Hipcooks Cocktail Party Review

March 11, 2011 by 1 Comment

Last week I returned to Hipcooks Portland on NE Failing and Williams for a class called “A Cocktail Party”. This is my second class with Hipcooks (after my cheese class with Cheyenne) but I had such a good time I wanted to try another one. The purpose of the cocktail party class is to learn how to make lots of things for a cocktail party. This turned out to be nine hors’dourves taught by a chef, and six drinks taught by a bartender. This class fills up pretty quickly and I kept forgetting to sign up online as soon as the new classes are posted (one month or so in advance). But recently I finally got into one. It was on Friday evenings starting at 6:30 (it looks like the next classes starting in April start at 7), which means you just have time after work to grab a quick happy hour bite to eat at Tasty N Sons before coming to class.

The hors’ dourves and drinks were divided basically into 3 parts. First we started a few appetizers, then we learned about a couple cocktails at the big communal table where 4 bar stations were laid out and we would nibble on some of the appetizers we just finished prepping while learning drinks. Then, back to the kitchen part for making a few more appetizers, back to the bar station for two more cocktails and eating the fruits of our appetizer labor…  and then the final few canapes and we sat down to learn our last couple of drinks and finish with a sweet bite.

Each time, as we were working on the drinks, some of the appetizers would come out of the oven or be finished in prep by the chef and assistant so we could snack while tasting the beverages so we only had to worry about the creation and not watching any ovens or finishing enough for the group. We were able to get the hands on instruction and then just move on. This was a great way to break up the class so you didn’t get overwhelmed by the number of things the class offered to teach you or bogged down making enough for a dozen people of every single recipe so efficient in using the learning time as well.

Here’s the list of what was on the class menu, including when we broke out for mixology:

  1. Spicy candied nuts
  2. Warm crab dip
  3. Crisp potato cakes with goat cheese and thyme
  4. Cups with caviar, crème fraîche and chive
  5. The Perfect Martini
  6. Vanilla Martini
  7. Endives stuffed with gorgonzola and roast pear
  8. Warm goat cheese prosciutto-wrapped dates
  9. Mojitos
  10. Caiprinhas
  11. Leek and goat cheese tartlettes
  12. Tuna tartar on cucumber strips with wasabi roe
  13. Dark chocolate hearts with raspberry cream
  14. Ginger Lemon Drops
  15. Amaretto sour with cracked pepper

We started the class with items that we would not enjoy until a later appetizer, but needed time in the oven. So, we rolled out the dough, cut with  glass,  and put in the muffin tins so they could be returned to the fridge/freezer to form into tartlettes  before filling. And, we started the pears so they could caramelized in the oven. Then we went right into the four appetizers that we would be having with our first pair of drinks we would learn.

First step of making Candied Almonds, Cashews and Pecans: nuts and butter with heat to melt the butter… The spicy candied nuts was a simple recipe, but the highlight is that we all were being taught and practiced how to flip food in the pan. Since these were nuts and not an omelet or something more invested before the flip, it was something pretty safe and any nuts that got lost onto the counter, since we had just wiped down the counter, could return back to the nut family in the pan. The finished product, after adding rosemary and brown sugar and Tabasco, were returned to the fridge briefly to harden but could still be eaten while a bit warm and were finger licking salty spicy sweet. Perfect for when you are making a perfect martini with just vodka/gin and dry vermouth.

 

Next up was Warm Crab Dip served with my favorite kind of crackers, Triscuits. This was super easy to make, and you can prep this earlier, keep it in the fridge, and just put it in the oven so it will be hot when guests need to snack. The second photo shows a closer look at the top which has paprika and parsley sprinkled for color, and the creamy crab underneath which is almost equal parts crab and cream cheese and bit of mayo.

The third was the Crisp Potato Cakes with Goat Cheese and Thyme. This one was a bit more of a cheater, since the potatoes that we were layering with the cheese and thyme were already prepped for us with a mandolin.

