A few minutes later my lunch showed up, and before me sat a sandwich that must have measured 4-inches thick. Between the thick, moist slices of toasted levain bread were layer upon layer of fresh sage butter, caramelized onions, roasted butternut squash, tender prosciutto, and some of the most gooshy, melty gruyere and fontina cheese I've ever eaten. I dove into the sandwich like a dinosaur eating a caveman, and before long I was covered in cheese, meat, and breadcrumbs. I swear, I don't think I took a breath through the first half of my lunch. For that two minutes, my life was nothing but a lambada of flavor, texture, and aroma.
The menu at the American Grilled Cheese Kitchen changes frequently, peppered with a series of tantalizing daily specials on top of their hometown heros. Here's a sample of their current lunch offerings:
- Piglet -- Tillamook sharp cheddar, artisan cured ham, apple mustard, rosemary butter
- Mushroom Gruyère -- fontina, gruyère, roasted wild mushrooms + gold potatoes, melted leeks, caramelized onions, thyme butter
- Jalapeño Popper -- chèvre, monterey jack, applewood-smoked bacon, apricot-jalapeño relish
- Club Turkey -- Tillamook sharp cheddar, creamy havarti, Willie Bird smoked turkey, applewood-smoked bacon, Sierra Nevada stout mustard, roasted tomatos, arugula
- Mousetrap -- Tillamook sharp cheddar, creamy havarti, monterey jack, on artisan sourdough (extra add-ons: applewood-smoked bacon, artisan cured ham, roasted tomato, and/or bread n'butter pickles)
- Moscone -- fresh mozzarella, fontina, roasted tomatoes, basil-lavender pesto, kalamata olive tapenade
- Smoky Tomato Soup -- house made with crème fraîche, croutons
- Stella's Cobb Salad -- chèvre, organic mixed greens, egg, organic cherry tomatoes, pickled red onions, smoked turkey, applewood-smoked bacon, buttermilk dressing
- Tilly's Veggie Salad -- fresh mozzarella, organic mixed greens, egg, organic cherry tomatoes, kalamata olives, capers, croutons, champagne vinaigrette
Nate and Heidi even offer breakfast sandwiches:
- Classic Breakfast -- sharp cheddar, jack, cage-free egg
- Veggie Breakfast -- sharp cheddar, jack, egg, roasted tomatoes, caramelized onions, bell peppers
- Breakfast Piglet -- sharp cheddar, ham, egg, apple mustard, rosemary butter
- Farmer's Breakfast -- sharp cheddar, roasted potatoes, applewood-smoked bacon, cage-free egg, chive butter
Food allergy note: Guess what? The American Grilled Cheese Kitchen makes their own gluten-free bread, and all sandwiches on the menu can be served on this amazing bread for only fifty cents more. They even sell their bread by the loaf, and I guarantee you'll want to pick some up for reconstructing your own grilled cheese dreams at home.
What's my overall opinion? Get thee to the American Grilled Cheese Kitchen as soon as possible. Only open for breakfast and lunch, this place does mid-day meals right, and I can guarantee that the memory of your perfectly savory, perfectly grown-up grilled cheese sandwich will linger in your mind long after lunch if over. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if you headed back the next day.
American Grilled Cheese Kitchen
1 South Park Ave. Map
Suite 103A
San Francisco, 94107
Hours:
Mon-Fri 8am-3pm
Sat & Sun 9am-4pm
You can also follow the American Grilled Cheese Kitchen on Facebook and Twitter.
Butternut Buster
Butternut Squash Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Caramelized Onion and Sage Butter
By Nate Pollak and Heidi Gibson
Makes: 1 sandwich
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons sage butter (see recipe below)
2 slices of country bread
3 tablespoons caramelized onions (see recipe below)
3 tablespoons gruyere cheese
6 thin slices prosciutto
3 slices of roasted butternut squash (see recipe below)
3 tablespoons fontina cheese (preferably a stinky Italian fontina)
Preparation:
Sandwich Assembly and Cooking
Preheat oven to 500°.
1. Spread a thin layer of sage butter on the outer side of each of the slices of bread. Lay the bread butter-side down on a cookie surface.
2. Spread a thin layer of caramelized onions on the inside of one of the slices of bread. Follow with a layer of gruyere, a thin layer of prosciutto, 3 slices of roasted squash slices, and a layer of fontina cheese.
3. Place the other piece of buttered bread (butter-side out) on top of the layer of fontina.
4. Place the sandwich on a baking sheet and slide into oven. Cook for 1 minute, until top slice of bread is toasted and golden-brown. Remove the sandwich from the oven, flip it over, and bake again until the new top slice of bread is also golden-brown and all cheese is fully melted.
5. Remove from oven. Eat and Enjoy!
To Make Sage Butter
Ingredients:
1 pound salted butter
2 large sprigs of fresh sage leaves
Preparation:
1. Cream the salted butter with a stand mixer or electric hand beater.
2. Pluck leaves off sage sprigs and chop them coarsely.
3. Add chopped leaves to butter and mix until evenly distributed.
To Make Caramelized Onions
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 white onion, diced
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Preparation:
1. Coat a skillet with a thin layer of vegetable oil, add the diced onions and salt, and cook on medium heat, stirring regularly, until onions are fully caramelized (dark brown color, sweet smell/taste, no more liquid in the pan).
2. Remove onions from heat and set aside.
To Make Roasted Butternut Squash
Ingredients:
1 butternut squash
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt.
To say that the grilled cheese sandwich is one of my favorite things in the world would be an understatement. And you know what? I'm not alone in that. I come from a generation that grew up on the beloved grilled cheese. The dish I came to love was simple and comforting: a layer of warm, melty American cheese embraced by two fluffy slices of toasted white sandwich bread, so crispy and buttery that it crackled like the top of a creme brulee at every bite. 