Midtown Lunch

Fancy grilled cheeses is one of the best comfort food trends in my book, and to celebrate the city’s best Openhouse Gallery is holding their Big Cheesy competition again! Last year, our very own Melt Shop (on Lex btw 53rd+54th) took home the grand prize and they’re up for it again against Chelsea Market’s Lucy’s Whey, 2011 champ Milk Truck, UWS’s Say Cheese, Murray’s Cheese Bar, LES’s Sons of Essex, and ‘wichcraft. It all goes down in two weekends, the 23rd and 24th, at 201 Mulberry Street from 12 to 7pm. Tickets are $25 for an hour of eating plus Sixpoint tall boys.

We have a pair of tickets to give away to one lucky winner.  Just comment below with your favorite or craziest grilled cheese sandwich ingredients and you’re entered to win. Don’t want to leave it to chance?  Get your tickets here and go root for the home team.

It might have taken a little longer than expected, but LA’s Coolhaus ice cream sandwich truck is officially open for business today. Sneak previews of what’ll be available have been around the city for the past few weeks; I was lucky enough to snap this Chocolate Chip with Strawberry ice cream sandwich at Marlow & Daughters. Like Melt Bakery’s sandwiches from Sweetery, it’s going to run you $5 per sandwich, but it is a pretty tasty treat. I don’t even really like strawberry ice cream and I gobbled this sandwich down. They’re hoping to snag a spot on 46th between 5th and 6th, but make sure to check their Twitter (@CoolhausNY) or the ML Twitter Tracker before heading out.

And that’s not the only ice cream sandwich news today…

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There’s been lots of talk about the brand new outdoor stand Melt Shop here on ML and Blondie gave their unique fried chicken sandwich a glowing review last week. So I was eager to find out what all the fuss was about and since I’m always a sucker for a good grilled cheese, I decided to make the trip east. I arrived around 1:00pm and found it amusing that the line was maybe thirty people deep yet nobody was sitting in the neatly provided tables and chairs in the courtyard – even with the nicest weather we’ve had so far this year. People clearly think of this as strictly a take away spot for the time being.

The line moved very slowly at first, but they must have gotten into a groove because the last stretch went quickly. While waiting in line, I observed the Chef out and about hob nobbing with the customers, which seemed to be comprised mostly of his friends or former co-workers. I overheard him giving food recommendations to the girls behind me and since he didn’t mention the tempting Beef ‘n’ Blue (roast beef and blue cheese), which I planned to order, I opted instead for the more conservative Three Cheese Melt. I figured I should see how they do with the basics.

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The Citigroup area of Midtown is full of subterranean food finds, but most of them are inside. Not so with the newest spot, Melt Shop (on Lex btw 53+54th). It’s nestled in the corner of the outside public plaza by the subway entrance, a place easy to miss by those walking around upstairs. Once we get consistent better weather, Melt might find a huge audience, but I’m not sure how this will work when winter comes again. When I heard this new grilled cheese place was opening on Monday, I wondered what exactly the menu would contain. Then commenter ‘joer’ said he got a buttermilk-fried chicken sandwich and I was on it.

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Move over Korean tacos, the grilled cheese craze has officially begun. Three trucks specializing in the gooey melty sandwich plan to hit the streets this summer (Gorilla Cheese NYC, The Milk Truck, and Morris Grilled Cheese Truck), but before they start their engines, the newly opened Melt Shop hopes to have the first (and perhaps last) word on the lunchtime specialty. The new concept (which may sound familiar to those watching America’s Next Great Restaurant) features a handful of variations on the sandwich (including Buttermilk Fried Chicken with jalapeño jack cheese, Beef ‘n’ Blue with Roast Beef and Blue Cheese, and an Open Faced Artichoke with Feta), along with Stumptown coffee, milkshakes, and ice cream sandwiches.

Melt Shop is an outdoor stand in the Citigroup Center (formerly Moshe’s Cafe) and all the recipes come from Chef Spencer Rubin, who is only 25 years old (leave it to the young’uns to make the best grilled cheese?)  The shop opened this past Monday and has so far received mostly positive notes on Yelp. Can’t wait to check it out.  Early adopters, let us know how it is in the comments.

Melt Shop, 601 Lexington Avenue (btw. 53+54th)