The fourth canape we made was Caviar Cups with Crème Fraiche and Chive. The key here was learning where to get very affordable caviar… would you believe Ikea? And we talked about how buying premade pastry shells is so worth it in saving the mess and time to make them from scratch, and having at least one squeeze bottle (which we would see used a few different ways in the recipes that night) can also make your life so much easier. Sorry for the blurriness of these caviar cups with creme fraiche and chive. I took all the pics during class with my camera phone instead of my camera since we were standing at the counter in a hands on class, and it had to fit in my pocket. I particularly like how the caviar cup looks so expensive and fancy, but takes minutes to make and only 4 ingredients.

A better perspective on the size of the Caviar Cups with Crème Fraiche and Chive: just a bite

In our first round of bartending, we learned about how to properly shake cocktails, how to twirl lemon peel after we have wiped the rim of the glass with the lemon oils from the peel, and practiced with and without a pourer how to to count out a 2 oz pour instead of measuring with a shot glass.

Learning about how to properly shake cocktailsLearning about how to properly shake cocktailsLearning how to twirl lemon peel after we have wiped the rim of the glass with the lemon oils from the peelLearning to count out a 2 oz pourShaka shaka... these two to my left were a mother and daughter taking the clasdTasting our perfect martini. In the background, the Crisp Potato Cakes with Goat Cheese and Thyme

Next round of appetizers. The pears came out of the oven smelling wonderful and all caramelized, so we each got to stuff one endive with the gorgonzola and roast pear and gush about what a wonderful finger food vehicle endives are and color they bring to the table (red and green leaves). In disappointing news, we were supposed to make Warm Goat Cheese & Nut-Stuffed, Prosciutto-Wrapped Dates, but when they opened the prosciutto package that they had just bought the day before, there was a little mold on it so they didn’t want to serve it to us, understandably. We each still got to stuff a date, but no meat wrapping. Then we were sent back to the bartending area to learn to make Mojitos and Caipirinhas, which are more time consuming since now we had to start dealing with squeezing juices (no mixes here!) and muddling.

In the back, prepping the Warm Goat Cheese & Nut-Stuffed, Prosciutto-Wrapped Dates (but without the prosciutto wrapping), and in the pan caramelizing the pears for the Endive, Gorgonzola and Roast Pear canape To the left the Warm Goat Cheese & Nut-Stuffed, Prosciutto-Wrapped Dates minus the prosciutto because the package when opened turned out moldy, and the Endive, Gorgonzola and Roast Pear to the right

Third round of appetizer making. In preparing Tuna Tartar on Cucumber Strips with Wasabi Roe, we were impressed with how easy something that looks so fancy can be.

This last hors’dourves was the favorite of almost everyone. This was one we had done a little bit of prep in round 1, but I put all the photos together here. In the first round, we had prepared the little tartlettes. Now we sauteed leeks in butter and white wine to the tartlets. The cooking leeks make the room smell incredible… better than any air freshener in welcoming guests to a home. Only fill the tartlets halfway because when spooning the leek mixture in because next… we added eggs and cream into a squeeze bottle and shook vigourously, and then squeezed the mixture (minimizing things to clean up!) into the tarts. And then… top with got cheese. Delicious.

After this step, put it back in the fridge or freezer briefly to let the shapes harden

We finished off with Dark Chocolate Hearts with Raspberry cream, again making use of having a squeeze bottle in the kitchen. At this point, everyone was getting more tired, and we were content with the chef instructor showing us by doing it himself, and then returning to focus on drinks.

 

This last lesson from the bartender was for the Lemon Drop, including the sugar rim. My favorite was the last drink though, Amaretto Sour, using all fresh squeezed juices from the fruit, and then talking about the use of egg whites. I’ve had egg whites before in libations in Chicago and in Portland from Clyde Common and The Secret Society, so I already love the frothy light foam touch it adds- more than any sugared rim could do. However, I also learned that I really like Disaronno- and don’t think I would have a Amaretto Sour that uses this with a mix because I don’t want the sourness to ruin it, making it to just balance the sweet is what I’m looking for.

