Taste Test: Yummy grilled cheesy goodness

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THE HUMBLE GRILLED cheese sandwich: It’s among the ultimate comfort foods. When we asked readers to nominate their favorite grilled cheese restaurants, votes came in along with descriptions of crisp bread, perfectly melted cheese and all kinds of additions. On a chilly Saturday, amid a few flurries, a panel of four testers ducked into three of the most-nominated restaurants and put three very different grilled cheese sandwiches to the test. Here’s what they found.

Could there be a more perfect day for grilled cheese?

Flurries floated past the picture window as four testers ducked out of the cold and tucked into one of four tiny tables at The Grill at Great Bridge.

The Grill, which a couple of years back took The Virginian-Pilot’s Philly cheese-steak Taste Test title, is a shoebox-sized restaurant that serves breakfast and lunch in the heart of Great Bridge.

In addition to the four tables, a dozen stools line the lunch counter. And behind the counter for the past 17 years are owners Ann and Gary Pyle.

The Pyles offer grilled cheeses several ways : with ham ; with bacon, cheese and tomato ; or with diced grilled onions, green pepper and tomatoes. All come with a side of homemade slaw or chips.

Gary, who mans the well-seasoned grill, turned out all three styles of sandwiches for our testers. As soon as Ann served them, with sides of homemade finely chopped slaw, big scores piled in for appearance and aroma.

Sandwiches fared almost as well for the warm American-style cheese.

“Melted perfectly,” tester Debbie Mosciano said. “I had to scoop it back into the bread as it oozed out. Perfect.”

Bread choices included wheat, white, sourdough or Texas toas t; testers tried the latter two. Scores in this category ranged from perfect to just shy of perfect for taste and crunch. “Grilled to a golden brown,” tester Agnes Lanning said. “Crispy. Not soggy. Just right.”

In this test, our panel could award points for originality, or – because traditional grilled cheese is a beautiful thing – adherence to tradition. Scores ranged from average to perfect, with Agnes awarding the high score for what she deemed a flawless rendition of the classic.

Tester Catherine Barth, who ordered the version with veggies, loved the twist. In fact, this would be her No. 1 sandwich of the day.

But tester J.P. “Gus” Godsey thought that his grilled cheese, topped with thick-cut bacon and tomato, was just “plain Jane.” Gus was once named “Happiest Man in America ” by USA Weekend Magazine , but the price did not make him happy . He awarded a below-average score in the value category.

But the three ladies agreed that The Grill’s grilled cheese was well worth the price and drive. “The only way to make it any better,” Catherine said, “would have been to be in my pajamas with slippers and soup.”

Patty’s Place

Take a left out of The Grill’s parking lot, take another left a block down the road and you’re at Patty’s Place, the restaurant most nominated by readers for its grilled cheese sandwiches.

Owner Patty Mamrot is in the house when we arrive, and she’s such a gracious hostess that we feel like we’re in her home. Her pastel-yellow deli and bakery is just 2 years old and smells deliciously of fresh-ground coffee, which she sells by the pound.

There’s a case full of confections, including scratch-made carrot cake, fat strawberries dressed in icing tuxedos and home-made chocolates.

A wall of wines divides the kitchen/bakery/deli area from the dining room , a smattering of tables with fresh flowers. Shortly after we arrive, Patty passes each tester a “Grown-Up Grilled Cheese” – Swiss, provolone and cheddar cheeses on Parmesan-encrusted panini served with a choice of roasted-red-potato salad, carrot-raisin salad or slaw, all homemade.

Testers were impressed with the aroma of cheeses and the look of this unusual interpretation of a grilled cheese. They awarded mostly above-average scores.

Cheese here comes on the inside and the outside. Inside, the three cheeses melted together “perfectly,” Gus said. “And plenty of it.”

Instead of butter, Patty’s grates fresh Parmesan on the outside of the sandwich, which crisps on the grill and “adds just enough saltiness,” Debbie said.

All the testers gave high scores for cheese, save Agnes . This sandwich did not sit well with her love of the traditional, and her set of extremely low scores would hurt the restaurant’s final scores.

The unleavened panini was perhaps too offbeat for our panel, which mostly awarded it average scores. Some preferred regular bread; others wanted more crunch.

Scores for originality spanned the spectrum. The high score came from Debbie, who thought that “adding the Parmesan on the top was a wonderful addition.” Gus thought Patty’s sandwich was more akin to a Mexican quesadilla and would have been a home run as an appetizer.

Value scores followed suit, to put Patty’s Place solidly in second place.

“The bottom line: not a “baseball-apple-pie-and-Chevrolet grilled cheese,” Gus said. “Mama didn’t serve anything like this.”

Press 626 Café and Wine Bar

This is a new kid on the grilled-cheese block. But in just more than a year, the sandwich, dubbed “The Best Grilled Cheese – Ever!!” on the menu, has developed quite a fan club, judging from the number of nominations.

Press 626 is in a stately 1920s house in Ghent. Owners Ed and Lindsay Bennett named it for the street address, 626 Olney Road, and the fact that everything here is pressed: the wine, the sandwiches, the tea, the coffee.

