This is certainly one of the most outrageous, yet impressive promotions we’ve seen. Melt Bar & Grilled in Cleveland, Ohio is offering a lifetime 25% discount to any customer who brandishes a tattoo of a grilled cheese sandwich. There are no guidelines on the creative, as long as it features gooey, cheese between two slabs of bread. Even better, Voodoo Monkey Tattoo a parlor just down the street, is offering a discount as well.

You might think you’d have to be crazy to tattoo a sandwich on your skin, but taking a look at Melt’s Gourmet Grilled Cheese menu could change your mind. Standout sandwiches include the Chorizo and Potato (spicy mexican sausage, potato hash, sharp cheddar), and the Northcoast Shores (handmade crab cakes, wilted garlic spinach, roasted red pepper, herbed cream cheese). Be sure to check out Melt’s entire gallery of grilled cheese tattooed customers.

Have you ever considered a sandwich tattoo? We’d love to hear your stories, and see some pi

Ohio eatery offers discount for sandwich tattoos [Associated Press]

Melt Bar & Grilled
14718 Detroit Avenue – Lakewood, OH 44107 (Google Map)

What is it about the simple combination of bread and gooey melted cheese that makes it so satisfying? Every year since 2003, people from all over the world gather in Los Angeles at The Grilled Cheese Invitational, to cook, share, and eat the most creative grilled cheese sandwiches they can muster. The event has become so popular, that regional invitationals have popped up in San Francisco and Austin, Texas.

Taking a cue from The Grilled Cheese Invitational’s tagline, Bread, Butter, Cheese, Victory is a documentary in development by filmmaker Stephen “Paynie” Payne. Although specific details haven’t been released yet, it seems the film will tell the story of grilled cheese, and the people who come out to the event to share their love of it. Also featured are interviews with notables such as Buzz Aldrin, and Eric Idle of Monty Python fame.

Although we hope to sometime have the chance to make it out to The Grilled Cheese Invitational in California, this documentary will help to tide us over until then. We’ll keep you posted on further details and a release date as soon as they are made available.

What We’re Eating takes a quick look at sandwiches the Unbreaded team can’t get enough of.

I have one surefire cure for a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day, and that, my friends, is the grilled cheese sandwich at the Royal Tavern.

I know what you’re thinking, how special can a grilled cheese sandwich really be? The answer: so special. The Royal grilled cheese combines the perfect blend of smoked gouda, goat cheese, and provolone – presumably added mostly for structural integrity and maximum “stretchiness” – which delights the taste buds. The sandwich is served on a rustic french bread which provides a nice textural contrast to the creaminess of the cheese, and a side of fries with Royal’s malt vinegar mayo rounds out the meal.

Oh, and might I recommend adding a slice of tomato to your sandwich? It’s perfect without it, but it’s, dare I say, magical with it. I’ve heard of someone adding avocado also, which I’m sure is mind blowing. As for bacon, I’m just going to go ahead and say: you don’t need it, the smoked flavor of the gouda fulfills any pork belly needs you might have.

This is, hands down, the best grilled cheese you’re going to find in the Philadelphia area, and you can quote me on that. Think you know of something better? Leave us a suggestion in the comments!

Royal Tavern
937 East Passyunk Avenue Philadelphia, PA 19147 (Google Map)

Today marks the end of National Grilled Cheese Month 2009, so we wanted to feature this recipe from the winner of the Artisanal Bistro contest. Here is what Eric Zawacki had to say about his creation;

“The sweetness and pepperiness of the Mostarda and Arugula cut the richness and stinkiness of the strong Taleggio. Once the Taleggio melts it gets extra gooey and accomponies the other flavors and crispy Peasent Bread perfectly.”

Hit the jump for the full recipe.

Sandwich

- 2 Slices Pane Rustica (Italian Peasant Bread) Cut 3/4 Inch Thick
- 1/4 Pound Taleggio Cheese, Rind Removed, Cut Into 1/4 inch Thick Slices
- Handful of Arugula
- 4 Heaping Tablespoons of Cherry Mostarda (Recipe Follows)
- Room Temperature Butter

Cherry Mostarda

- 3&1/2 Cups Sugar
- 3/4 Bottle Of Red Wine (Preferably Primitivo)
- 1/4 Cup Black Pepper
- 2 Quarts Pitted Red Cherries
- 1&1/2 Cups Stone Ground Mustard
- 1/4 Cup Tuffle Oil

Mostarda Procedure

- Combine Sugar, Wine, Mustard and Pepper In A Saucepan
- When Mixture Comes To A Boil, Lower Heat, Add Cherries And Truffle Oil
- Simmer, Stirring Occasionally Until Cherries Are Soft And Breaking Apart
- Cool To Room Temp

Sandwich Procedure

- Preheat Oven To 350 Degrees
- Cover One Slice Of Bread With Taleggio Cheese (Layering If Necessary)
- Top With Cherry Mostarda And Arugula
- Butter Other Slice Of Bread And Form Sandwich (Buttered Side Up)
- Add Tbspn Of Butter To Pan And Melt
- Place Sandwich (Buttered Side Down) In Pan, Butter Top Side Of Sandwich
- Cook Til First Side Is Golden Brown Then Flip
- Cook For 30 Seconds Then Place Pan In Oven
- Remove Once Cheese Is Melted And Gooey
- Cut In Half And Serve

To celebrate National Grilled Cheese Month, we have created our own version of the classic grilled cheese with a latin flare. Mexican manchego and queso fresco cheeses are melted atop a layer of Argentinian chimichurri and roasted tomatoes to create a tangy, creamy, fresh, juicy and colorful sandwich that makes you want to turn on some mariachi music or a hot and steamy Spanish soap opera.

