Friday Night Cookouts at The Cheese Traveler

There's no shame in admitting that we ate at The Cheese Traveler twice this week. Not only did we stop for grilled cheese sandwiches but the prospects of a Friday Night Cookout was too tempting to pass. Even during a torrential downpour on the kickoff night. Upon our arrival, despite being greeted by sunny skies and the smokey smell of a hot grill ready to go, grey clouds quickly turned into raindrops but that didn't stop the shop from grilling, even in the rain. 

With all the ingredients for delicious grilled cheeses at hand, The Cheese Traveler had no problem transforming them into the makings of a pretty unique summer cookout menu. That means quality products like fresh, never frozen Tilldale Farm ground beef burgers served on Bonfiglio & Bread rolls, with farm-fresh produce of your choice. But it wouldn't be The Cheese Traveler without optional toppings like Shelburn Cheddar or Colton-Basset Stilton and even kimchi from Mingle next door and French pate. But with lamb bacon as another option, how could we say no?! This lamb bacon changed my outlook on lamb. I was always turned off by its gaminess, but these fatty morsels are just life-changing especially in a grilled cheese or on a burger. The gaminess of the lamb bacon adds a unique layer of flavor to the burger. I chose to have my burger with just bacon and found it needed just a touch of salt. But J got the lamb bacon with havarti and the cheese really does make a difference in complementing the bacon and adding what was missing from my burger. Nonetheless, both of our burgers were plenty juicy and cooked to a perfect medium rare on a charcoal grill. We can't tell you how much we admire the charcoal grill; it just adds so much more flavor. 

Of course we couldn't just stick to the burgers. TCH also offers grilled Misty Knoll Chicken marinated a la Cornell Chicken/Chicken Spiedie with apple cider vinegar. While it's no Brooks BBQ chicken, it still had a good char and smokey flavor but could have used a bit more salt and perhaps more marinating time. I like my bbq pretty charred but it was bit much for J; it's not easy grilling in the rain so weather most likely affected some cooking time too. 

Last but not least, don't pass up on the sides especially the Mexican Street corn. If we hadn't gotten so much food already, we would have gotten more corn. Not only is it grilled, but it's also smothered with garlic aioli and sprinkled with a generous portion of parmesan cheese. One bite and you'll fall in love with the combination of the sweetness of the corn, smokiness from the grill, creaminess of the mayo, and saltiness of the cheese. I can't believe we haven't grilled corn like this before. It'll be a regular staple to our summer bbq menu.  

We couldn't think of a better date night than cheeseburgers followed by Chef at The Spectrum down the street (a must see movie for all the foodie friends out there). Of course we saved room for chocolate cake, another reason to catch a movie at the local theatre. What a perfect Friday date night and kickoff to summer!