grilled cheese is the new black

Having spent the end of last week puttering around, and eating my way though, the Lower East Side, I've come to the conclusion that the part of New York where we lived is pretty washed out food-wise. Sure we have a good diner, a solid noodle shop and actual real Northwest coffee, but despite the fact that there is a variety of choices for dining, it's all sort of homogeneous. I could be wrong, but I don't think that Koronet Pizza famous for it's gargantuan slices of cheese and pepperoni, will be featuring pizza with prosciutto and truffle cream anytime soon. But I suppose I can always dream.
However, while exploring the more foodie driven parts of the city I had, in the space of twenty four hours, two totally different but equally delicious grilled cheese sandwich's that knocked my socks off. The ricotta with honey and pepper on brioche I mentioned before, which was, only slightly, the better of the two. The other sandwich was a white cheddar, bacon and caramelized onion on ciabatta that I had for lunch on Friday.

I've always loved grilled cheese. One of our go to lunches this winter has been a leek and cheddar toastie. In fact, leeks have become as much a staple in our fridge as milk or butter. I may have even chosen my sorority based on the fact that grilled cheese and tomato soup was served for lunch at least once a week. As it turned out, choosing a long term living situation based on the availability of Velveeta and Campbell's soup wasn't the brightest idea and I didn't stay long, but it shows the depth of my love for grilled cheese of any sort.

This new foray into exotic grilled cheese has taught me two things however. First- I finally understand why someone would buy a home panini press. More than that, I want one, or at least I want my waffle iron back so that I can use the flat sides to make some good crisp panini like sandwiches. And second - cheese is the greatest thing ever. I already knew that but it was always a toss up between chocolate and cheese. I think cheese just won.

Brie, marmalade and thyme? It's all sitting there in my fridge. I wonder what that would taste like? Time for lunch.