Restaurant Review: Celebrate National Grilled Cheese Day at Block 37’s Gayle V’s Best Ever Grilled Cheese!
Wednesday, April 12 is National Grilled Cheese Day. While we’ve been celebrating the cheesy, melty comfort food extraordinaire with its own national holiday since the late 1990s, specialty restaurants, like Block 37’s Gayle V’s Best Ever Grilled Cheese, elevate it to an to an art form.
What makes Gayle V’s so different? The former accountant says she uses only fresh, locally sourced grains, cheeses, meats, fruits and vegetables in her sandwiches. That’s part of the trick. The other is a careful preparation of ingredients that respects the consumer’s memories of this classic comfort food. As she says,
“(We’re) supporting over 24 local farmers in the Chicago area. Our bread, cheese, butter, meats and vegetables are all local and farm fresh, for a unique, memorable dining experience that’s more than just a sandwich: it’s a grilled cheese with purpose.”
Start with The Classic, which pairs Gayle V’s specialty -Prairie Pure Butterkäse Cheese-with Bennison’s Bakery fresh baked white sourdough bread, and Nordic Creamery fresh butter. Another popular favorite is The Duke, which pairs Prairie Pure Swiss Cheese, Jake’s Ham and your choice of toppings: Duke’s Alehouse beer mustard (brown), poblano mustard from Coop Sauce (yellow), cranberry mustard or rhubarb mustard. On the Lighter Side is a full lunch featuring a small, classic grilled cheese, small cup of tomato pesto soup and potato chips. The Southport is a gluten-free pairing of Prairie Pure Butterkäse Cheese and smoked onion marmalade from Southport Grocery and Café. The Little Italy starts with their Prairie Pure Butterkäse Cheese, and adds five-cheese garlic spread and heirloom tomato salsa from River Valley Ranch, topped by pepperoni from Underground Meats.
Google reviewers, for the most part, loved Gayle’s:
“Open space. Bright atmosphere. Friendly staff. Convenient location. They have a simple and tasty menu. A few grilled cheese options, but they are all delicious. Pairing it with the tomato soup is a must. The staff was very friendly and helped me with the menu. I ordered the grill cheese and tomato soup with a black cherry soda. They brought my meal to me when it was ready. The grilled cheese was Perfect. I wish I went downtown more often, because I love it here.”
“Gayle V’s really is the BEST EVER GRILLED CHEESE,” wrote another. “Stop in there at block 37 in the lower level and you won’t be disappointed. Not only do they have many great Grilled cheese sandwiches to choose from, but they also have classic craft beverages, and you can also buy Farmers Market eggs there, and many other great items for your own kitchen. So stop in Gayle V’s Best Ever Grilled cheese today, and I guarantee you’ll be glad you did.”
Gayle V’s Best Ever Grilled Cheese is located in the lower level inside Block 37, 108 N. State Street, Suite 004. For more information, click here.
Alison Moran-Powers and Dean’s Team Chicago
