Ever since I was a young pudgy kid whose entree of choice was nothing apart from two evenly toasted pieces of thick bread with a load of melty delicious cheese pressed in the middle, I have dreamt of making this sandwich of all sandwiches into an art form and ultimately my life's work for the world to enjoy along with me.
I will confess that each time I see a food truck or some other establishment capitalizing on my beloved cuisine, my initial reaction is to scoff and point out how I would do it so much better. When I spotted the Cheeser wagon on my local corner this time I decided to bury my consuming jealousy and give it a try.
On approach it seemed like an average mobile eatery with a "sandwich board" menu and schlepped coolers filled with overpriced Costco sodas. The day's selections were intriguing with everything from the basic variation that began my obsession to a fancied version with stacks of ham and swiss. I was barely able to suppress my drool as I read menu descriptions that incorporated popular comfort foods including pizza, turkey, pesto, bacon, dill pickles, and even buffalo. It was as if I were reading a love letter to myself. There was even a meatball on ciabatta that would make my good friend,Vito, proud.
It required extra effort to silence the pretentious purest in me that argues the addition of foreign ingredients to any grilled cheese sandwich makes it, by definition, not that at all. Overcoming my internal conflict, I went with the Jalapeno Cheeser that boasted the inclusion of grilled jalapeno peppers and pepperjack cheese. My ever-gracious afternoon date selected the traditional Cheeser to which my eyes sparkled.
The truck is owned and operated by self-proclaimed Mama and Papa Cheeser. They are an integral part of the experience. Mama emits an hora of the more responsible business mind while Papa is the quintessential people person overtly outgoing and boisterous. Papa was delighted by my date's suggestion to add a large order of fries to split.
Two Cheesers and a large order of fries (with fry sauce, of course) came to $23.89 with tax and tip. It seems pricey for a food truck snack, but we left with our money's worth and more.
After waiting about 10-15 mins (all selections are made to order), our name was called and we approached the pickup sign to claim our food. The two sandwiches were expertly toasted piping hot with gooey cheese melted to perfection and oozing out the sides. With a huge grin, Papa Cheeser handed a mountain (no exaggeration here) of fries to my date. He chuckled as she attempted to steady herself at the massive amount of hot greasy potatoes taking every bit of her two hands to hold. Obviously we were not prepared for the quantity that entailed a large despite the sizes being accurately showcased on the truck window. The large portion could have easily been split between a party of four with some leftovers. Partially sarcastic, my date asked if they had a bag for all the fries. Papa Cheeser promptly conjured a couple of plastic grocery bags which was not the ideal container, but ended up doing the job just fine to get us to the car with minimal french fry casualties.
My take as a self-touted grilled cheese connissuer to my future industry competitor is a respectful, "touche". I plan to sample each menu item many times over chalking it up to brand strategy research, of course. Research has already begun as I have since discovered that there is a tater-tot offering in the loaded form (which is a cousin of my beloved totcho). Also, it seems that a "Mac-n-Cheeser" exists in limited release. The Toasted Cheeser pulls all the stops and has this expert's full attention with a five star rating that is unheard of for my favorite category. read more