'm back I'm ready to resume my grilled cheesin'. I've got a quesadilla on tap for this week, so stay tuned!
One of the coolest things about Beecher's is that they make their signature cheeses in house! So while you're eating you can try to snag one of the few seats (made of milk jugs) to watch the cheese making action.
Luckily a pane of glass shields you from any flying curds coming your way! They're actually best known for their "World's Best Mac and Cheese" (I believe this title was bestowed by Oprah, so take it or leave it), but that doesn't mean their signature cheese isn't delicious enough on its own.
OK, I think I've adequately set the scene. On to the good stuff!
The menu is seen above. Last time I was here I tried the Flagship Sandwich, but I thought for this visit it would be best to let the cheese speak for itself, so I opted for the standard Grilled Cheese.
They grilled it right up and soon I was ready to roll!
As you can see from the picture, it was pretty straightforward. When I first pulled the sandwich apart I was excited by how gooey it looked! The bread was particularly crunchy and toast-like, but it turns out that there wasn't enough cheese to balance out the crunchy bread. Maybe I've just gotten spoiled by all the deluxe grilled cheeses I've been making with all sorts of additional ingredients, but this seemed a little too simple. From what I remember of my sandwich from the first time I visited Beecher's, it was really tasty. So maybe this was just too basic for my current tastes?
 |
| This is the Flagship Sandwich from my first visit. |
As an aside, the person I was with got the signature mac and cheese and was kind enough to let me taste. It was DECADENT! That definitely had the full rich cheesy flavor that I was expecting. It was too rich to eat too much, but was an awesome treat!
My next stop was a place across the street from my hotel that I never would've noticed had it not been for one of my co-workers pointing it out and telling me that she saw an "Ultimate Grilled Cheese" on their menu that I needed to go try! So for dinner that night, off I went. The Ultimate Grilled Cheese is described as follows:
Yum! Lots of cheeses all of which I like! And lucky for me, despite the fact that this is listed as a lunch special, the restaurant agreed to give it to me for dinner :-) I wasn't particularly wowed by the presentation-- I mostly saw the arugula and no gooey cheese oozing out. Oh well, looks aren't everything, right?
Only taste would tell the true merits of this one. The bread was perfectly crunchy! Not too thick, just the right level of brown, and you can't really go wrong with sourdough! Sadly, even with this many cheeses, you apparently CAN go wrong with the filling :-( The first bite was much more bitter than I was expecting-- the goat cheese and arugula combined to be very bitter. I thought as I went on I would start to taste the other cheeses more-- and I definitely could tell they were there, but only because they made the sandwich chewy, not because of their taste. Since the goat cheese was made more bitter by the arugula the sandwich actually bordered on bland-- it was only when I got little taste snippets of the other cheeses that I got a feel for the fuller flavor.
 |
| Apologies for how graphic this photo looks, but my bright flash + dim restaurant lighting = not attractive photo. |
I guess goat cheese is just a hard flavor to overcome, even with a combination of three other cheeses. Luckily I like goat cheese, so once I accepted that this was basically a goat cheese grilled cheese I was fine, but I would be wary of someone choosing this sandwich for its diverse assortment of cheese and only tasting goat cheese.
Anyway, it was a mixed bag in Seattle-- Beecher's showed me that simplicity can be just what the doctor ordered and Icon showed me that overloading on cheese isn't always a recipe for success. If only I were willing to pay the money to have some flagship cheese mailed out to me to experiment with-- now that could be awesome :-)
Now that I'm back I'm ready to resume my grilled cheesin'. I've got a quesadilla on tap for this week, so stay tuned!
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Field Report: Angelina's Coffee and Yogurt
It turns out for the meeting I'm working in Miami we actually finish up relatively early in the evening! That means that I had the night to myself to present a second field report! Angelina's is actually the first thing that came up when I searched "Grilled Cheese Miami," so despite the un-sandwichy name, I figured it was worth a go (especially once I read the positive reviews of the Adult Grilled Cheese menu).
