Every once in a blue moon, I get a craving for grilled cheese.  I’m not looking for wheat bread, or light cheese; only the real deal will work. I bought some extra sharp white cheddar at Trader Joe’s to make the spoon cornbread and decided to recreate my all-time favorite grilled cheese sandwich from Tryst in DC.

Back in college, my girlfriend Becca and I would load up our bags with books and pads and pens and computers and laptop chargers and trek all the way from school to the Adams Morgan neighborhood. Invariably it would be snowing, and we’d have to walk through slush and muck all in the name of studying…well, that and a great grilled cheese.

Tryst features mismatched couches and chairs, fresh sandwiches and desserts, really great coffee, wireless Internet…it’s basically the perfect place to sit and read and study and check out cute artsy-type boys. Even the chai lattes come with animal crackers on the side. I never knew the secret to the grilled cheese (labeled on the menu as “George”) but I seem to have accidently discovered it while making this sandwich Monday night.

I started with freshly baked sourdough bread, from La Brea Bakery. Next, I added a slice of extra sharp white cheddar and a few rounds of tomato off the vine. Finally, I topped it all with a second slice of bread and placed a very heavy pan on top to get everything properly smooshed. Usually I would use butter but only had PAM, which did the trick.

See?

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Of course, in Tryst fashion, you must absolutely serve this sandwich with tortilla chips for the savory/salty combination. If you haven’t tried Have’a Corn Chips which are made locally in Laguna Beach and only contain corn, soybean oil, soy sauce and a dash of lime, I suggest you grab a bag. Or five!

Any other grilled cheese musts I should try??