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.

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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.

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!

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.

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.

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!

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.

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