Sunday, March 10, 2013

Meltkraft Review

This is for a series of posts for Reading Terminal Market including: The Rib Stand, Hatville Deli, By George! Pizza, Pasta & Cheesesteaks, Olympic Gyro, Iovine Brothers Produce, DiNic's Pork and Beef, Meltkraft, and Wursthaus Schmitz.    

When I heard about a new grilled cheese joint at Reading Terminal Market, I knew I had to check it out. So I made my way to the back of the market and stopped by Meltkraft, which makes its creations from artisanal sheep's milk cheeses sourced from Valley Shepherd Creamery in Jersey.


They even make mozzarella in-house, daily on Tuesdays through Sundays.


They have a specialty fresh mozzarella sandwich in addition to a 
good variety of grilled cheese sandwiches.


Of course, you're free to get on a line to the right where 
you can grab a wheel or two of their delicious cheeses.


Or quench your thirst with a Boylan's hand-crafted soda.


But I was there for their grilled cheese. 
So I got on the line to the left and ordered three of their sandwiches.


Each sandwich comes with a good amount of ketchup-flavored kettle chips, which were delicious - a sharp tang with a vinegary punch. A nice way to break up the heaviness of grilled cheese. 


The bread itself was decent - a bit thin for my taste, but housed the respective ingredients quite well. Perfectly buttered, I appreciated the grilled texture from the panini press.


Valley Thunder ($8.75)
Valley Shepherd "Valley Thunder" cheddar, Bubbe's brisket and baked macaroni & cheese

This is one of the heftier offerings - the melange of tender brisket, creamy mac and cheese, and sharp artisanal cheddar make for a coma-inducing bite. For the price, I was hoping the sandwich had 50% more height to it, but a delicious grilled cheese nonetheless.

Brielle ($7.50)
Brie, cranberry chutney, caramelized onions and pine nuts


This is one of the more interesting offerings - a play on sweet and slight salty. The tang of the cranberry chutney was a nice foil to the heft of the caramelized onions and the creaminess of the Brie. The pine nuts offered a nice textural balance as well.

Today's Mozz ($7.50 + $.50 add-on for soppressata)
Just made fresh mozzarella on baguette with roasted tomatoes. 


Naturally, I had to try the fresh mozz and of course, I had to get the soppressata addition. The mozzarella wasn't salted so you can easily taste the purity of the cheese. The thick slices copiously covered this sandwich, with the salami adding a nice heft to the sandwich. The roasted tomatoes added some necessary punch as well. The fresh baguette was crusty, airy, and held the sandwich together nicely.


Overall, if you're looking for great grilled cheese, be sure to stop by Meltkraft. Just head to the back of Reading Terminal Market and follow the scent of butter and cheese. Heck - the ketchup-flavored kettle chips are worth the trip alone. You won't be disappointed!


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