#62 – GRILLED THREE CHEESE SANDWICH at THE BRESLIN BAR AND DINING ROOM

Once again Time Out New York released their Top 100 Dishes of the year and once again, I’m going to eat my way through every one. And no price point or subway delay will stop me. In no particular order, here’s my take on their Top 100.

I’ve surrendered to the idea of spending lots of money on food. Especially living in New York and eating at as many places as possible, the tabs are going to add up. And because most of my pay checks go to food and drink, I haven’t been able to buy new clothes in the last several years. But that’s a different story.

And while $18 isn’t that expensive to spend on an entree in this city, it all depends on what you get. And a grilled cheese sandwich is not one of the things I’m willing to spend that much money on. I don’t care what types of cheese you use or how organic your ham is, I think it’s outrageous to pay close to $20 for perhaps the easiest thing in the world to cook. I’ve been making grilled cheese sandwiches long before I figured out how to boil pasta.

But I did spend $18 on a grilled cheese sandwich at the uber-hip gastropub The Breslin inside the Ace Hotel. I’ve been here before for dinner and really love some of their meat-centric dishes, although this cheese sandwich is only available at brunch and lunch. It was on Time Out’s list and many other publications have raved about it as one of the best sandwiches in the city. It had better be for that steep price tag.

And while it was big and gooey and full of rich decadence, I didn’t think it was quite worth all that money. It was a good sized sandwich and if the mass doesn’t fill you up, the first few bites of the cheese overload will.  And that was my big problem with the sandwich. It was so rich and greasy that it made it difficult to really taste the ingredients. I tasted buttery crunch, funky cheese, and rich egg. There was really no complexity here, which is something I expect in every dish from acclaimed chefs like April Bloomfield.

The ham was house-smoked although I didn’t get much flavor aside from saltiness (and it didn’t add much crisp texture), the cheese was tangy and buttery, and the egg was a wonder – it was barely cooked in the middle of the entire sandwich. It was sort of like a hybrid between an egg in the hole and a grilled cheese sandwich. The bread was buttery and crispy and the first bite opened up that yolk and spilled the fat all over the rest of the sandwich.

I had read on other blogs that this used to be served with mustard and onion marmalade. That might have put this mediocre and over-indulgent sandwich over the top. But as it stands it was just a lonely heart attack on a plate that ended up making a mess and not too many “Oohs” and “Aahs”. Regardless, it still cost me a whopping $18. Next time, I’ll stay at home and make some grilled cheese for free.

Would The Breslin’s Grilled Three Cheese Sandwich make my Top 100 of the Year? It was not the best grilled cheese sandwich I’ve had, but it was filling and heavy. For the price tag, I can only give it a 6 out of 10 but would try it again if I could get a little less heart attack for half the price.