BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse

5616 Spectrum Drive
Frederick, MD 21703
Phone:  (301) 695-0470
Website: http://www.bjsrestaurants.com


My Order:  Classic Grilled Cheese

                  Crispy-thin Fries
                  Fresh Mozzarella and Tomato Salad
                  Water

 

I remembered seeing that BJ’s had some grilled cheeses on their lunch menu, so I stopped in to try one.  I had tried their burger and not been impressed, but their grilled cheese is on

point, a really good example of what a grilled cheese should be.  Because they did this well, I will probably try some of their other variations on the grilled cheese.

What I Liked

1. They use a mixture of cheddar and Havarti cheeses for the classic. These two cheeses blended really well and provided an interesting taste combination. The Havarti gave the sandwich that good melted cheese texture and body, while the cheddar provided a nice sharp bite of flavor.

2. The bread to cheese ration was right on. Too many places use Texas toast to make their grilled cheese seem bigger, when all that really does is give you more bread.

3. The bread was toasted to a nice crunch without becoming hard and stayed that way through the whole meal.

4. The bread had that nice buttery flavor that really makes the sandwich tasty.

What I Didn’t Like

1.  Like most grilled cheeses, this one was a bit greasy.  I will admit, though, that it is hard to find that fine line between greasy and dry.  And to tell the truth, I would rather have a bit more oil and flavor than it be too dry.

2.  Just a minor nitpick, but the slices of bread were arranged a little unevenly on the sandwich, but only on one half.  It looked like that half may have slid apart a bit from the hot cheese when it was plated.

Notes on the Side Dishes

1.  The fries were the thin, shoestring style that I really like and they were served fresh and crispy.  As is normal for this style, you need to eat them fairly quickly or they become stale.

2.  The salad did not have a good balance between the tomato and the mozzarella.  It could have used a bit more tomato (I seldom recommend cutting back on the cheese!).