The dining room sports three brick fireplaces , where candles – not logs – flicker . The decor is warm with gleaming wood and stone and glass globes over the granite bar.

Testers settle into a spacious square table at the back of the restaurant surrounded on two sides by high-backed banquettes. Soon the sandwiches arrive, thick slices of golden sourdough bread oozing Swiss, Vermont cheddar and goat cheeses onto the pristine white plate.

Press 626 eked ahead of The Grill at Great Bridge for presentation, and nearly tied for first place for the cheeses, which had the strongest “stretch” and “ooze” factor of the day. And the goat cheese added extra interest that Debbie and Agnes loved.

The two restaurants were neck-and-neck. Then the bread scores came in to match the Grill. Press 626’s sandwiches are built on buttered sourdough, which is crunchy and golden. “Crispy on the outside and heavenly on the inside,” Debbie said.

Near perfect scores across the board in the originality category put Press 626 in the lead. Most testers thought the flavors of the cheeses complimented each other, and the sourdough provided a perfect foundation.

At Press 626, the grilled cheese is $7.75. Add bacon for a buck and tomato for 50 cents more, and the sandwich is $9.25. Gus thought the price too high, but the ladies thought the quality and size of the sandwich made it worth the price or drive.

The final verdict: The Best Grilled Cheese – Ever!! is aptly named.

THE WINNER

Press 626 Café and Wine Bar
626 W. Olney Road, Norfolk
(757) 282-6234, www.press626.com
Price:  $7.75

Score: 82

What they said:
“Vermont cheddar, Swiss and goat cheese melted on sourdough bread. Totally stuffed with cheeses and melted to perfection.” – Agnes

“The goat cheese added an extra dimension which is very unexpected and pleasant. Delicious!” – Debbie

“Perfect combo of cheeses. Had a fresh-frozen-snow-under-your-boot crunch.” – Gus

“This is a gourmet version of a grilled cheese … and appears quite at home in this upscale environment.” – Catherine

THE REST

The Grill at Great Bridge
388 Battlefield Blvd. S., Chesapeake
(757) 482-5362
Price: $6.50 to $7.75

Score:  77

What they said:
“Perfect rendition of a classic.” – Debbie

“Satisfies the taste buds, fills the tummy and well worth the price.” – Agnes

 “The only way to make it any better would have been to be in my pajamas with slippers and soup!” – Catherine

“Most like mama’s.” – Gus

BUFFALO BEACH
Patty’s Place Deli-Bakery
321 Johnstown Road, Chesapeake
(757) 277-9311
Price:  $6.59

Score:  56

What they said:
  “Three types of cheese on panini made a great combination. The Parmesan crust on top added just enough saltiness.” – Debbie

 “This is a very unusual type of grilled cheese sandwich.” – Agnes

 “It’s not my style. Still, some folks might love it.” – Gus

“The cheese was melted nicely, and the flavors blended together well. It was distinctive without being too exotic.” – Catherine

THE SCORING

Grilled cheese sandwiches were scored in five categories: appearance/aroma; the cheese; the bread; originality or adherence to tradition; and value. Testers’ scores were added and averaged to arrive at a final score.

THE JUDGES

Catherine Barth
51, Portsmouth
Occupation:  Reading specialist at John Tyler Elementary School
Nominated:  Montgomery Grill in Olde Towne Portsmouth and Cracker Barrel
On grilled cheese:  “The ultimate in comfort food, it is easy to make, accompanies a lot of different soups and chilis and makes you feel warm, melty and toasty inside, just like a good grilled cheese.”

Debbie Mosciano
30, Portsmouth
Occupation:  Physical therapist assistant at Naval Medical Center Portsmouth
Nominated:  Her own, with super-sharp cheddar and sometimes tomato and avocado
On grilled cheese:  “It has to be golden brown on the outside with warm melted cheese on the inside. I like to add meat and tomatoes and other items to mine to make it tastier.”

Agnes Lanning
65, Chesapeake
Occupation:  Retired from Virginia Department of Transportation; now works part time in the Great Bridge High School  cafeteria
On grilled cheese:  “My mother made the best grilled cheese sandwiches ever. The bread has to be a golden brown, firm (not dry or greasy), and when it is pulled apart, the piping hot melted cheese should be divided evenly on each slice. It really tastes good with a slice of kosher pickle placed in the middle.”

J. P. "Gus" Godsey
52, Virginia Beach
Occupation:  Radio talk show host on WPMH 670 AM
Nominated:  Famous Uncle Al’s in Virginia Beach
On grilled cheese:  “On a cold winter day, grilled cheese on white bread with a couple of slices of bacon and a cup of steaming tomato soup … mmm, mmm, good!”

NEXT UP

THE MIGHTY GYRO: Know where to get a great one? Please leave the name of the restaurant and the city where it’s located.  Want to be a tester? Please tell us why and include your name, age, city of residence, phone number and an e-mail address, if you have one. Submit nominations and tester applications by calling our Taste Test line at (757)446-2334, or send an e-mail to taste.test@pilotonline.com

Food photos by Gary C. Knapp

Lorraine Eaton, (757) 446-2697,lorraine.eaton@pilotonline.com