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It's no surprise that the Grilled Cheese Truck's debut last night drew hundreds of people who braved the windy weather and long wait. After all, it's grilled cheese, America's ooey gooey classic comfort food. Add to that Los Angeles' recent and growing obsession with gourmet food trucks hitting the streets and you've got the perfect recipe.
Chef Dave Danhi (Water Grill, Roxbury Supper Club, Habana, Georgia) was at the Grilled Cheese Invitational earlier this year when he realized how crazy people get over the sandwich. The lines were five people wide and looked to be about a mile long. The event's success was a failure for hundreds who showed up and left without even seeing a grilled cheese. Some of them took advantage of the Green Truck parked outside. As Danhi walked out, it was all too obvious and the Grilled Cheese Truck concept was born.
Two months ago, Danhi and is partner Michele Grant started to tease Twitter followers with delicious photos of their creations as they readied themselves for the streets. Finally, last night they made a delicious debut, although not without some drama. A griddle broke right as they planned to start serving, causing a hour and a half delay. Mechanics were called and with one working griddle free samples of grilled cheese and soups (tomato and pumpkin) were handed out. "Fucking awesome," one person in line said as he ate a sample sandwich filled with sharp cheddar, macaroni, BBQ pork and caramelized onions.
And it was true. The Grilled Cheese Truck easily proved its dominance in L.A.'s street food culture with a few bites (and then four sandwiches later). Keep an eye out for it, it's going to give Kogi BBQ a run for their money.
You can follow them at Twitter at @grlldcheesetruk. Items not seen in the photos above include the Caprese ($6: fresh mozzarella, heirloom tomatoes and fresh basil) and the Plain and Simple Melts ($4) with Sharp Cheddar, Mozzarella or Gruyere. Customers can also design their own grilled cheeses with options like sliced apple, bacon, avocado, BBQ pork, red onions, basil.
(Special thanks to Zack Colman of The Unvegan blog for his photos. You can read his meaty take here).