So I hopped in a cab and headed over to an area that I think was called the mid-city mall (no idea if this is correct, but whatever). The restaurant itself was a pretty small pay by weight yogurt shop that also featured a menu of crepes, flatbreads and GRILLED CHEESES! (duh) There were 9 sandwiches total on the adult grilled cheese menu, and while I was tempted by several I opted for the number 7: Gouda, Havarti, red onion, ham and spinach leaves on rye.
The sandwich itself definitely looks "adult." It was served with a nice strawberry and goat cheese summer salad and had an even proportion of ingredients that reminded me more of a regular panini than of a grilled cheese.
This was the second instance I had of trying the combination of Gouda cheese and red onions, and I would say that this was a MUCH greater success than the Dutch Grilled Cheese was. The red onions added some nice flavor to the sandwich without being too overly strong and the smoothness of the gooey cheese actually did help to temper the pungency of the onions.
Speaking of the cheese, it was kind of cool that they put cheese on both slices of bread-- as in there was bread, cheese, filling, cheese, bread. I liked the way this made a nice gooey bread combo in every bite! Even though the Havarti was a little bit more gooey than the Gouda, neither was overly runny. Like I said, there was just enough melty-ness to the sandwich to keep the ingredients all balanced. At first I thought that the sandwich wouldn't be cheesy enough, but as I kept eating I realized the Gouda was sort of sticking to the roof of my mouth and that I was getting a progressively cheesier taste. By the end I was actually starting to wonder if Gouda is too rich for me? I'll banish that thought for now as any cheese that's as consistently ooey gooey as Gouda MUST be a cheese I like, right? Right? Fingers crossed this isn't the first in a slippery slope towards lactose intolerance... eek! Perish the thought!
So I hopped in a cab and headed over to an area that I think was called the mid-city mall (no idea if this is correct, but whatever). The restaurant itself was a pretty small pay by weight yogurt shop that also featured a menu of crepes, flatbreads and GRILLED CHEESES! (duh) There were 9 sandwiches total on the adult grilled cheese menu, and while I was tempted by several I opted for the number 7: Gouda, Havarti, red onion, ham and spinach leaves on rye.
The sandwich itself definitely looks "adult." It was served with a nice strawberry and goat cheese summer salad and had an even proportion of ingredients that reminded me more of a regular panini than of a grilled cheese.
This was the second instance I had of trying the combination of Gouda cheese and red onions, and I would say that this was a MUCH greater success than the Dutch Grilled Cheese was. The red onions added some nice flavor to the sandwich without being too overly strong and the smoothness of the gooey cheese actually did help to temper the pungency of the onions.
Speaking of the cheese, it was kind of cool that they put cheese on both slices of bread-- as in there was bread, cheese, filling, cheese, bread. I liked the way this made a nice gooey bread combo in every bite! Even though the Havarti was a little bit more gooey than the Gouda, neither was overly runny. Like I said, there was just enough melty-ness to the sandwich to keep the ingredients all balanced. At first I thought that the sandwich wouldn't be cheesy enough, but as I kept eating I realized the Gouda was sort of sticking to the roof of my mouth and that I was getting a progressively cheesier taste. By the end I was actually starting to wonder if Gouda is too rich for me? I'll banish that thought for now as any cheese that's as consistently ooey gooey as Gouda MUST be a cheese I like, right? Right? Fingers crossed this isn't the first in a slippery slope towards lactose intolerance... eek! Perish the thought!
As usual, 'twas a successful field report-- although I would still say this lands more on the panini end of the spectrum than it does on the true grilled cheese end (I can't help but still be a bit biased against grilled cheeses with meat).