Just like the cheese class, we didn’t need to worry about writing anything down- everything was emailed the next morning. A lot of it was just by watching and listening and putting in a little practice, just like if you were learning a well loved recipe from a family member. I thought the email I got from the cheese class, which has more details about where to buy ingredients and Plan B when things might not quite turn out perfectly, was more thorough and thoughtful then the one for this cocktail class. Although it wasn’t in the email, he did verbally cover tips on ways to flavor to your taste and balance as you taste, where to get some of the ingredients, things to look for when examining the ingredients to purchase, and what could be done and in the fridge the day before and what ones are sorta fun to do as guests are arriving and they can give you a hand! Just like in the cheese class, we all got a chance to have hands on experience, taste stuff in progress and eye what it looks like until its ready

Because of the breaks between the prep food/prep drink stations, we also got to do a bit more informal socializing and get tastes of everything more often throughout the class time. Bouncing between two people also gives the other a break to “recharge” during the 3-3 1/2 hour class so they was a lot of positive energy and keeping us pumped as the night continued (after all, I did work all day on Friday too!). This class turned out to be all ladies although the instructors were male, and the assistant female, so guys certainly are not unwelcome- and could have had some flirting time with the single ladies. Still, I suppose that’s pretty apropros based on who usually preps hors’dourves for a party- most men would lay out nuts and chips and salsa and some beer and call it a day without too much worry for the mixed drinks, even though it would impress any female guest. I would definitely recommend taking this class with girlfriends, or as two ladies did in my class, with their mom! This would also make a fun gift to a foodie.

I’m keeping my eye out for the dim sum class and cajun classes that matches up to my schedule, so don’t be surprised if you see another Hipcooks class blog entry later this year. I also keep looking at Caprial and John’s (I’ve only attended a supper club so far) but menus and dates haven’t matched up yet, but it has been highly recommended by friends if you are looking for another alternative in the same price range. Caprial and John’s are only in the evenings, but allow you to bring your own beverages (such as wine and beer). I like HipCooks slant in pairing and incorporating learning about beverages in the class but they don’t allow you to BYOB. The fact that they have classes on Sat and Sun during the day just fits better schedule-wise than mostly T-Th evenings at least for me, and they have a large number of classes to choose from. Did you also notice how many things they cover in the class? I also know about In Good Taste but they are almost twice the cost per class.

Wherever you may look and/or decide, cooking classes is a fun way to go out and enjoy food which doesn’t involve just eating and blowing your calories per day, or cooking so much that you are then stuck eating the 6 portions for the next few days, or having to wait for guests coming over to learn and try a recipe while panicking that it might not turn out and then what… From my experience with Hipcooks Portland, everyone has been engaging and laid back like a friend you know, but also an expert at their recipes like they make it home off the cuff all the time and know lil tips and tricks and variations from all that experience. You are both learning and relaxed and having fun all at the same time in a no pressure environment. Having hands-on step by step experience is particularly important to me as the visual is more important than the recipe’s measurements (I dislike cookbooks that don’t have lots of pictures), and Hipcooks definitely gives you that.

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Southern Brunch at Screen Door

March 9, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Screen Door is one of those places that you have to be willing to wait- but the wait is definitely worth it, be it brunch or dinner. If you come for brunch, make sure after you get your name on the list that you step up to the bar and grab some coffee to help ease the wait (or they have bloody marys and other morning cocktails if you are so inclined). Or there is a great coffee shop next door (there’s even another one at the end of the block) if you want an espresso concoction as you wait.

Peruse the Screen Door menu as you wait. The wait staff is wonderfully quick once you are seated because they know you’ve been patiently waiting an hour already to get down to breakfast business. So start your decision process now- it might take you a while.

