Grilled Cheese Sandwich Anyone!?

Laurie and I are always looking for a new dining experience and we don’t limit it to high end or any specific type of restaurants.  In this case, think very casual…and think comfort food or perhaps your childhood!

This is Tom+Chee, a new fast food restaurant that has recently come to Knoxville.  To borrow a quote from their website, “Tom+Chee is the grilled cheese and tomato soup shop for the kid at heart, mixing classic comfort food with fresh ingredients, healthy alternatives, and a flair for the unexpected.” 

The interior of Tom+Chee is bright red and yellow.  Customers order at the counter and the food is delivered to your table. 

Tom+Chee was founded in December 2009 adjacent to Cincinnati’s skating rink in that city’s Fountain Square.  Two couples emptied their bank accounts, bought a tent and started making grilled cheese sandwiches to feed those cold skaters.  A subsequent appearance on TV’s Sharktank netted the foursome needed exposure and an investment deal.  This franchise chain is expected to have 100 locations in operation by the end of this year!  

Yup… It’s all about grilled cheese sandwiches!  I ordered the Italian. ($6.45) This creation consists of pepperoni, ham, mozzarella cheese topped with salt and vinegar potato chips on grilled hearty white bread.  It was very good.  The only question mark was the potato chips.  They kind of ‘got lost’ in combination with the other ingredients. 

The menu offers Fancy Grilled Cheese and Crunchy Grilled Cheese Sandwiches but they also let you build your own sandwiches.  Choices include 5 different bread products, 11 different cheeses, 7 meats, 8 vegetables and a few ‘extras’ such as basil pesto and blueberry compote. 

Laurie also went with the ‘Crunchy’ portion of the menu.  This was her BBQ+Bacon Grilled Cheese Sandwich. ($6.45) She asked for a few pickles and they gave her this little cup full.  She liked the crunch of the potato chips and she really liked her sandwich!

The menu also includes classic tomato, chunky tomato and creamy tomato basil soup, 4 different salads plus Mac and Chee as a side or on your sandwich.  From what I can gather…but neither one of us dared to try…were the “Grilled Cheese Donuts”.  There are 9 different ‘donut’ choices.  How about the Choco Bacon Bliss…a grilled donut with bacon, chocolate pieces, mozzarella cheese plus chocolate mascarpone! 

We liked Tom+Chee enough that if we were out shopping or on the road at lunch time and an outlet was nearby, we’d stop in and try another grilled cheese…type to be determined!  The Knoxville Tennessee Tom+Chee is located at 9159 Kingston Pike.  Phone: 865-337-5469.  The website can be found at http://www.tomandchee.com/.

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them…

Thanks for stopping by for lunch!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave