Best Grilled Cheese Sandwiches in L.A., N.Y., and Everywhere: Where's Your Favorite?
I lived in Los Angeles for a few years and have often gone there for business, but until I read Jennifer Steinhauer's article in the New York Times, I had no idea that it had become the grilled cheese (fancy-pants and otherwise) capital of the U.S. and maybe the world. She describes the grilled cheese sandwich in L.A. as "an object of outright mania." She makes it sound as if grilled cheese sandwiches are the closest thing Los Angelenos have to their own organized religion. But I, too, am a grilled cheese maniac, and I figure a lot of you are, so today I am soliciting entries for the Serious Eats Grilled Cheese Honor Roll. Why?
Steinhauer put it best: "Buttery, salty and enduringly simple, the grilled cheese sandwich stands unrivaled in the universe of simple gastro-pleasures. It is the gateway sandwich to the land of hot sustenance, the first stovetop food many children learn to prepare by themselves."
Jennifer left out crunchy, crispy, tangy, and creamy as exemplary grilled cheese sandwich attributes, but I'm not going to hold that against her.
So without further adieu, the Serious Eats Grilled Cheese Honor Roll. This honor roll doesn't discriminate between basic and fancypants grilled cheese sandwiches, as long as the sandwich is irresistably delicious.
Los Angeles
I haven't been to Campanile's sandwich night since Nancy Silverton left the restaurant, but her ex-husband, Mark Peel, is a great cook who knows what delicious is, so I am sure the grilled cheese sandwiches there are still up to snuff. 624 S. La Brea, Los Angeles, CA 90036; 213-938-1447
I look forward to trying all of Steinhauer's other picks: Clementine, Coffee Table Bistro, Foundry on Melrose, Hatfield's, Meltdown, 101 Coffee Shop, Table 8, and 25 Degrees at the Roosevelt Hotel.
New York City
Artisanal: It makes sense. Take a reasonable facsimile of a French bistro that focuses on cheese, and chances are good that said restaurant will come up with a killer grilled cheese sqndwich. Chef Terrence Brennan's grilled cheese sandwich is made with English cheddar, Nueske's bacon, and Granny Smith apple slices. It comes with fabulous fries, and as part of my portion control regimen, it's most assuredly big enough to share. 2 Park Avenue, New York NY 10016; 212-725-8585; artisinalbistro.com
Bouchon Bakery: This grilled cheese sandwich is so good I wrote about it in Details magazine as one of the 22 sandwiches that will change your life. It's made on great bread, with Gruyère and fontina cheeses, and it's so golden brown it's almost (but not quite) too beautiful to eat. It comes with tomato soup, which, though not nearly as delicious, provides an excellent dipping liquid for the sandwich (if you happen to be a dipper). Time Warner Center, 10 Columbus Circle, 3rd Floor, New York NY 10019; 212-823-9366; other locations in Las Vegas and Yountville, California
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22 Comments:
My mother still makes the best grilled cheese in the whole world.(ok maybe not the whole world)
My mother could take an italian roll and butter and cheese and with a plate could turn it into heaven.
JerzeeTomato at 9:28AM on 10/03/07
My favorite is at Borough Market in London, made from Montgomery cheddar and five members of the onion family, on Poilane bread.
Lippy at 10:11AM on 10/03/07
I have to say that I always like the ones made at home best; too often ones at restaurants seem like they're using them as a gimmick, and worse, they taste like it. I guess I'm a purist-- I don't want anything in my grilled cheese except cheese, and if I'm at home, I make it on our least-used-except-for-making-grilled-cheese-
sandwiches-piece-of-kitchen-equipment, the George Foreman grill. Heh.
Christina at 10:30AM on 10/03/07
It is not in NYC itself, but I love the one at Breadzilla (when they make it) in Wainscott. www.breadzilla.com
FoodBoy at 10:38AM on 10/03/07
I have to say that I make a pretty mean grilled cheese, with Fontina/Gruyere blend, a thin slice of apple on a nice sourdough bread. I also like to do a cheese sandwich with a slice of onion and a slice of tomato as well. Perfect rainy day food!
sassyradish at 10:43AM on 10/03/07
OMG the grilled cheese (for me, plus tomato) at Sparky's in NYC on Lafayette and Bleecker. Holy mama. They are totally greasy but use some seriously good sharp white cheddar.
crafty at 11:00AM on 10/03/07
Bread Butter Velveeta
srhcb at 11:06AM on 10/03/07
I've never had a grilled cheese in a restaurant, but I will have to get to Artisanal to try cheese/bacon/apple! At home I use really sharp cheddar with a few grinds of black pepper on good whole grain bread. So simple and so good.
ride&cook at 1:04PM on 10/03/07
I second the Bouchon Bakery grilled cheese & tomato soup combo. Pricey, but definitely delicious and comforting.