Monday, August 1, 2011
Field Report: Ms. Cheezious Food Truck
Time for yet another work trip, which means another field report! This week I find myself in sunny (? it's actually rainy today) Miami where I had a couple of different options for grilled cheesin'. One was a restaurant and two were food trucks-- in terms of which to go to, no clear front runner presented itself in the time leading up to my visit, so I decided to play it by ear upon arrival. Imagine my delight when I found out that there was going to be a food truck rally going on the very first night I was here (incidentally also the only night that I assuredly have time to myself)! But, imagine my dismay when I realized that said rally was going down in Ft. Lauderdale-- 40 minutes and an expensive cab ride away :-(
It's alright! I'm able to adapt! Upon arrival at my hotel I scoped out the Facebook updates for both grilled cheese trucks and concluded that Ms. Cheezious would be parked not TOO too far away, so once I convinced a cab driver to actually drive me to a random intersection I was on my way (seriously, I look like a crazy woman asking a taxi to drive me to a truck: "Are you going to this dry cleaner?" "No, I'm going to that truck parked on the side of the road.")
I had the driver wait in the dry cleaner's parking lot while I went ahead to order. Ms. Cheezious had 6 signature grilled cheeses on their menu as well as the option to make your own. I asked what their most popular varieties are and they said that the Grilled Blue and Bacon and the Goat Cheese and Prosciutto are their best sellers. I wasn't particularly feeling either at that juncture, so I opted for a Grilled Harvest (spiced apples and havarti cheese grilled to perfection on multi-grain bread) and a Crabby Cheese Melt (fresh made crab salad with sharp cheddar cheese on sourdough bread). I'd say about 5 minutes later my sandwiches were ready and I was headed back to my hotel for immediate taste testing, so let's get down to business.
Crabby Cheese Melt
This one had a perfectly grilled aroma as soon as I unwrapped the foil. The outside was charred, but just the right amount so as to not be burned. Pulling the sandwich halves apart I couldn't help but notice that the cheddar is so gooey and smells so good!
My first bite was mostly cheddar since the cheese was literally oozing out of the sandwich, but this meant that I didn't get a lot of the crab taste initially. The bites closer to the center of the sandwich had more crab, which is what made me realize that this was pretty similar to the crab-feta melt I made back in May. The key difference is that with the crab-feta salad, the feta gave the crab a more standout taste so that it could stand up to a sharp cheese melted over it, but here the crab was a very soft flavor. One good thing about this crab salad is that it isn't heavy on the mayo, which is nice because it keeps the flavor light to offset the ooey-gooey rich cheddar. I really can't emphasize enough how perfectly grilled the sandwich is-- the outside has that perfect crisp crunch that reminds me of grandma's grilled cheeses (you know, the ones that inspired me to start this blog in the first place).
Grilled Harvest
This one was suuuper stringy and gooey/runny, so I was looking forward to the first bite. Despite the apples being described as "spiced," I wasn't expecting the sandwich to have a sweet taste-- but the cinnamon on the apples was the very first thing I tasted. It was almost like eating cinnamon apple sauce along with a grilled cheese. Since the apples are cooked, they don't give quite as much of a crunch, but they still do add a little something to the otherwise runny filling. The fact that the apples were cooked also made it so that when I would bite into an apple, the filling of the apple tended to come with me while the peel stayed behind-- not to say this is a good or bad thing, but it makes for a little messier eating.
The multigrain was good to add some texture since, as I mentioned, the filling is a little softer/gooeyer. Since the havarti is so mild, it's definitely a secondary flavor to the apples. This feels like a sweeter, softer play on the apples and cheddar on sourdough that I know and love. It looks like they use green apples too, which is interesting since I think Granny Smith apples would be too biting for the soft flavors of this sandwich. Must just be a variety of apple I'm not familiar with (grilled cheeses are my forte, not apples).
All in all, both sandwiches are delicious for different reasons. Immediately after finishing I would've said that I liked the Crabby Cheese Melt better, but reflecting back on the sandwiches I lean more towards the Grilled Harvest. Since the Crabby Cheese was so focused on the cheddar, it was a good savory sandwich whereas the Grilled Harvest was lighter and sweet. They would make a great lunch/dessert pair, which works out well since that's exactly what I had! This actually ended up being one of two field reports during my time in Miami, so stay tuned for the second!
