The 9th Annual Lane County Grilled Cheese Experience: Part I

It’s February and that means Food for Lane County’s Grilled Cheese Experience is back and DSM’s Robert Scherle is ready—and hungry!—to eat his way through the month.

Here’s the first installment.


Provisions South
747 E. 32nd Ave., Eugene
provisionsmarkethall.com

Brie & Jam
“Brie, red onion-apricot jam & aioli on porridge bread. Served with fields green salad. $12.95”

Provision South’s grilled cheese sandwich was accompanied with a generous spring salad perfectly dressed with a simple vinaigrette dressing. The sandwich was grilled perfectly brown, just as I like it. It made for a crispy shell while the bread was still chewy. The Brie was laid on thick and in proportion and the onions were sweet and tangy. 

It’s going to be hard to beat them again.

A photograph of a grilled cheese sandwich, cut in half, on the right side of a white plate. There's red-onion apricot jam coming out of the sides. To the left of the sandwich is a bright green salad.
Provisions South’s sandwich is both tasty and pretty to look at. [Robert Scherle // Double Sided Media]

Mandy’s Family Restaurant
1491 Willamette St., Eugene
mandysfamilyrestaurant.com

Hawaiian Punch Grilled Cheese
“Ham, jack cheese, pineapple, macadamia nut and coconut mascarpone French toast topped with toasted coconut and sliced cherries. $12.95” 

Mandys’ grilled cheese was a joyful experience. It reminded me of both a circus when I was nine-years-old and a birthday party. The sandwich consists of two slices of French toast stuffed with ham, pineapple and cheese covered in whip cream. Included was a generous ramekin of maple syrup on the side and a few cherries on top. It looked decadent but it actually went down easily. This sandwich certainly walks a thin line between a dessert and a meal.

Also want to give a quick shoutout to the side of potatoes that came included with it. At first glance, I thought they were cubed hashbrowns, but they were actually deep-fried to brown, yummy goodness.  Check this one out if you want to have some fun!

A photo of a light-colored "grilled cheese sandwich" sitting in a white takeout container. There is mascarpone oozing down the sides and the two slices are topped with bright red cherries and whipped cream. There's a small container of syrup next to it.
Mandy’s knows how to satisfy a sweet tooth. [Robert Scherle // Double Sided Media]

Provisions Market Hall
296 E. 5th Ave., Eugene
provisionsmarkethall.com

Brie & Jam
“Brie, red onion-apricot jam & aioli on porridge bread. Served with fields green salad. $12.95”

This Provisions location, offering the same sandwich, lacked the fastidious execution of their southern sibling. The flavors were all there but the salad was sparser and the bread was anemic.

Looking down on a white plate with a grilled-cheese sandwich cut in half on the left and dark, nearly wilted greens that were put together and called a salad are on the right.
Provisions on 5th’s sandwich is pretty sad when compared to the same sandwich at their other location. [Robert Scherle // Double Sided Media]

Falling Sky Pour House and Delicatessen
790 Blair Blvd., Eugene
fallingskybrewing.com

The Rainy Day
“Thick cut bacon, pesto, swiss, cheddar, feta, parmesan and grilled tomatoes on sourdough. Try it with our house made roasted red pepper and tomato soup! Comes with a choice of side. $16”

This sandwich had a great mixture of pesto and bacon. I enjoyed the nutty bread and kudos on the perfect fries  Overall, this was flavorful and well executed.

A photo of a grilled cheese sandwich with a colorful, packed inside! On the wide are a few dozen thick-cut French fries and a side of dark-orangy-red ketchup.
Falling Sky Pour House’s grilled cheese is a flavor fest.

Pig & Turnip
1861 Franklin Blvd., Eugene
pigandturnip.com

Bourbon Bacon Jam & Swiss
“House made bourbon bacon jam with Swiss cheese on sourdough. Served with a cup of roasted tomato and rosemary soup. $15 half sandwich option $10”

Pig and Turnip had a solid entry similar to Provisions with the onion jam. Although it was lighter on the cheese, what sold this was the accompanying tomato soup for dipping. It wasn’t a standard soup either. It was full of texture and zest and paired perfectly with the sandwich.  If possible, I’d like to carry a cup of it with me all the time in case I come across a naked grilled cheese in the future!

A lightly toasted grilled cheese sandwich is photographed. It's on the thinner side and was one of many entries to have onion jam.
Pig & Turnip’s grilled cheese entry comes with a tomato soup for dipping. [Robert Scherle // Double Sided Media]

Fisherman’s Market Eugene
830 W 7th Ave., Eugene
eugenefishmarket.com

Bang Bang Shrimp Melt
“Oregon pink shrimp mixed with house smoked cheddar cheese and our special Bang Bang sauce, served between Reality Kitchen sourdough bread. $12 Add fries $17.”

I loved Fisherman’s markets Bang Bang sauce but, mixed with the fried breaded shrimp, it became a little mealy.  The sandwich was a little too light on the cheese as well.  It was a good effort but I’d prefer to have these elements separately.

A photo of a lightly toasted grilled cheese sandwich with a very yellow-ish inside sitting a dark plate.
The “Bang Bang Shrimp Melt” ended up being soggier than expected. [Robert Scherle // Double Sided Media]

Be sure to follow DSM on our social media for next week’s installment.

Robert Scherle

You may also like...

2 Responses

  1. February 14, 2023

    […] This is the second installment of a multi-part series by DSM photographer Robert Scherle covering Food for Lane County’s 2023 Lane County Grilled Cheese Experience. You can read the previous installment here. […]

  2. February 23, 2023

    […] that Robert Scherle, our photographer with high cholesterol, has checked out, please check out our first and second […]

Leave a Reply

%d bloggers like this: