Grilled Cheese Food Truck

I first saw the Grilled Cheese Food Truck at the LA Art Walk (see previous post).  The truck parked and a line formed within seconds.  Before I knew what was going on the line was an hour long.  I of course was not going to stand in the line after a long day.  But I was intrigued.  Since then I've been on a quest to get to the food truck in a timely manner.  So I started tracking the food truck online.  They put out a weekly schedule of where the trucks will be (they have 2 at least) and I waited until the truck came somewhat close to Long Beach.  Last week it did!  I saw early in the week that it would be at the San Pedro Art Walk and I made plans to be there when it opened.

A few friends were interested so we all went down to San Pedro.  We got there at 6pm when the food truck was supposed to open.  When we got to the line there was already ~30 people ahead of us.  I was not surprised.  They weren't even open yet.  While waiting in line someone from a local bakery came by to give us danish samples which were yummy.  We got menu's and contemplated what we would get even though I had been planning my order for days.

When they opened it took about 30 minutes to get to the ordering window. They have an ordering menu and a pick up menu.  I ordered my sandwiches and waited to be called.  I ordered a custom sandwich which was a sharp cheddar grilled cheese with turkey and caramelized onions.  Grete ordered the Cheesy Mac and Rib which has macaroni and cheese with sharp cheddar, with bbq pork and caramelized onions.  I also ordered tater tots and a grilled cheese to go for a friend. The total order was only $21. Our friends ordered other sandwiches including the Veggie Melt, the Pepperbelly Melt, and the daily special.  It took about an additional 10 min to get our sandwiches then it was time to find a spot to chow down.  We picked the curb right in front of the truck and began to indulge.

My sandwich was incredibly cheesy, which I loved.  Being from Wisconsin, I can't get enough cheese.  It was a little unmanageable because of all the ingredients but well worth the wait.  My sandwich in particular is something that shouldn't be eaten everyday (otherwise you might have a heart attack.)  It was rich and incredibly good. Other sandwiches weren't as rich but equally good! The tater tots only made the meal that much better.  All in all, the food off of this truck is spectacular.

Anywhere the truck is, there will be a crowd.  I suggest looking online at their schedule to see where they will be and get there early.  Otherwise if you see the truck and want a sandwich be prepared to wait!  The wait will be well worth it.  And you will be able to say you've had a meal from the famous Grilled Cheese Food Truck.

Campanile - Grilled Cheese Night

For those of you that don't know April is National Grilled Cheese Month.  So in honor of one of my favorite things to eat I wanted to find the best grilled cheese in Los Angles.  I read a few places that Campanile has a whole night dedicated to grilled chesses so I really wanted to check it out.  Every night of the week the restaurant has a different theme and Thursday is grilled cheese night.  They actually boast that they were the first restaurant in LA to have a night that features a grilled cheese menu.  The menu changes seasonally which keeps it interesting.  The menu for my visit had the classic which interestingly includes grilled onions and mustard and some quite unusual ones including a crab roll and autostrada.  I was particularly intrigued by the Croque Monsieur because it was featured on the cover of Bon Appetit a few months ago and it looked amazingly delicious so I thought I'd try it out.  The restaurant itself was pretty cool - sleek and trendy.  It is connected with La Brea Bakery which is legendary in itself.  The meal started with bread (from the bakery) and a bottle of wine.  They actually had a sale on wine in celebration of tax time so certain bottles were half of, we of course took advantage of this.  We split the Croque Monsieur which came with fries and a salad.

 
I was surpprised that it was open faced unlike the previous pictures I had seen.  Getting past the look, the sandwhich was pretty tasty but not what I would typically think of as a grilled cheese.  The mushroom sauce added an extra layer of flavor to what I would describe as a opend-faced ham and chesse but it was missing the chessiness and greasiness of a classic grilled cheese.  All in all, the meal was satisfying and good in taste but did not meet my expectations in regards to a grilled cheese.  Perhaps next time I will go for the classic.  Before we left they corked the rest of our bottle of wine and let us take it home.  Pretty cool.

Overall, a good place to eat but I wouldn't classify it as the best grilled cheese EVER.  If you're in LA give it a try.