Ingredients:

1-2 oz queso fresco
1-2 oz grated manchego
2 slices soft wheat bread
2-3 slices tomato
1 cup cilantro
1 cup flat leaf parsley
½ cup basil
½ cup oregano
½ cup thyme
1-2 garlic cloves
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tbsp salt
1 tsp pepper
Red pepper flakes to taste
1 tsp butter

Directions:

Place slices of tomato under the broiler for 5-6 minutes until blistered. In a food processor or blender, combine all herbs and garlic with a few drops of olive oil and buzz till all herbs are finely minced. Stir around, then add olive oil, salt and pepper and pulse to combine.

Melt butter over medium heat. Spread a layer of chimichurri on bottom bread and place in the pan to toast. While it is heating up, break up the queso fresco into small chunks and arrange in a single layer. Add grated manchego on top, then the sliced tomato. Add the top bread and flip the sandwich so both sides are toasted and the cheese melts.

Artisanal Fromagerie, Bistro and Wine Bar in New York City is well known for their impeccable selection of cheeses and use of them in sandwiches. Now, Artisanal is celebrating Grilled Cheese Month by giving you the chance to create your own grilled cheese and have it served on their menu. The winner will also receive a large gift basket of cheeses from Artisanal’s shop, a free dinner for two and photos will be posted over on Citysearch’s The Feedbag.

The contest requires you to create an original recipe and post it on the Artisanal Bistro Facebook wall. Those without Facebook can also e-mail their recipes to contests@artisanalbistro.com. The deadline to enter is next Friday, April 17th and official rules can be found here.

Good luck, and remember: with grilled cheese, simplicity is what makes the sandwich great. We might just have to enter this one ourselves.

Sure April 1st is April Fools’ Day but it is also the start of National Grilled Cheese Month! For many of us, the grilled cheese sandwich was a staple of childhood, served warm out of mom’s pan with a side of tomato soup. Today, the grilled cheese has risen to a new level, with restaurants such as Artisanal Bistro in New York offering sandwiches with a variety of gourmet cheeses and toppings (for a whopping $15!). There is also the Beauty Shop Cafe in Philadelphia which offers a build-your-own grilled cheese menu allowing customers to cheese from several cheeses like sharp cheddar, brie and mozzarella and toppings such as avocado, green apple and roasted red pepper.

Grilled cheese sandwiches will always hold a place in our hearts, warming us up on rainy days and providing us with a quick and easy meal. So we ask, is the quick grilled cheese off the pan in your own home better than the $12 grilled cheese at the fancy gastropub?  How do you do *your* grilled cheese?

Just a few miles from Philadelphia over the Ben Franklin Bridge lies The Pop Shop, a nostalgic throwback to a time when a ‘jerk’ was someone who made milkshakes and malts. Situated in quiet Collingswood, NJ the Pop Shop has received a lot of acclaim after being featured on television in Guy Fieri’s Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives and Bobby Flay’s Throwdown. The two shows have made Pop Shop famous for the more than 30 grilled cheese sandwiches that are offered on the menu.

We started with the Calvert, which was featured on both Food Network shows – it packs Jack cheese, roasted turkey, bacon, avocado, and balsamic mayonnaise on focaccia. The sandwich looked superb, the bread pushed to the limit by the ingredients bursting out and grilled on a panini press. Our first impression was that the sandwich was surprisingly dry, it could have used more of that balsamic mayonnaise and we would have preferred a lot more cheese, it just wasn’t gooey enough. The bacon was also so thin, the flavor was nonexistent. Next was the Linden, a grilled Philly soft pretzel stuffed with American cheese, chopped Angus Beef, caramelized onions and mushrooms. Although it was simply a glorified cheesesteak with the very unorthodox superseding of fried onions with mushrooms, the flavor of the Angus and abundance of cheese won over our palates.

The Pop Shop has made a name for themselves with the plethora of options offered on its grilled cheese menu, but when you add meat to the sandwich does it really remain a grilled cheese? For example, the Calvert seemed more like a California Club while the Linden is a cheesesteak, another sandwich the Laurel is a glorified pulled pork.

So where do you draw the line? When is a grilled cheese no longer a grilled cheese? Let us know what you think in the comments.

Get your sandwich on:

The Pop Shop
729 Haddon Avenue Collingswood, NJ 08108 (Google Map)