I took a drive to San Francisco last week with a friend to eat at The American Grilled Cheese Kitchen, a restaurant recently recommended to me. It’s owned by Nate Pollak, brother of Breitbart.com editor-in-chief Joel Pollak (was that enough hyperlinks for you?) and a fellow UCLA alum. It’s in one of my favorite areas within San Francisco – South Park, a quaint little neighborhood almost reminiscent of Greenwich Village in NYC. It’s also right down the street from AT&T Park, where my beloved San Francisco Giants play and a huge part of my childhood. Being in that neighborhood just makes me want warm comfort food, especially on a chilly Fog City day, so a grilled cheese and some tomato soup absolutely hits the spot.
First of all…check out that menu. Short and simple, yet sophisticated. That’s exactly the kind of menu I like to order from. I’m not a huge fan of gigantic menus with an overwhelming amount of choices. I’ll just want to order EVERYTHING, and I end up choosing something I know I like and not trying anything new. I also like the concept of ordering your food at the register, grabbing your number, sitting down, then having your food brought to your table. It’s the perfect happy medium between a fully sit-down restaurant and a take-out place. So far so good. Now onto the main attraction…
I had the Mushroom Gruyere (top), and my friend had the Mousetrap (bottom) with bacon added and some housemade Smoky Tomato Soup. The first thing I noticed was how perfectly, evenly browned the bread was. I’m always trying to achieve that when I make grilled cheese at home, but can never quite get it. The Mushroom Gruyere has, you guessed it, gruyere cheese, a nutty, creamy Swiss cheese without the holes. It also has fontina cheese, which is somewhat like mozzarella – a cheese you don’t eat for its flavor as much as for its texture. In other words, it melts beautifully, making it perfect for grilled cheese. There were also wild mushrooms inside which are chopped up very finely, giving you that earthy mushroom flavor in every single bite. The roasted gold potatoes were an interesting touch, adding to the earthy flavor profile of the sandwich, and the melted leeks and caramelized onions added some sweetness and a little bit of punch. Lastly, how cool is it that you get a plum on the side? Wasn’t expecting that at all. In summary: the best grilled cheese you’ve ever had.
Next to the menu in the restaurant, there’s a chalkboard full of “cheesy puns” thought up by patrons. A day later, I finally had one hit me…
The American Grilled Cheese Kitchen is cheddar than anything you’ve ever tasted.
Boo yeah. Moral of the story: I approve. Go there!
