2011 Grilled Cheese Invitational

This was the 2nd 8th Annual Grilled Cheese Invitational held in downtown Los Angeles. While we usually shy away from events with large crowds, we couldn't resist this event, having been lucky enough to score some VIP wristbands from our friend Becky who passed them along to us via Gallagher, one of the festival's organizers (Thanks, Gallagher!!!). On top of that, our friends over at Mendocino Farms were one of the event's primary sponsors. In their honor, a new category was added to the grilled cheese sandwich cooking competition: The Mendocino Farms Champion Award. The winning sandwich (The WHOLE Enchilada), was selected by MF founder Mario Del Pero and is being sold at all Mendo locations through the end of this week. 100% of the proceeds are going to the American Red Cross relief efforts for Japan.

The Grilled Cheese Invitational celebrates everything cheesy, with activities including an amateur cooking competition, professional sandwich makers, and various vendors and restaurants selling their versions of the grilled cheese sandwich. Two types of tickets are available: regular admission and judging tickets. Regular admission to the event grants you access to free goodies like Tillamook pins and grilled cheese sandwiches, bottled water and drinks from Izze. Free pickles and potato chips were also being distributed. Judging tickets grant you sampling access to 4 of the sandwiches from the cooking competition.

Freebies: Tillamook Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

Tillamook showcased a "traditional" three-cheese sandwich on white bread. A solid sandwich, pretty much anyone can make this at home.

Grilled Cheese Vendors: The festival was occupied predominately by "professional" sandwich makers and food trucks showcasing their eats and cheesy creations. These sandwiches were available for purchase, ranging from $5 to $10. The best approach is to go with friends, then divide and conquer. With sandwich lines running hundreds deep, it's a good idea to make everyone stand in different lines. Otherwise, you're looking at 30 minutes to over an hour wait for each vendor. This is where we spent the majority of our day, running from booth to booth to purchase the different sandwiches.

1. Mendocino Farms

We dropped by the Mendocino Farms tent to check out their offerings and had a chance to meet Mario Del Pero and his business partner, Ellen Chen. It was great to see their excitement and enthusiasm for the event. Combining their love for yummy food with an even bigger heart for charity and goodwill continues to make Mendocino Farms a fan favorite. They featured two sandwiches: The French Onion Soup Melt was a deconstructed version of the soup, with grilled onions and melted cheese sandwiched between a soft pretzel bun. We have seen numerous Facebook and Twitter requests for this sandwich so it was nice to have the opportunity to try it. The other sandwich was the Pork Belly Cubano.  Not quite the Pork Belly Banh Mi, but delicious nonetheless.

French Onion Soup Melt - Smoked Gouda Fondue & Cave Aged Gruyere With Caramelized Onions On Panini Grilled Dolce Forno Pretzel Roll


Asian Pork Belly Cubano with Chinese Hot Mustard - Caramelized Kurobuta Pork Belly, Prime Honey Ham, Provolone, House Made Sweet Chili Sauce, Asian Pickles, Chinese Hot Mustard On Panini Grilled Ciabatta

2. Grilled Cheese Truck - this truck had lines extending across the entire lot, so we assumed the sandwiches had to be good. And with an offering of crispy chicken sandwiched between melted cheese and crunchy waffles and dipped in maple syrup, how could you say "no"?!  And you won't be disappointed - it was super yummy and one of the favorites of the day. The other sandwich that was really popular was their Fully Loaded which had both mac 'n cheese and BBQ pork stuffed between two slices of buttered bread. It was quite the heart attack and 1-2 bites per person was enough to keep you satisfied.  The carbs (macaroni) on carbs (bread) was just a bit excessive.


Chicken and Waffle Melt


Signature AKA Fully Loaded - Cheesy Mac with house-smoked BBQ pork, caramelized onions

3. Greenspan's Grilled Cheese - Think of this booth as a prelude to Chef Eric Greenspan's future grilled cheese restaurant to be built alongside his current home, The Foundry On Melrose. We had The Champ previously at the Foundry, except that version had short ribs in it. A decent offering, with the the apricot puree balancing out the cheese nicely. But it was the Buffalo Chicken that actually won us over - very flavorful and the carrot and celery slaw was a nice touch to keep the sandwich from being too heavy.


The Champ (2008 GCI Winner) - Tallegio, raisin bread, apricot-caper puree


Buffalo Chicken, confit chicken, bleu cheese, carrot and celery slaw

Hot Knives Thunderdome Stage - Also available throughout the day were stages where professional chefs like Mark Peel (below), Eric Greenspan and Ricardo Zarate were showcasing some of their grilled cheese techniques and sandwiches.

There were a couple of other attractions we didn't get a chance peruse including the cooking competition (it was WAY too crowded) and the wine and beer garden. Overall, it was a fun and well-organized event - can't wait to see what next year's Grilled Cheese Invitational will bring!