I mind waiting for other meals unless it really legendary, but it’s very common for brunch- maybe  because it’s the morning after a Saturday so that people will no show based on unplanned activitiest the night before. I find it most reasonable when they are willing to actually call your cell (which Orange in Chicago did) or have a pager with a good radius so you can wander. The one hostess here at Screen Door keeping the crowd in check only has her voice and physically walking and circling from inside to outside and then going in to check on open tables once in a while. For such a busy place, they don’t have a two-person team so sometimes new guests would arrive and actually write their own name down, and suddenly several tables would turn at the same time before she had a chance to go back to the dining area and check after seeing some diners leave- yeah that’s their system apparently. Well, at least they had coffee.

With a warm coffee in hand you can start your wake up process, socialize with your family/friends, and people-watch so that the time doesn’t seem too aggravating. I particularly envied a group of people who even brought folding lawn chairs for their wait on the sidewalk. There will be a wait and the wait is long (less if you are a party of 2- 2-tops just turn over faster), so bring that expectation with you when you arrive.

And your tummy will probably be grumbling knowing and smelling that there is goodness just to the other side of that curtain separating the waiting area from the dining area (and hiding the view and noise a bit of those waiting so you can enjoy your seat when you get it without guilt of being stared at by those eyeing your table). Force yourself into the more laid back, patient Southern spirit and stay that way all Sunday after brunch.

Screen Door’s breakfast offers several scrambles to choose from. J picked one of blackened tofu and 3 eggs with garlic, peppers, onions, mushrooms and cheddar with a side of potatoes and toast completing the dish. You can also substitute egg whites, or even tofu, for the regular eggs. Remember what I just said- 3 eggs. That’s a lot of protein- so you really must be in the mood for eggs, especially since you just waited an hour for them when there are plenty of brunch spots in town that offer scrambles, and I think better versions. I personally prefer scrambles that come in a skillet right to the table to get all the crunchy bits.

Southern Brunch at Screen Door, Portland Oregon

Even though Screen Door is a southern home style restaurant, they still support vegetarian and vegan on their menu. For instance, their quite servicable Tofu Hash with seared tofu with griddle potatoes, onions, peppers, garlic, spinach and mushrooms. It would have been better to use the blackened tofu they offer in a scramble but in this eggless hash dish because the seared tofu offered texture but not much taste to the dish.

Southern Brunch at Screen Door, Portland Oregon Southern Brunch at Screen Door, Portland Oregon

Another option is the fried oyster benedict with crisp cornmeal fried oysters with poached eggs and bacon over english muffins, topped with hollandaise, along with a side of cheese grits that come with the dish. I greedily also ordered an additional side order of a Buttermilk Drop Biscuit with sausage country gravy.

That gravy was amazing, and the biscuit put the english muffin, even with its fancy hollandaise and thick bacon and perfectly ready to run egg, to only a passing grade because that side dish of Biscuits was so much more rich and comforting.

The best part of the fried oyster benedict, no surprise, were the few pieces of fried oyster whose saltiness was a great counterbalance to the fat of the muffin/bacon/egg/hollaindaise but there just wasn’t enough counterbalance on the whole plate. This is the second time I’ve had this dish- I also had it back in 2008- and I think next time I’ll stick with ordering the next dish…

Southern Brunch at Screen Door, Portland Oregon Southern Brunch at Screen Door, Portland Oregon Southern Brunch at Screen Door, Portland Oregon

The fried chicken cathead biscuit sandwich was a special that day, but they normally offer some sort of chicken, usually in chicken and waffle dish form but you could try chicken and Biscuits,  during brunch. That chicken. The gravy. So big in size. So delicious. Best brunch dish of the four. That fried chicken was incredibly moist and tender, and look at all that gravy.

Southern Brunch at Screen Door, Portland Oregon

By far the highlight of Screen Door, whatever is on the menu, is getting access to that gravy. Keep in mind that you can get the buttermilk drop biscuits with mushroom and veggie protein gravy, not just the rich sausage gravy (the meat version is better, but the veggie is still rich and worthy). In fact, on the back side of the menu with the “build your own breakfast” option you can put together plenty of little dishes tapas style for yourself if you wish so any dish you get you can add one biscuit with a gravy, a la below.

