Right up there withcheeseburgersandcheesesteaks, a classic grilled cheese sandwich is about as Americana as it gets.
All of which makes it ripe for a taste test.
Schlotzky’s
This was my first time atSchlotzky’sand it might be my last.
Photo: Shutterstock. Design: Eat This, Not That!
Turns out, not great!
This sandwich cost me $8.79.
Suffice to say I was not excited to bite into it.
Matt Kirouac/Eat This Not That
The taste:Upon my first couple bites, my daunted assumptions proved correct.
It desperately needs more cheese, and/or tomato soup, to help counter all that chewy, spongey bread.
The cheese, which was indeed not thoroughly melted, also tasted weirdly rubbery.
Matt Kirouac/Eat This Not That
And whatever “signature sauce” they were alluding to was not discernible whatsoever.
So, naturally, I went in with high expectations.
This build-your-own sandwich cost me $5.49.
Matt Kirouac/Eat This Not That
Instead, this looked limp and uninspired.
The cheese, what little of it there appeared to be, was too neon-orange for my liking.
The taste:It’s…fine.
Matt Kirouac/Eat This Not That
Overall, it looks and tastes like a very basicvery mehversion of a classic American grilled cheese.
It looks like a sticky bagel sandwich, with cheddar cheese on a grilled glazed donut that simply clash.
Made with Texas toast and American cheese,Sonic’s grilled cheeseis simple, frills-free, and oddly satisfying.
Matt Kirouac/Eat This Not That
The taste:Right in step, it tastes just as classic as it looks.
All in all, not too shabby.
For the most part, it did not disappoint.
But on the other hand, it didn’t dazzle me either.
A half-sandwich paired with a cup of creamy tomato soup cost me $10.18.
The bread, though, looked mysteriously uncooked somehow, nor was it warm enough.
The taste:Fortunately, this tasted way better than it looked.
Aside from the fact that it should be hotter, and meltier, it tastes fantastic.
Again, I wish the bread was more toasted and buttery, but it’s altogether confusingly good regardless.
I’ve had its burgers before, but not the grilled cheese, so I was cautiously intrigued.
The sandwich cost me $6.29.
The bun looked amazing, and so well-griddled.
It had the perfect amount of buttery sheen, and golden-brown toastiness, without looking greasy at all.
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