We don’t
know who started the craze. First it seemed food trucks, who specialize in a
small set of items from Korean BBQ to tacos, started putting around the U.S
serving only gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches. Then it seemed restaurants took
a cue that people voted with their wallets on wanting more than stale white
bread with the kind of American cheese that has to be peeled off from
individual plastic layers. These sort of memories are collections of days where
comfort foods of grilled cheese and a good soup, preferably tomato rice, warmed
our bodies over from the frost that accumulated on our windows. Not blazing a
whole new trail I took cues from others to try different breads and cheeses.
Then, we’d really be breaking bland upper Midwest tradition by adding bizarre
toppings – you know, like basil and chicken.
One such
place continues the creative grilled cheese tradition – Cheesie’s Pub and Grub.
Having to
watch our wallets but still wanting to be fulfilled, my other food buddy Nick
and I took up his suggestion to visit the new establishment at 622 West Davis
in Evanston. The other location is the original at 958 West Belmont in
Lakeview. Stepping out of the cold and into the delightfully colored walls of
Cheesie’s, one should abandon pretention, embrace the creativity and realize
their target audience is the kids down the street at Northwestern University.
Ever the Humanities instructor, I smiled at the playful Dali-esque mockeries of
modern art on the main wall – Picasso’s statue and Ladies of Avignon, a
Superman pose of who Nick and I guessed was Stephen Colbert, and a who’s who of
Hollywood from Chicago in an Edward Hopper remake of Nighthawks. The purple
wildcat claws of Northwestern are painted about, making us aware that students
run the front.
To my
hilarity, and perhaps I shouldn’t expect much less from some students these
days, one cashier was helpful and caring whist the other was too cool for
school in his ironic hipster glasses and senior citizen wool button up, dancing
around to a Kesha song that blasted out from speakers above as he delivered the
baskets. You lose style and humanity points, jackass.
Ever the
curious bunch, Nick promised to exchange the half of our sandwich for each
others. He ordered the special – a Texas toast combination of American cheese,
fried pickles and catfish. Though it sounds disgusting, the sandwich was an
excellent combination of savory and hearty. My appetites were for the delicious
The Melt, made with American cheese,
Chihuahua cheese, marinated chicken breast, bacon, Thousand Island and tomato
on Texas toast that was served with creamy pesto mayo dipping sauce (damn good).
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