Southern Brunch at Screen Door, Portland Oregon

So don’t go here for brunch without getting some biscuits and gravy for yourself as a side order at least, and someone at the table should get some of that fried chicken.

And, be prepared for the idea that you will be bringing leftovers back, as you can tell by the size of these dishes! I ended up bringing half of the meat-gravied biscuit and veggie-gravied biscuit each home, and both were just as wonderful (though the biscuit more mushy) out of the microwave a couple days later and I was scraping my spoon for every bit of gravy on the takeout box.

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Bailey’s and Santeria go together like milk and cookies

March 7, 2011 by Leave a Comment

I’ve certainly mentioned Bailey’s Taproom often enough, but I may not have mentioned that almost every time we go there, we also get the best Mexican we have found in Portland so far, Santeria. Sure, it’s a hole in the wall, hidden between Mary’s and convenience store and Tugboat and Bailey’s along a tiny street. But, they are fast, delicious, and deliver to your table at Bailey’s as you are enjoying the inevitable taster tray because Bailey’s has rotated their taps (as they do every week) and now there are a dozen new beers you may not have had before. No wonder we come here weekly. This time though, we tried to capture the experience with our guests.

When you walk into Bailey’s first grab a table. There a lot of 2-tops and only a few that can comfortably fit more. Ignore the armchairs- not if you want to eat anyway, because the tables by them are low. After you have claimed your territory, come up to the front to read the beer menu in plastic sheets. The front has all the drafts, the back is all bottles. The chalkboard also has the list of all the drafts – but the menu has more detailed descriptions of each beer on tap.

Bailey's Taproom, beer, tasting tray, sample tray

You can order a pint, or a 10 oz, or tell the good man that you want a sampler and he will give you a little sticky to write down your do it yourself tray. Order by number!

Bailey's Taproom, beer, tasting tray, sample tray

Once you have your liquid deliciousness safely at your table, now is the time to get the solid delicious stuff. You can actually grab a Santeria menu from the barkeep and call your order, but we like to walk across that little alley in order to see what the specials are and see what is available, and that way when they come deliver your order they can find you since there is a good chance the delivery person has already seen you. After you order, hurry back to plot how you are going to fit the food and drinks on the table. In this photo below, the left side of the table ordered single tacos so it came on a smaller plate, but the food are usually the size of the platters you see on the right.

Bailey's Taproom, beer, tasting tray, sample tray Santeria, mexican food,

One thing Santeria does well are mole. Also, their tinga is outstanding- it is chicken or a vegan version using soy chorizo, cooked to a nice spicy burn with cooked with chorizo, tomatillo’s, onions, tomatoes, and chipotle peppers. Add mole and tinga for a super combination of spicy flavor bursting with every bite- you’ll need the rice and beans to give your tongue a break. And your beer of course. Below are Mole enchiladas with tinga in brown mole sauce.

Mole enchiladas with tinga in brown mole sauce, Santeria, mexican

If you can’t decide what kind of meat you want, try the First Class Flight which includes 3 tacos, one each of the Tinga taco, Pastor taco (sweet pork cooked with onions and pineapple) and Cochinita taco (a tarter Mayan recipe with pork slow cooked in orange juice, lime, achiote and banana leaves) served with rice, beans and guacamole for a very filling meal. Alternatively, you can switch out the Tinga taco for the saltier Carnitas taco if you order the When Pigs Fly taco flight instead. Below is the First Class Flight.

Santeria, mexican, First Class Flight which includes 3 tacos, one each of the Tinga taco, Pastor taco (sweet pork cooked with onions and pineapple) and Cochinita taco (a tarter Mayan recipe with pork slow cooked in orange juice, lime, achiote and banana leaves) served with rice, beans and guacamole for a very filling meal