SMDNY at 2:12PM on 10/03/07
In Laramie, Wyo. at a veggie place called Sweet Melissa's, you'll find a GREAT grilled cheese - rich cheddar on crusty bread with red onions and garden-fresh tomatoes. I wish I could eat one every day.
lo82070 at 2:44PM on 10/03/07
In total agreement with the AMAZING grilled cheese available at the Borough Market in London (although I have a hard time choosing between those and the potatoes with the melted cheese that just sits under a broiler lamp thing getting all melty and delicious put on top). I worked in Culver City this summer and was super excited when Meltdown opened because clearly an all grilled cheese restaurant would be wonderful, but it sadly did not live up to my expectations. Although they did have Bubble Up which makes up for a lot of sins in my book.
chasgoose at 3:41PM on 10/03/07
The LA Times a while ago had a recipe for a grilled cheese with cantal cheese, caramelized onion and thyme from Suzanne Goin's Lucques. They actually put it in a pan and then bake it in the oven for a little while. I've been meaning to make it.
I also like grilled cheese with homemade pimento cheese.
bluebird at 5:06PM on 10/03/07
Campanile's sandwich night is STILL so popular that you can't even walk past the joint without a reservation made a couple of weeks in advance. Which is sad because we can never get in when we think of it! Also seductively alluring, but not an official menu item, is a grilled gruyere sandwich at the Bowery on Sunset (at Vine). It was just an ad-libbed item but was born as a perfect marriage of crunchy toast and warm gooey cheese.
Acme Instant Food at 6:14PM on 10/03/07
The best one I ever had was at The Lodge Bistro Lounge at Snowbird, Utah. I can't remember all the details of the types of cheeses and other ingredients, but it was delicious and absolutely perfect with soup after a day of skiing!
Jeana at 7:05PM on 10/03/07
so i'm not a purist at all, but hamilton deli by columbia university has a sandwich called the ABC. i think it stands for american, bacon, chicken (salad). i switch to cheddar, but its AMAZING. mmmm abc....
anado at 9:54PM on 10/03/07
Melt in Jersey City, NJ made a really good grilled cheese, but unfortunately they are closed.
My new favorite grilled cheese comes from Red Stripe in Providence, RI.
K at 12:51PM on 10/04/07
I agree that there are some really good grill cheese sandwiches out there but in reality isn't kind of hard to make a poor one?
bobbob at 1:01PM on 10/04/07
hammy d! i sure do miss hamilton deli sandwiches
crafty at 6:26PM on 10/04/07
Nooo....I never tried the Hamilton Deli grilled cheese, but that place is madness! The lines! The sandwich names! I could never take it, but it is a favorite with locals, I've noticed.
NYminknit at 3:30PM on 10/05/07
There's a place here in Cleveland (Lakewood) called "Melt" that has been open about a year. I absolutely love this place. A large selection of different types of grilled cheese combinations as well as cheeseburgers. There is an absolutely huge selection of beers. The beer list is to Melt as the menu is to Cheesecake factory. They also offer an inventive selection of sides, that aren't fries. The only criticism I have is that they only use one kind of bread. I wish Bourdain would have went here when he cam with No Reservations.
eatdrinkandbemerry at 4:08PM on 10/05/07
Yes, it IS possible to make a poor one. I've had them in restaurants - one comes to mind that appeared to be two pieces of toast with a slice of cheese put between them, and served on a cold plate, no grilling at all. And I'm sure others have equally stunning stories of misadventures.
lemons at 10:18AM on 10/06/07
i know this isn't pure grilled cheese- but the bombay version of grilled cheese also includes spicy cilantro chutney slathered onto the inside slices of bread, and boiled potatoes, tomatoes, red onions, green pepper, chaat masala and mountains of cheese all grilled inside the sandwich. it is truly amazing.
traderjanki at 10:39AM on 10/27/07