Cheezeburger cheezeburger cheezeburger.
No thank you — I’m a grilled cheese kinda gal.
Always have been; just ask my family. When we went to a diner and everyone else ordered burgers, I had the grilled cheese. When we splurged at a really nice restaurant, I ordered — to my mother’s consternation — the grilled cheese.
Even now, when I check out a new restaurant and they have an interesting take on my cheesy favorite on the menu…it’s really hard for me to order anything else.
It is, quite simply, the perfect sandwich…a taste of home between two slices of bread.
And now a bartender in Victoria, British Columbia has attempted to capture the essence of the grilled cheese sandwich in a signature cocktail.
This could finally turn me on to liquor.
Shawn Soole hails from Brisbane, Australia, and his Cold Night In martini was inspired by a ‘toastie’ – the Australian term for a grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup.
He combines “grilled cheese rum” — Mt. Gay’ washed’ overnight with a real-live grilled cheese sandwich — fresh-muddled tomato and basil, salt, Lillet Blanc and Glenfiddich Scotch whiskey.
I can’t tell a thing from the recipe…although the fact that he actually marinades his rum in a grilled cheese sandwich seems promising. Plus, the martini is only served at Clive’s in Victoria, B.C.
Haven’t had a grilled cheese sandwich there yet…
The Sticky Egg 
We’re not gonna pay rent
I love my Upper West Side neighborhood.
But today, I have a major beef.
Ditch Plains, a wonderful restaurant across the street from my apartment, has closed. And the rents in my neighborhood are to blame.
Owner Marc Murphy did everything right when they opened three years ago. Their ‘soft open’ lasted a month, offering the entire menu at half-price and free appetizers and desserts. By the time they officially opened their doors, the entire neighborhood was hooked. On the menu. The atmosphere. The friendly vibe.
During the past three years, I have been a loyal customer, and from my unique vantage point, I have seen them maintain a healthy business — far more popular with people of all ages than the two previous restaurants that occupied that same space for brief spans of time. But like their predecessors, Ditch Plains’ success still couldn’t scale the exorbitant rents in my neighborhood.
And they are no more.
If you visit my neighborhood, you will see several empty storefronts. They no doubt are victims, too.
This is just the first to hit so close to home.
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Posted in Business, Commentary, Food, Life, Restaurants
Tagged appetizers, atmosphere, Business, commentary, desserts, Ditch Plains, empty storefronts, food, friendly vibe, life, loyal customer, major beef, Marc Murphy, menu, neighborhood, New York City, rents, restaurant, soft open, Upper West Side