If you want to really absorb alcohol though, the burritos are the best choice. Thick and stuffed with alcohol absorbing deliciousness. I often get the Chorizo Burrito (filled with chorizo, eggs, cheese and pinto beans) to get lots of protein, or if I am feeling a bit sweet and spicy and no-bean please I get the Pastor Burrito with pastor, rice, cilantro and onion. More recently I’ve been getting the Fish (Pescado) Burrito with breaded cod, rice, refried beans, lettuce, pico de gallo, and sour cream because although hey, it’s a burrito, I’ve been crushing on the texture of the crunchy deep fried flaky fish inside the soft burrito. For a hint of what’s inside, it’s the same kind of fish that would use for what you see below in my fish taco (I did just eat 3/4 of a Cheesus/Quesus before I got here after all). I like to switch out the sour cream for salty Cotija cheese but when F goes over to order on my behalf he always forgets, thus you see sour cream on the taco which is the normal combination.

Santeria, Fish taco, breaded cod

If you are veggie, you can get the vegan burrito (Black beans, rice, lettuce, pico de gallo, guacamole)- they always bring you the green and red sauce but request the habanero one to really kick that burrito up. Or, get the burrito using veggie chorizo or vegan tinga. Below check out the vegan taco version, and the size of a burrito- in this case a vegan chorizo burrito. Another plus of the burrito is that you don’t need to manage silverware on your table and you can hold the swaddled warm burrito in one hand and your beer in another. It also can take less space because the swaddling is so good you don’t really need the plate

vegan taco, vegan taco, guacamole Santeria, vegan burrito, Black beans, rice, lettuce, pico de gallo, guacamole

Don’t forget to eat the carrot! It’s pickled but spicy, don’t waste it! After you are done, bus up your dishes and empty glasses to the bar where the beer dude will hold it for the Santeria person to take back, get your one beer that didn’t fit on the 6-drink sampler tray, maybe in a 10oz or pint. Don’t be surprised if you eat everything… or if you want to run back over to Santeria for a takeout container. It’s a little hole in the wall, but it’s good authentic Mexican- surprising almost everyone because the looks really are deceiving here. I didn’t even have this on the list for my guests to eat, since they were from LA I assumed good Mexican was a dime a dozen so had other food in mind- but F insisted, and since other F wanted Bailey’s anyway, this ended up working out. And… this was judged to be really good Mexican by them. In fact, this is not the first time that Santeria has heard from LA residents about how authentic and better their food is!

Now, drink, talk, play. Bailey’s has boardgames if you would like to play a game, but on my part our weekly visit is also our “lots of talking about work, the local/national/world news, gossip of our friends, etc” catch-up time that is so easy to fall out of at home when you have your own computers and TVs and one wants to play a videogame while the other wants to read a book in bed, etc. Email and Twitter and FB can’t compare to actual conversation and goofy faces. No one is there rushing us out like a date night at a restaurant, there’s no TV that inevitably draws your eyes away from the people you’re with… it is like 21st century Cheers. Actually, all the guys who run or work at Bailey’s do know our names when we go in… and we recognize many of the other regulars as they probably do us. Awww.

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Filed Under: Beer Review, Food and Drink, Restaurant Review Tagged With: , ,

Photo-Post: Snowshoeing at Trillium Lake

March 6, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Portland, a city of so much food and liquid deliciousness… but also the center of so much you can do. With the snowy peaks of Mt Hood only 1.5 hour away, you can make a day trip to the slopes for ski and snowboard the next day after fresh powder has accumulated. We went for snowshoe at Trillium Lake because well, if you can walk, you can snowshoe. Well, truthfully snowshoeing is a little bit different because the snowshoes mean you have to change the way you step slightly- which you will do naturally after a bit but definitely uses more muscles then normal walking. And the snowshoes, once you take them off at the end, you'll notice how much lighter your feet are and walk a little funny trying to recover back your normal walk.

We rented our snoeshoes, which came with poles, at Mountain Tracks, and you can get your Sno-Park daily pass there. You can also rent boots there if you have guests that don't have any because they come from sunny Los Angeles and asked you before they arrived in PDX if they should bring a coat.  Which yes, you should- a coat and layers because even though you warm up a lot to a point of sweating while snowshoeing, it was dropping to the teen temperatures that evening up at that altitude!

