Brisket and Mac & Cheese Grilled Cheese from Valley Shepherd Creamery/MeltKraft in Reading Terminal

They Valley Shepherd Creamery, a Jersey based cheese farm, opened in the back of Reading Terminal last week. Besides offering their own cheeses, other people’s cheeses, and a sweet pickle bar, they make grilled cheese sandwiches. The good folks are happy to give you cheese samples to help you pick your poison. As the braided mozzarella is made fresh all day every day, I suggest at least trying a cube of that.

How can you not love this over sized cardboard lunch box.

With my sandwich I got a $3 side of tomato soup. It was homemade, but was missing some sort of zing. Crispy chips come with each sandwich.

It was really hard to pick a sandwich. Did I want a sandwich with 10 minute old mozzarella? Did I want a grilled cheese with all of Valley Shephard’s farm cheeses? Or did I want something completely excessive? Excess wins for me, it usually does. I ordered the Valley Thunder ($8.75), a grilled cheese made with Valley Shepherd cheddar, homemade brisket, and baked macaroni and cheese.

The sandwich bread is pressed and pleasantly greasy. It may not look huge, but it is hearty. The brisket meat was tender and tangy. I don’t know how necessary the mac was, it didn’t add that much. Maybe if it had been just the crunchy top layer of the mac, it would have added some different texture. Either way, there was no lack of melty gooey cheese, the most necessary grilled cheese component.

Since the other sandwiches were just at tempting, I am going to have to get back to Valley Shepherd to try them. Or maybe I will be inspired enough to go to Jersey and visit their cheese cave? Actually, that sounds like the best date ever (minus the being in Jersey part).

THE + (What somebody who likes this place would say)

  • Meat + Mac & Cheese in a sandwich
  • Super fresh mozz

THE – (What somebody who doesn’t like this place would say)

  • All grilled cheeses are $6.95 and up

MeltKraft/Valley Shepherd Creamery, Reading Terminal 12th and Arch, 267- 639-3309

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3 Comments

  • User has not uploaded an avatar

    Careful. Once they get you into that state, it’s not so easy to get back out of. I had to sneak out on side streets in the middle of the night, dodging state police as if I was the Baltimore Colts in 1984. True story!

    Nah, but yeah. I should get to their cheese cave one day, too. Used to hit their farmers’ market stands in NJ all the time, but never visited their farm.

    Good news on the sandwiches, I don’t recall seeing them when I was there on Monday.

  • User has not uploaded an avatar

    Next time save your pennies, skip the soup and go for the ketchup chips. Hands down some of the best chips I’ve ever had!

  • Had the dill chips, very nice!

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