Sandwich Of The Week: Sunrise/Sunset's Chorizo Grilled Cheese

It is widely known that New York City is "a melting pot"; a place of great diversity. The neighborhood of Bushwick, Brooklyn, is a microcosmic example of this mélange of humanity. In the past few years, new bars and restaurants have been cropping up around the eastern part of the neighborhood off the L subway line, but much of the area off the J and M lines is still mostly composed of bodegas, nail salons, and fast food joints, both mainstream and... not. 

A few years ago, the owner of Henry's Wine & Spirit spotted an empty space on the corner of Evergreen Avenue and Bleecker Street, a sleepy residential stretch that lies between the Central Avenue M and the Gates Avenue J stops. The potential was clear, and in August 2014, Sunrise/Sunset opened its doors and began serving well-mixed cocktails and an uncomplicated menu of refreshingly simple, good-for-you food, the kind of which had up then been absent in that corner of the neighborhood. There are salads like beets with candied pecans, dill, and yogurt; bowls like the Thai barley with carrots, pear, pickled radishes, roasted cayenne pepper peanuts, Thai basil, water chestnuts, and a lime dressing; and a few hearty sandwiches, including the chorizo grilled cheese.

A house-made arugula pesto is spread on Balthazar multigrain bread before being piled with Asiago cheese and just-spicy-enough chorizo and grilled on a flat-top. The result is the comforting familiarity of a grilled cheese, but one that's a bit more sophisticated — and healthier – than the Kraft cheese-filled specimens you loved as a child. It's a perfect example of the healthier, elevated fare that Sunrise/Sunset has brought to their corner of Bushwick, and it's our sandwich of the week.

Click here for other featured sandwiches or check out the Sandwich of the Week Slideshow. Know a sandwich that should be featured? Email The Daily Meal or comment below. Better yet, become a contributor and write up your favorite today!