If you do Trillium Lake, try to reserve some energy for the last mile back to the Sno-Park- it's all uphill, not at a big incline but it definitely is very tiring at the end.

Unfortunately the day clouded over, so there was no view from Trillium Lake that showed Mt Hood. But, it was still beautiful.

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Grilled Cheese Grill- Cheesus and Quesus

March 5, 2011 by 1 Comment

What could be a more satisfying reward for surviving a 4 mile snowshoe at Trillium Lake (especially the seemingly neverending uphill curve back to the parking lot on the return loop) then a burger between two grilled cheese sandwiches? To Grilled Cheese Grill we go!

Last time I went to the Alberta location, this time I went to Southeast location in order to check out their double decker bus, and show my guests the “outdoor dining food cart” that is more like roadside casual dining. Bad timing on our part, we got there as the Cartathlon people were still wrapping up, so the bus was actually packed on both floors! We got our food to go, giving us a chance to go back home to change out of our clothes anyway. The actual “cart” part is exactly the same as the other location: only the type of bus that serves as an indoor seating/eating area as an alternate to their outdoor picnic benches is different. Inside the double decker there was no art to stare at on the ceiling, but the same old yearbook photos were all over the side bar seating area and booths.

Grilled Cheese Grill, food cart, bus, roadside dining, double decker bus, grilled cheese Grilled Cheese Grill, food cart, bus, roadside dining, double decker bus, grilled cheese Grilled Cheese Grill, food cart, bus, roadside dining, double decker bus, grilled cheese

I ordered the Cheesus and Quesus. As my sister put it, “burger with two grilled cheese sandwiches as the bun. Basically 3 meals in one!!” The Cheesus is their sandwich with Pickles and American Cheese in one grilled cheese “bun”, Grilled Onions and Colby Jack in the other grilled cheese “bun”. and then Lettuce, Tomato, Ketchup, Mustard and 1/3lb Burger in between. The Quesus is the spicy cousin of the Cheesus, with with Tillamook Pepperjack and Jalapenos in one grilled cheese half, Cheddar and Onions in the other grilled cheese half (the top half in this case at least how I unwrapped it at home for photos). Same Lettuce, Tomato, Ketchup, Mustard, and 1/3lb burger in between.

burger with two grilled cheese sandwiches as the bun, Grilled Cheese Grill, food cart, bus, roadside dining, double decker bus, grilled cheese burger with two grilled cheese sandwiches as the bun, Grilled Cheese Grill, food cart, bus, roadside dining, double decker bus, grilled cheese

I cut the sandwiches in half hoping we could each eat half and then continue on to beer and dinner, but we scarfed down everything in minutes. It was greasy but too good.

burger with two grilled cheese sandwiches as the bun, Grilled Cheese Grill, food cart, bus, roadside dining, double decker bus, grilled cheese

burger with two grilled cheese sandwiches as the bun, Grilled Cheese Grill, food cart, bus, roadside dining, double decker bus, grilled cheese

If this looks a bit familiar, this is similar to Brunchbox‘s offering of “You Can Haz Cheeseburger” which I have had twice. The meat was cooked better at Brunchbox- it was done medium, you can even still see the pink meat inside, so the burger was juicier, and they put a slice of cheese with the burger to help hold the grilled cheeses to the burger. Meanwhile, Grilled Cheese Grill puts most of the toppings- grilled onions, jalapeno- inside the grilled cheese, and offers more interesting combinations of grilled cheese “buns”. If I wanted to clog my arteries again in one meal and was going to get a grilled cheese burger, I think I would go with Brunchbox, because the burger portion rates higher than the grilled cheese bun portion. But, a lot of it depends on location as well- Grilled Cheese Grill is definitely more convenient if you are on the East side of the river, and offers a seating area, unlike Brunchbox, and if anyone was in the mood for a grilled cheese and soup or a vegetarian was in tow, GCG might be a better option. Check them both out and judge for yourself.

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Filed Under: Cheese, Food and Drink, Food Carts, Restaurant Review Tagged With: ,
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