Lunch Review! Tom + Chee

(Store front on Court Street)

Grilled cheese is one of those foods that I just never seem to eat nowadays. It's not that I don't like them; in fact, bread and cheese are two of my favorite foods. It's just, unlike other folks the idea of making it just never pops into my head. I'm not sure if it's the simplicity of it or what, but I might have two or three of them a year.



Struggling mightily with the lunch choices downtown as usual, it struck me that I could go for something hearty. What is better on a cold day than a grilled cheese and some soup? With that in mind, I walked over to the Tom + Chee Court Street location to grab myself some of both.

(Part of the main chalkboard menu)

Tom + Chee is an order at the counter, have your name hollered, and sit to eat (or take it out, like I did) type restaurant. There is a pretty good amount of seating in their space, but it looks like only a few tables for large groups. There were a few people in front of me in line so I perused the nemu and settled on the turkey pesto grilled cheese and a cup of chili.

(Hard at Work)

(Adorable 'Super Fancy Tip Jar')

I ordered, paid, and picked up my food in less than five minutes. Saw this poster on the way out. I'm not sure if I could take one down, but it sure does sound interesting:



I hustled back to the office so the food didn't get cold and so I could fill my starving belly. I unwrapped the perfectly toasted sandwich and took a bite of one of the best sandwiches I've had since I've moved here. Thick, buttery toasted sourdough is perhaps the best type of bread for a grilled cheese sandwhich, and they nailed it. To my delight, the turkey was actual pieces of turkey, not the sliced turkey lunchmeat which drives me crazy in sandwiches like this one. They used just the right amount of pesto: flavorful, but not overwhelming. Finally, there was enough mozzarella cheese to hold everything together and counteract the crunch of the bread, but not so much that it made a sloppy mess.



The chili was great, too. It was more liquid than I'm used to eating, but they really nailed the flavor. It contained less beans and more meat (which is ok in my book), onions, small chunks of tomato, and green peppers. It had a heat presence, but wasn't too spicy. Overall, very well done.

Tom + Chee is flat out awesome. It drives me crazy that I haven't been here since they opened the store front, but I guess better late than never, right? I will definitely be back. There were five or six other things on their menu that I decided I must try.