It's alright! I'm able to adapt! Upon arrival at my hotel I scoped out the Facebook updates for both grilled cheese trucks and concluded that Ms. Cheezious would be parked not TOO too far away, so once I convinced a cab driver to actually drive me to a random intersection I was on my way (seriously, I look like a crazy woman asking a taxi to drive me to a truck: "Are you going to this dry cleaner?" "No, I'm going to that truck parked on the side of the road.")
I had the driver wait in the dry cleaner's parking lot while I went ahead to order. Ms. Cheezious had 6 signature grilled cheeses on their menu as well as the option to make your own. I asked what their most popular varieties are and they said that the Grilled Blue and Bacon and the Goat Cheese and Prosciutto are their best sellers. I wasn't particularly feeling either at that juncture, so I opted for a Grilled Harvest (spiced apples and havarti cheese grilled to perfection on multi-grain bread) and a Crabby Cheese Melt (fresh made crab salad with sharp cheddar cheese on sourdough bread). I'd say about 5 minutes later my sandwiches were ready and I was headed back to my hotel for immediate taste testing, so let's get down to business.
Crabby Cheese Melt
This one had a perfectly grilled aroma as soon as I unwrapped the foil. The outside was charred, but just the right amount so as to not be burned. Pulling the sandwich halves apart I couldn't help but notice that the cheddar is so gooey and smells so good!
My first bite was mostly cheddar since the cheese was literally oozing out of the sandwich, but this meant that I didn't get a lot of the crab taste initially. The bites closer to the center of the sandwich had more crab, which is what made me realize that this was pretty similar to the crab-feta melt I made back in May. The key difference is that with the crab-feta salad, the feta gave the crab a more standout taste so that it could stand up to a sharp cheese melted over it, but here the crab was a very soft flavor. One good thing about this crab salad is that it isn't heavy on the mayo, which is nice because it keeps the flavor light to offset the ooey-gooey rich cheddar. I really can't emphasize enough how perfectly grilled the sandwich is-- the outside has that perfect crisp crunch that reminds me of grandma's grilled cheeses (you know, the ones that inspired me to start this blog in the first place).
Grilled Harvest
This one was suuuper stringy and gooey/runny, so I was looking forward to the first bite. Despite the apples being described as "spiced," I wasn't expecting the sandwich to have a sweet taste-- but the cinnamon on the apples was the very first thing I tasted. It was almost like eating cinnamon apple sauce along with a grilled cheese. Since the apples are cooked, they don't give quite as much of a crunch, but they still do add a little something to the otherwise runny filling. The fact that the apples were cooked also made it so that when I would bite into an apple, the filling of the apple tended to come with me while the peel stayed behind-- not to say this is a good or bad thing, but it makes for a little messier eating.
The multigrain was good to add some texture since, as I mentioned, the filling is a little softer/gooeyer. Since the havarti is so mild, it's definitely a secondary flavor to the apples. This feels like a sweeter, softer play on the apples and cheddar on sourdough that I know and love. It looks like they use green apples too, which is interesting since I think Granny Smith apples would be too biting for the soft flavors of this sandwich. Must just be a variety of apple I'm not familiar with (grilled cheeses are my forte, not apples).
All in all, both sandwiches are delicious for different reasons. Immediately after finishing I would've said that I liked the Crabby Cheese Melt better, but reflecting back on the sandwiches I lean more towards the Grilled Harvest. Since the Crabby Cheese was so focused on the cheddar, it was a good savory sandwich whereas the Grilled Harvest was lighter and sweet. They would make a great lunch/dessert pair, which works out well since that's exactly what I had! This actually ended up being one of two field reports during my time in Miami, so stay tuned for the second!
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