Day 986 : The Big Cheesy Recap

It's that time folks! Time for the Big Cheesy recap! Hosted over the past two days at Openhouse Gallery on Mulberry Street, the grilled cheese creations of Lucy's Whey, Milk Truck, Melt Shop, Murray's Cheese Bar, Say Cheese, Sons of Essex, and 'wichcraft were in a head to head battle! Who would come out on top?

But before we get to my choice for top grilled cheese, lets fill you in on all of the choices:

'Wichcraft brought you two choices :

A Berkshire pork, Fontina, pork coppa and hot pepper option which was spicy and flavorful. Along with a truffle, hen of the woods, Fontina, and Chevre option which although a nice flavor combination was lacking in that "je ne sais quoi" to really pop. And when asked what chevre was utilized, the 'wichcraft representatives did not know the answer. 

Next up, Murray's Cheese Bar with the classic grilled cheese and tomato soup pairing. The tomato soup  had a nice kick to it from a spicy paprika that was added to the soup. And what of the grilled cheese? Thick slices of pullman bread with "Murray's top secret" cheese blend. The ratio of bread to cheese was too much here if you ask me. And because there was so much bread, it was difficult to dip into the cups of soup. The soup was definitely a winner though -- simple and robust, yet warming and comforting.

Then on to Milk Truck which was still making their grilled cheeses when our hour started and was much more focused on them than on the crowd but when theirs came out they were bursting with flavor and ingredients! Thick sliced Applewood double smoked bacon, New York state Cheddar, Wisconsin Black River Blue, Caramelized Onions & McClure's Spicy Pickles on Blue Ribbon Mini Rosemary Pullman Bread. Wow, what a mouthful of flavors, right? 

Up next was the Upper West Side contender, Say Cheese, with two offerings. Offering number one was the French Onion Soup Grilled Cheese with French Onion, Gruyere, Swiss, and Parmesan. The comfort and warmth of French Onion soup in a grilled cheese sandwich, pretty fantastic on a cold day! Their other offering was the only dessert sandwich with an interactive component -- Nutella, Marscapone, marshmallows, and warm melty chocolate in a little plastic squeezy tube. A cute concept and definitely a crowd pleaser for those chocoholics out there.

Moving right along to Sons of Essex with two options -- the Bowery Bacon Crusted Melt composed of Bacon crusted Brioche, Beemster, baby Swiss, white Cheddar, and Manischewitz shallot jam. Inventive and unique, the addition of bacon on the outside instead of sandwiched between the two pieces of bread was a nice distinct touch. And their other option was Truffle Grilled Cheese on Brioche with Gruyere, goat cheese, Parmesan, sauteed mushrooms and baby arugula. Super flavorful and bright with a nice tangy rusticness. Just what you want in a grilled cheese, dynamic comfort without an overload of flavors.

Next up to Lucy's Whey, my favorite from the Big Cheesy 2012 because of its simplicity. This year's offering was Apple, Cheddar, and Ham -- "A sandwich as American as Apple Pie." Composed of buttered pain de mie, Cabot Clothbound Cheddar, local apple butter, fromage blanc and a slice of ham. Simple yet flavorful, classic yet refined. Lucy's Whey did not disappoint again. 

And last up was Melt Shop's offering of Widmer's Aged Cheddar and Brick with Nueske's Bacon and Cranberry Onion Chutney on Levain Locale. Wow! This was an intensely flavorful and in your face mouthful! A definite wake-me-up on a Sunday morning!

So what were Fromagical's thoughts?

2013 was the year of bacon and truffles at the Big Cheesy. The energy of the people making the sandwiches really impacted your tasting experience, the folks from Sons of Essex were friendly and knowledgeable, excited about their offerings and about people enjoying them whereas Milk Truck was so focused on their excellent product that they did not have the chance to chat with the tasters as much as one might have liked. 

Overall a great time was had by all! But what was Fromagical's favorite?

Sons of Essex! 

Why?

Because their sandwiches were the perfect blend of invention and innovation yet 

Day 980 : Event Announcement -- The Big Cheesy

I cannot believe a year has gone by since the Big Cheesy, the awesome grilled cheese competition that takes place at Openhouse Gallery at 201 Mulberry Street in Nolita. Well guess what folks, it is time for another Big Cheesy March 23 and 24th!

Who participates in the Big Cheesy you might be wondering?

Well there's of course last year's champ, Melt Shop and the 2011 winner Milk Truck of course! My favorite from last year with their pure and simple grilled cheese, Lucy's Whey; and new competitors like Sons of Essex and of course Murray's Cheese Bar and many more melty gooey decadent creations.

What to wash these fantastic cheesy concoctions down with?

How about some of our local Sixpoint brews?

Sounds pretty great right?

Well don't miss out on this chance to sample some of the city's best grilled cheeses in one hour time slots from 12pm to 7pm March 23 and March 24. The one hour time slots allow the space never to be overcrowded which is quite the treat!

