Look What These 15 Restaurants Do With Grilled Cheese (Slideshow)
The Original Cheesus — The Grilled Cheese Grill, Portland, Ore.
A behemoth creation of a ⅓-pound burger, lettuce, tomato, ketchup, and mustard stuffed between two grilled cheese sandwiches. The sandwich on top includes pickles and American cheese; the one on the bottom includes grilled onions and Colby Jack. And in case you're still hungry, the sandwich comes with a bag of chips on the side.
The Outrageous Grilled Cheese — Sage General Store, New York City
A grilled cheese stuffed with Vermont Cheddar, Jack, Gruyére, bacon, and Worcestershire sauce.
The Gouda — The Queens Kickshaw, New York City
Smoked Gouda, guava jam, black bean hummus, and pickled jalapeños on brioche.
Cheesy Mac and Rib Sandwich — The Grilled Cheese Truck, Los Angeles
This sandwich has a winning combination of mac and cheese, barbecued pork, and caramelized onions.
Grilled Cheese — The Cannibal, New York City
This is a traditional grilled cheese sandwich including Vermont Cheddar, Gruyére, bacon, and crispy pork belly.
Buttermilk-Fried Chicken Grilled Cheese — The Melt Shop, New York City
This innovative sandwich is stuffed with buttermilk-fried chicken, jalapeño Jack, red cabbage slaw, and Melt sauce on white bread.
Short Rib Grilled Cheese — Saltbox, San Diego, Calif.
Creamy Manchego cheese is melted with short ribs and New Orleans-style sauce to create this grilled cheese sandwich.
Inside-Out Grilled Cheese — Edzo’s Burger Shop, Evanston, Ill.
On the inside, this appears to be a traditional grilled cheese sandwich filled with gooey American and Swiss cheeses, but on the outside, the bread is coated with shredded Parmesan and grilled to crispy, golden perfection.
So Good — Shopsin’s, New York City
Melted cheese, poached eggs, and ham sandwiched between two slices of French toast.
Mac & Chorizo Melt — Roxy’s Grilled Cheese, Boston
Macaroni and cheese and crumbled Portuguese chorizo stuffed inside a grilled cheese sandwich.
Grilled Cheese Doughnut — Tom and Chee, Cincinnati
Choose from a vast selection of cheeses, including Brie, smoked Gouda, and pepper jack, then sit back and anticipate what the first bite of your glazed doughnut grilled cheese will taste like.
Crabby Melt — Grilled Cheese & Co., Catonsville, Md.
Melted Monterey Jack cheese is combined with homemade warm crab dip loaded with sweet crabmeat to create this grilled cheese sandwich.
The Cadillac Grilled Cheese — Firefly, Washington, D.C.
The Cadillac Grilled Cheese includes a luxurious combination of Gruyére, Cheddar, béchamel, garlic-herb butter, and white bread.
Melt Challenge — Melt Bar & Grilled, Ohio
A grilled cheese of comic proportions, this one sandwiches 13 different types of cheese between 3 slices of bread, and comes with a pile of fries and coleslaw. Clocking in at more than five pounds, if you finish it all you win a t-shirt or pint glass, a $10 gift certificate, and a place on the Wall of Fame.
Valley Thunder — Melt Kraft, Brooklyn, NY and Philadelphia, Penn.
The folks behind Valley Shepherd Cheese run two restaurants devoted to showcasing their creations in grilled cheese format, and the Valley Thunder is the most delicious and crazy: 12-month aged cheddar, slow-roasted brisket, and baked macaroni and cheese. If you want it grilled in duck fat it'll cost $1 extra.