448 Bridge Street
Grand Rapids, MI 49504
Name: Grilled Cheese
Ingredients: Aged white cheddar, provolone, creamy swiss almond spread, spinach, tomato on Nantucket sourdough
Sides: Homemade chips and a pickle (you can sub fries for $1.25)
Price: $7/$5 half
Thoughts: What I like about O'Tooles is that they boast local food. Nantucket breads are from Nantucket Bakery close to my home now in GR. They have use locally made cheeses, produce and locally-raised meat. I also like that while saying all this, it's not a better-than-you hipstery or Earthy place. It's an Irish pub with all kinds of people, peanut shell littered floors, soft dark worn wood and a couple of small T.V's. Seat yourself and snack on a basket of peanuts while you yell at your dinner guest cuz it gets pretty loud in here. Tonight was $3 Michigan beer drafts. If you live in West Michigan, you drink Michigan beer. Or you might be thrown out of the state. It's home to some of the best award-winning microbreweries in the country. Okay, off on a tangent there.
So, I have to say, I wasn't actually that excited to try this grilled cheese. I wasn't even planning on doing a tour stop here but it was on the menu and I was in the mood. Man, was I shocked! I was ready for your average, sort of tasteless-but-it's-okay-I-guess-for-a-bar sandwich. The aged cheddar tasted so authentic-thick, not cheap and plasticky. The rustic sourdough bread is so crispy and warm and the flavors of smoky provolone and whatever the swiss almond spread is is incredible. The spinach is still fresh and crisp, not soggy or slimy like it was defrosted or from a bag. The tomato balances everything out and it feels healthy and satisfyingly home-y. Such a pleasant experience of good earthy, nutty, aged, thoughtful ingredients mixing in my tummy.
Drinking good beer, eating a delicious woodsy grilled cheese, surrounded by shells, and Irish quotes in a pub atmosphere, just doesn't get much better. You can definitely tell the difference when the ingredients are fresh, well cared for and selected with intention. I couldn't think of a reason I didn't like it. Maybe I was pleasantly surprised because I'm someone who loves the thrill of an in-your-face blue cheese or goat or 10 cheeses and this one seemed simpler. Let a great set of cheeses speak for themselves. It was the first time I actually could taste the difference when someone brags about "local!" or "organic" or any of those trendy phrases these days when it comes to food. Josh, my dining companion for the evening said, "Get another one!" but I had to say, "No, ya gotta leave 'em wanting more." And this GC in GR does just that.
So, I have to say, I wasn't actually that excited to try this grilled cheese. I wasn't even planning on doing a tour stop here but it was on the menu and I was in the mood. Man, was I shocked! I was ready for your average, sort of tasteless-but-it's-okay-I-guess-for-a-bar sandwich. The aged cheddar tasted so authentic-thick, not cheap and plasticky. The rustic sourdough bread is so crispy and warm and the flavors of smoky provolone and whatever the swiss almond spread is is incredible. The spinach is still fresh and crisp, not soggy or slimy like it was defrosted or from a bag. The tomato balances everything out and it feels healthy and satisfyingly home-y. Such a pleasant experience of good earthy, nutty, aged, thoughtful ingredients mixing in my tummy.
Drinking good beer, eating a delicious woodsy grilled cheese, surrounded by shells, and Irish quotes in a pub atmosphere, just doesn't get much better. You can definitely tell the difference when the ingredients are fresh, well cared for and selected with intention. I couldn't think of a reason I didn't like it. Maybe I was pleasantly surprised because I'm someone who loves the thrill of an in-your-face blue cheese or goat or 10 cheeses and this one seemed simpler. Let a great set of cheeses speak for themselves. It was the first time I actually could taste the difference when someone brags about "local!" or "organic" or any of those trendy phrases these days when it comes to food. Josh, my dining companion for the evening said, "Get another one!" but I had to say, "No, ya gotta leave 'em wanting more." And this GC in GR does just that.
Score: ◥◥◥◥◥
*Bonus: Great music selections...Depeche Mode's 'Personal Jesus'! And a personal favorite bringing me back to my high school days, Blur's 'Girls and Boys.' Um, awesome.
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