Score tickets your $25 here: http://bigcheesy.eventbrite.com/

Day 746 : The Big Cheesy Coverage

Yesterday afternoon, I ventured down to Openhouse Gallery for this weekend's grilled cheese event -- the Big Cheesy featuring seven different grilled cheeses from some of the city's top cheese-y establishments -- Murray's Cheese, Lucy's Whey, Melt Shop, Tartinery, Big Daddy's, Little Muenster,  and Casellula. The event spans both Saturday and Sunday from 1 till 7pm in one hour slots. Each hour, one hundred people are allowed access to the space to keep the space not too overcrowded and to give people a specific amount time to enjoy their grilled cheeses.

So what was served?

Tartinery had mini croque monsieur and mini croque madames. According to my meat-eating friend, these were delish. The addition of chives sent the classic sandwiches over the top -- dialing them up to competition notch.

Lucy's Whey served a Prairie Breeze Cheddar with Fig Jam, olive oil, and sea salt on ciabatta. Simple, classic and flavorful, the pure elegance of this grilled cheese really stood out for me. It was about the quality of the cheese and showcasing it grilled between two pieces of bread - you simply could not go wrong here.

Little Muenster served homemade tomato soup and round little grilled cheeses with Gruyere, Taleggio, Fontina, Membrillo, and Prosciutto on organic peasant bread. Report from my meat eating friend on the sandwich -- too salty, it would have been so much better without the Prosciutto. The soup was straight forward, comforting and delish. 

Melt Shop was the only establishment that provided you with three different grilled cheeses : 

1. Sharp Cheddar with 12 hour braised pulled pork, McClure's pickles, and homemade bbq sauce on sourdough. 

2. Fontina and goat cheese with roasted wild mushrooms and parsley pesto on sourdough.

3. Blue and Cheddar cheese, cranberry pepper jam, Neuske's bacon on sourdough.

And what were our thoughts:

1. There was too much going on here - no wow factor.

2. Delish, packed with a flavor punch and lots of ingredients.

3. Yum - the pepper in the cranberry sneaks up on you providing you with a nice spicy kick towards the end.

Big Daddy's had probably the most fabulously over the top comfort food version --  Grilled Mac n' Cheese with a Bacon surprise -- basically homemade mac n' cheese with bacon sandwiched between two pieces of bread. Why not take these two classics and combine them into one sandwich? According to my friend -- it worked -- decadent in all the right sorts of ways. 

Casellula served a Griddled Fondue Sandwich with Pickled Pepper relish. They were the only people were making the grilled cheeses in a pan and although the flavor profile might be nicer than the electronic griddler, they took a while to make. Once they pulled the sandwiches out of the pan, they were topped with the cold pickled pepper relish which I thought should have been inside the sandwich warmed up as it felt somewhat like a cold after thought placed on top of this warm sandwich. Overall the flavors were there but maybe not put together in a way that made sense for the number of people at the event. I did really appreciate that they told you exactly what was in the sandwiches.

Last but not least was Murray's Cheese serving the Atomic Bomb - braised short ribs, Taleggio, caramelized onions, piri piri, fire roasted Jalapeno peppers, McClure's spicy pickle relish and arugula on Pullman Bread. They were the only meat based sandwich that offered to make me a vegetarian version -- they definitely get a lot of points for doing that! This sandwich had a nice spicy kick with a great green vegetal side to it! I think that that the bread could have been thinner though so it was less about the bread and more about the interior contents. However they were delish!

Overall a really fun event and a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon. I'd have to say my favorite, if I get a vote would be Lucy's Whey -- simple, clean, pure, and fabulous! But to be fair -- since I couldn't try all of the grilled cheese options, it is not completely fair for me to judge.

Day 743 : Event Alert - The Big Cheesy

Do you love Grilled Cheese?

Do you like popup restaurants, shops, bars, and more? Those fleeting establishments that have taken NYC by storm? Short term fabulous experiences that make you feel like you're one of the lucky few?

If so, you most certainly need to get tickets to this weekend's Big Cheesy at one of the best event spaces, Openhouse Gallery.

Why?

Because Murray's Cheese, Tartinery, Big Daddy's, Casellula, Little Muenster, Lucy's Whey, and Melt Shop will offer their take on the grilled cheese sandwich. Sixpoint Brewery and Bella Luna Winery will provide alcoholic libations for your cheesy endeavors. The Big Cheesy runs both this Saturday and Sunday from 1 till 7pm and tickets are $25 for your grilled cheeses and drinks. Just as a heads up, it takes place in one hour slots both Saturday and Sunday and all that is left right now are the last three slots on Sunday, so sign up fast!!! You can buy tickets here: http://newyork.timeout.com/things-to-do/new-york-offers/2622427/the-big-cheesy

Stay tuned for my report!