Before I start this review, I want to make it perfectly clear, this is not a grilled cheese blog, I just happen to eat them a lot.
There's a recession, you know.
A little background:
Five years ago I happened to reconnect with some old friends that I hadn't seen for many years. It happened to be on Cinco de Mayo - so now, we've made it an annual holiday for ourselves each year. This year, we celebrated on Ocho de Mayo because we're responsible (!) adults and had to work on Cinco.
Before the seriously heavy drinking got underway, we decided to go to Grilled Cheese & Co in lovely Catonsville, Maryland. It's not the first restaurant of its kind, but it's the first one in my neck of the woods.
First impression when we walked in - ummm.... REALLY small. Seriously, there were eight of us that strolled in, and I think we may have violated a fire code just by walking in the door. We literally took up half of the dining room area.
When we planned this, we didn't actually have time to scope it out first to see how small it was, or we probably would have made different arrangements. As it was, we just decided to make ourselves at home and took up our half of the restaurant, where we proceeded to curse like sailors and probably ruin at least one persons lunch. Welcome to Bawlmer Hon!
The food is all freshly made when you order it (of course, a grilled cheese under a heat lamp would be be akin to treason) and everything smelled really good.
I ordered "The Sweetest Thing" sandwich. It contained Brie, raspberry flavored mascarpone cheese, and chocolate chips, grilled between two slices of challah bread. I upgraded to a meal for an extra two bucks, and got some french fries and a soda.
The fries were rubbish. That's all I'm going to say. If you feel the need to have a combo, I would suggest trying the sweet potato fries or a bag of chips. Otherwise, let the star of their menu stand alone.
I have to admit, it looked incredible.
First impression was that it had no real discernible smell. Also, the bread didn't look like challah to me, it was more like a sourdough, which was actually ok. It was *perfectly* grilled, although a bit greasy. Still, it's a grilled cheese, and it's supposed to be greasy, being fried in butter and all.
The taste is where this sandwich came alive. It was, in retrospect, probably a poor choice for dinner, especially with lots and lots...and lots of alcohol that was to come on top of it. It would make an INCREDIBLE breakfast entree, and I plan on trying to make one at home for breakfast some day.
Brie is a mild cheese but I loved the combination with the raspberry mascarpone, and it was a nice creamy, sweet, and fruity taste all together. I don't think you could replicate it with jam (although I am going to try). Everything was melted together nicely and it provided a pleasant smooth combination in between the slightly crispy bread.
If this sandwich had a weak spot, it was the chocolate chips...there was too much chocolate in it, and the more you ate, the more the chocolate overpowered the other flavors. It might be better with less chips, or even better, a cup of chocolate to dunk it in so you could regulate your own chocolate experience.
After going back to the website, I discovered that I could have ordered a smaller size of this sandwich as a desert, and had I realized that at the restaurant, I would have done so and ordered the traditional grilled cheese or one of their other combination's. The menu in the store may have said that, but the place was very cramped and I obviously missed it.
Later, I had this awful drink called a beergarita - you have to be three sheets to the wind to order it. It haunts me now, days later. This has nothing to do with the restaurant, I just thought I'd share the moment that things went wrong. :)
Grilled Cheese & Co
500 Edmondson Ave
Catonsville, MD 21228
410-747-2610
Open Daily 11-9
www.ilovegrilledcheese.com
Price paid: $7.50 + $2.00 combo upgrade.
Would Chuck eat it again? Yes, but probably only carryout, unless I went with a smaller group or by myself.
(Thanks to my 'brother from another mother' Jaye for these photos - yes, he is opening a hot dog business soon, I will not be reviewing it because if I did, no one would believe it's a real review since we're friends)
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There's a recession, you know.
A little background:
Five years ago I happened to reconnect with some old friends that I hadn't seen for many years. It happened to be on Cinco de Mayo - so now, we've made it an annual holiday for ourselves each year. This year, we celebrated on Ocho de Mayo because we're responsible (!) adults and had to work on Cinco.
Before the seriously heavy drinking got underway, we decided to go to Grilled Cheese & Co in lovely Catonsville, Maryland. It's not the first restaurant of its kind, but it's the first one in my neck of the woods.
First impression when we walked in - ummm.... REALLY small. Seriously, there were eight of us that strolled in, and I think we may have violated a fire code just by walking in the door. We literally took up half of the dining room area.
When we planned this, we didn't actually have time to scope it out first to see how small it was, or we probably would have made different arrangements. As it was, we just decided to make ourselves at home and took up our half of the restaurant, where we proceeded to curse like sailors and probably ruin at least one persons lunch. Welcome to Bawlmer Hon!
The food is all freshly made when you order it (of course, a grilled cheese under a heat lamp would be be akin to treason) and everything smelled really good.
I ordered "The Sweetest Thing" sandwich. It contained Brie, raspberry flavored mascarpone cheese, and chocolate chips, grilled between two slices of challah bread. I upgraded to a meal for an extra two bucks, and got some french fries and a soda.
The fries were rubbish. That's all I'm going to say. If you feel the need to have a combo, I would suggest trying the sweet potato fries or a bag of chips. Otherwise, let the star of their menu stand alone.
I have to admit, it looked incredible.
First impression was that it had no real discernible smell. Also, the bread didn't look like challah to me, it was more like a sourdough, which was actually ok. It was *perfectly* grilled, although a bit greasy. Still, it's a grilled cheese, and it's supposed to be greasy, being fried in butter and all.
The taste is where this sandwich came alive. It was, in retrospect, probably a poor choice for dinner, especially with lots and lots...and lots of alcohol that was to come on top of it. It would make an INCREDIBLE breakfast entree, and I plan on trying to make one at home for breakfast some day.
Brie is a mild cheese but I loved the combination with the raspberry mascarpone, and it was a nice creamy, sweet, and fruity taste all together. I don't think you could replicate it with jam (although I am going to try). Everything was melted together nicely and it provided a pleasant smooth combination in between the slightly crispy bread.
If this sandwich had a weak spot, it was the chocolate chips...there was too much chocolate in it, and the more you ate, the more the chocolate overpowered the other flavors. It might be better with less chips, or even better, a cup of chocolate to dunk it in so you could regulate your own chocolate experience.
After going back to the website, I discovered that I could have ordered a smaller size of this sandwich as a desert, and had I realized that at the restaurant, I would have done so and ordered the traditional grilled cheese or one of their other combination's. The menu in the store may have said that, but the place was very cramped and I obviously missed it.
Later, I had this awful drink called a beergarita - you have to be three sheets to the wind to order it. It haunts me now, days later. This has nothing to do with the restaurant, I just thought I'd share the moment that things went wrong. :)
Grilled Cheese & Co
500 Edmondson Ave
Catonsville, MD 21228
410-747-2610
Open Daily 11-9
www.ilovegrilledcheese.com
Price paid: $7.50 + $2.00 combo upgrade.
Would Chuck eat it again? Yes, but probably only carryout, unless I went with a smaller group or by myself.
(Thanks to my 'brother from another mother' Jaye for these photos - yes, he is opening a hot dog business soon, I will not be reviewing it because if I did, no one would believe it's a real review since we're friends)
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