The Grilled Cheese Grill

The Grilled Cheese Grill restaurants are a combination of reclaimed vehicle and food cart restaurants that focus on gourmet[3] grilled cheese sandwiches in Portland, Oregon, United States.

The Grilled Cheese Grill
Restaurant information
Slogan"Come by for a taste of your childhood, unless your childhood sucked, then we'll let you have a taste of ours."[1]
EstablishedApril 20, 2009 (2009-04-20)
Owner(s)Matthew "Matt" Breslow
Food typeComfort food
Dress codeNone
RatingZagat: 25/30[2]
Street address1027 NE Alberta St.
CityPortland
CountyMultnomah
StateOregon
CountryUnited States
ReservationsNot taken
Other locations2
Websitegrilledcheesegrill.com

History

Matthew "Matt" Breslow is originally from New Jersey, New York. His family went on holiday to Portland as a child since he had uncles, aunts and cousins residing in the city. In 2007, he moved to Portland, and on April 20, 2009 opened the first GCG location on Alberta St.[4]

Locations

The GCG uses unconventional locations for its restaurants. One location, which is located on Alberta St. in Portland, is an airstream-school bus combination. The kitchen is in the renovated airstream, while the old school bus has been converted to be a stationary place for patrons to eat. The tables are plastered with school photos "taken at the height of dorkdom".[5] Outside of the bus are picnic tables that people can eat on as well.[6]

In Southeast Portland the GCG restaurant is inside a double decker bus, and the downtown location is a stationary food cart.[7] The double decker bus is a 1954 former Mount St. Helens tour bus that Breslow painted the sides of to resemble a large checkerboard.[8]

Impact

GCG has become an example of "highly successful" food carts.[9] Lonely Planet considers the GCG to be one of the top food carts of Portland.[10] In 2009, the GCG won the People's Choice trophy at the Eat Mobile, Willamette Week's annual food cart contest.[11]

Rachael Ray recommended the GCG in her magazine, Every Day with Rachael Ray.[12] Reader's Digest has also called the GCG "the best grilled cheese in Portland."[13] The Zagat guide reviewed the restaurants, with each category out of a possible 30 points: The GCT scored 25 on food, 22 on decor, and 23 on service.[2]

With the success of the three GCG locations, Breslow decided to open another sandwich cart called the Shotgun Sub Shop, located in downtown Portland.[14] As of late 2014, this cart has closed, however.

The Grilled Cheese Grill truck in northeast Portland in 2019

The GCG offers a variety of toppings not usually found on grilled cheese sandwiches. Some of these toppings include bacon, apples, blue cheese, Swiss cheese, jalapeño, artichoke, turkey, hummus, mascarpone, Nutella, banana, cinnamon, avocado, tomato, sauerkraut, ham, salami, chips, fried eggs and many others.[15][16][17] Some original sandwiches include:

  • Cheesus: the Cheesus is the signature sandwich of GCG, which has been described as a "grilled cheese cheeseburger". On either side, instead of a traditional hamburger bun, there are two grilled cheese sandwiches. One sandwich consists of pickles and American cheese and the other consists of grilled onions and Colby Jack Cheese. The middle is traditional burger fare: lettuce, tomato, ketchup, mustard and a 1/3 lb burger.[18]
  • BABS: the BABS is an acronym for Bacon, Apple, Blue Cheese and Swiss. This sandwich is served on rye bread. Breslow has stated, "This sandwich is on our permanent menu at the carts and is a top-seller, for its unique flavor combination of the tart blue cheese, sweer apples, savory bacon and nice mellow Swiss cheese to tie it all together. We serve it at the cart on marble rye bread."[19]
  • Jalapeno Popper: The Jalapeño Popper has roasted jalapeños, Colby jack cheese, cream cheese and corn tortilla chips atop sourdough bread. 1859 magazine describes the experience as, "The crack of the chips and the spice of the peppers make for a delicious medley of texture and taste... Stick around to eat your sandwich, as a grilled cheese should only be eaten with the cheese nice and melty."[20]

References
  1. Hinton, Marc (2013). A History of Pacific Northwest Cuisine: Mastodons to Molecular Gastronomy. The History Press. p. 173. ISBN 9781609496166.
  2. "Grilled Cheese Grill". Zagat. Retrieved 19 October 2014.
  3. Smith, Julian (Jan 27, 2012). Frommer's Portland Day by Day. John Wiley & Sons. p. 103. ISBN 9781118222416.
  4. Shomler, Steven (2014). Portland Food Cart Stories: Behind the Scenes with the City's Culinary Entrepreneurs. The History Press. p. 36. ISBN 9781626193734.
  5. Shouse, Heather (Apr 26, 2011). Food Trucks: Dispatches and Recipes from the Best Kitchens on Wheels. Ten Speed Press. p. 80. ISBN 9781607740650.
  6. "My Dishcrawl Portland Adventure!". Tasty Feast. Retrieved 18 October 2014.
  7. Samson, Karl (2012). Frommer's Oregon. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 9781118236949. Retrieved 18 October 2014.
  8. Manning, Ivy. "5 amazing food carts". Sunset. Retrieved 18 October 2014.
  9. Harelik, Tiffany (2014). Trailer Food Diaries Cookbook: Portland Edition, Volume 2. The History Press. p. 19. ISBN 9781625845979. Retrieved 18 October 2014.
  10. Bao, Sandra (Aug 1, 2011). Lonely Planet Washington, Oregon & the Pacific Northwest. Lonely Planet. ISBN 9781742204628.
  11. Clarke, Kelly (20 Apr 2009). "Eat Mobile Ate Kenton". Willamette Week. Retrieved 18 October 2014.
  12. van der Leun, Justine. "Eat + Run: Grilled Cheese". Every Day with Rachael Ray. Retrieved 18 October 2014.
  13. Barritt, T.W. "The Grilled Cheese Grill - Portland, Oregon". Culinary Types. Retrieved 19 October 2014.
  14. "Owner of Grill Cheese Grill tries his hand at sub sandwich cart in downtown Portland". Oregon Live. Retrieved 18 October 2014.
  15. McCollom, Hollyanna (Jun 24, 2014). Moon Portland. Avalon Travel. p. 55. ISBN 9781612380988.
  16. "The Grilled Cheese Grill". Food Carts Portland. 3 May 2009. Retrieved 18 October 2014.
  17. O'Brien, Kyle (30 Mar 2011). "Portland diners can enjoy a grilled cheese at Grilled Cheese Grill, Seasons & Regions, Paragon and more". Oregon Live. Retrieved 19 October 2014.
  18. Edge, John T. (8 May 2012). The Truck Food Cookbook: 150 Recipes and Ramblings from America's Best Restaurants on Wheels. Workman Publishing. p. 198. ISBN 9780761171188. Retrieved 18 October 2014.
  19. "The BABS". Tillamook. Retrieved 18 October 2014.
  20. Opsahl, Brynn (10 Jul 2012). "Grilled Cheese Grill". 1859 Magazine. Retrieved 18 October 2014.
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