Get toasted! It's Grilled Cheese Month
April is the best time of year to get toasted, and we're not saying that because of tax day. April is National Grilled Cheese Month, and here are a few places to celebrate:
You can now create your own custom grilled cheese sandwich for $4 at Patinette, the MOCA café. Their new Grilled Cheese Workshop lets you choose your bread (white, wheat, rye, walnut currant or ciabatta), your cheese (mozzarella, Gruyère, chipotle cheddar, Point Reyes blue, Fontina, Brie or goat) and your condiments (mustard, pesto, garlic or yuzu aioli). Extras like vine-ripened tomatoes, grilled onions, dill pickles, grilled chicken, Pullman ham, bacon, oven-roasted turkey and lettuce will cost you $1. Patinette, 250 S. Grand Ave., L.A. (213) 626-1178, www.patinagroup.com
During weekday lunch hours (11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.), Rush Street is serving a grilled cheese sandwich and a bowl of tomato soup for $6. Rush Street, 9546 Washington Blvd., Culver City. (310) 837-9546, www.rushstreetculvercity.com
Heat up those irons. Registration is now open for the Grilled Cheese Invitational to be held April 25 at an as yet undisclosed location in downtown L.A. Bring your creativity (but not your flame thrower) to this grill-off, which is divided into three categories: the Missionary Position: bread, butter and cheese; the Kama Sutra: a free-for-all of savory ingredients; and the Honey Pot: dessert-style grilled cheese sandwiches. Only 300 competitors will be allowed to register and they MUST do so in advance. Judges, on the other hand, can only register on-site, and there's room for 1,700 of them. Click here for more details or to sign up. This year's event also includes a beer and wine garden, with proceeds going to an as yet unannounced charity. www.grilledcheeseinvitational.com.
[More grilled cheese madness after the jump.]
At the execrably named Hobo Mondays at the annoyingly named Ivan Kane's Café Wa s, a grilled cheese sandwich and a side of truffled fries are "only" $10 on Monday nights. The chef melts a variety of French cheeses on a house-made brioche that's grilled with truffle olive oil. Ivan Kane's Café Wa s, 1521 N. Vine St., L.A. (323) 466-5400, www.cafewas.com
-- Elina Shatkin
Photo: A grilled cheese sandwich with roasted shallots at Lucques. Credit: Eric Boyd / Los Angeles Times
I love grilled cheese. National Grilled Cheese Month - what a great idea!
Posted by: Kathy B | April 15, 2009 at 08:51 AM
We didn't miss it. I wrote about it a couple weeks ago. I link to it in the 2nd sentence of this post: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/dailydish/2009/03/grilled-cheese-month-returns.html
Posted by: Elina Shatkin | April 14, 2009 at 06:06 PM
can't believe you missed clementine in century city. 4 or 5 different grilled cheeses each week in April. they are awesome.
Posted by: eric | April 14, 2009 at 05:10 PM