i have very fond memories of kicking my feet in my grandmother’s kitchen, happily eating round after round of pumpernickel-breaded, cheez-whiz-ed, jersey-tomato-garnished, squashed-thin-and-burned-to-a-crisp grilled cheese sandwiches. didn’t matter how gross the combination sounds. they were delicious and made with love.
i have only shared this with a few people, and i’m hesitant to share it now. i don’t want anyone to steal my idea. but perhaps one day, when i have some capital and some inspiration, i want to open a diner/luncheonette that is all about grilled cheese. now before you go scoffing “oh, what a limited and unimaginative idea for a restaurant,” hear me out…
there are so many things one can do with bread and cheese and a cast-iron skillet! the key is versatility to suit all tastes/notions!
challa bread! rye & pumpernickel! white bread (gross)! whole grain! focaccia!
muenster! swiss! cheddar! american (gross)! cheez whiz (i know it sounds gross, but it’s grandma’s style)! plus!–tomatoes, pickles, hummus (yes!), onions, bacon, “fake-on,” olives, greens! and then! if we’re going to have a G.C. we need soup (pref. tomato, but you can get creative here too) and salads, and spicy things! (i’m a ketchup fan) and we must have dessert-y things too like GOOD root beer floats and egg creams and chocolate malts.
this place would be open for lunch and then host radical community events in the evenings. maybe a small book store? now i just need a name…
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update: i discovered something truly amazing: the grilled cheese invitational held in california. these are my people! this picture is captioned “grilled cheese wins at life”
and it does. it fucking does.
p.s. i promise i will NEVER be as creepy about grilled cheese as this cold war era freak show advertisement.
omg that ad IS really creepy!
but i would totally patronize your grilled cheese restaurant, as long as you called the cheez whiz sandwich “the nan special.”