Every week, I document another dish that impressed and satiated me during my food adventures around New York City
There is a lot of irony in this week’s post.
Last week I wrote about a vegan restaurant in Brooklyn. I enjoyed their take on ceviche, but have to say I wasn’t crazy about what they tried to do with the iconic New York chopped cheese. It was made with some strange thick tomato sauce that reminded me of a sloppy Joe. Not a chopped cheese and not just because it was made with fake meat.
A few hours after I had that disappointing sandwich, I found myself eating the meat heavy chopped cheese I’m going to write about below. It doesn’t always work this way for me, but in this case, meat was king.
The other irony is much sadder for me and that is that this new meat heavy kiosk inside the City Acres Market food hall replaces the best vegan fast food business in the city Cinnamon Snail. I can only imagine what Chef Adam Sobel would have done with a meatless chopped cheese.
If you’re not familiar, chopped cheese is a bodega sandwich that is known by true food loving New Yorkers. It’s griddled ground beef topped with melted cheese, onions, and other toppings. It’s not so far removed from a burger, but the meat is looser and the cheese is usually melted a bit harder.
At the new business Brooklyn Beef n’ Cheese, they sell all sorts of meaty cheese sandwiches, but I had to try this one. Not only because of its legendary NYC status, but also because I just had a not very good vegan version.
Everything was right here, although some may say not completely traditional. No matter – the individual slider sizes were great with a buttery potato bun soaking up every bit of meaty goodness.
The sirloin was charred to perfection and the cheese was nicely fried in spots and stuck to the beef at others. Lettuce, tomato, onion, and ketchup. What more did I need?
Thankfully, my recent trip into the city didn’t let me down when I tried to order a New York classic. If you’ve never tried a chopped cheese, make sure you get it with real beef. Price: $13
| BROOKLYN BEEF N’ CHEESE |
| 70 Pine Street (at Cedar Street), Inside City Acres Market Financial District (917) 261-2389 |
| beefncheesenyc.com |
