“The Jalapeno Popper:” Roasted jalapenos, colby, cream cheese, and corn chips on sourdough. This wouldn’t normally be something that would jump off a menu for me – but as I was doing my research, it kept coming up, again and again. I was a little apprehensive about the cream cheese, only because historically, I’ve never really been a fan of hot cream cheese. (i.e. crab rangoons.) However, being that it was such a staple, I felt I had an obligation. It wasn’t bad. I admit, I immediately loved the corn chips. Same as with the “Gabby,” the bread was good and grilling was just right. I really wanted to love it, but ultimately found it to be a little dry. To be fair, I did say “easy on the cream cheese” when I ordered, so that may have been my own doing. Regardless, it definitely needed another cheese to hold it together, probably a processed one. I also probably could have done with less jalapenos, but that’s just personal preference. (My accomplice notes: they [the jalepenos] were making my face “all blotchy.”) In the end, I gave it 6/10….which I admit is a little unfair, as it clearly just wasn’t my thing. It got me to thinking, though: there is serious potential here. Grilled Cheese Grill, if you’re reading this, hear me out: “It’s Nacho Grilled Cheese” sandwich: sharp cheddar, fritos, diced jalepenos, and american / velveeta on artisan bread. Maybe with salsa served on this side. It could be epic. Just sayin. ($5)

“The Gabby:” cheddar, swiss, colby jack, mozzarella, pickles, and potato chips on sourdough. Before I first perused their menu, it would not have occurred to me to put chips on a grilled cheese. That said, the more I thought about it, the more sure I was of how awesome it was going to be. (Further, after the rotten success of the  Husdon’s “Ultimate” experiment,  I’m fighting an urge to put pickles on all of them.) It was the first one I grabbed when our “Fromage a trois” arrived. (Their fun-to-say, three sandwich combo.)  It was fantastically cheesy, and easily the favorite of the three we sampled. Good bread, perfectly grilled and greasy, and the potato chips provided a most-delightful crunch. I awarded it a (delightful) 9/10.   ($5)

The Grilled Cheese Grill, (which opened in spring of 2009,) became a blip on my radar about two months ago, when I first decided I’d be visiting Oregon. Immediately, I began to google, “best grilled cheese in Portland.” Obviously, this popped up first. I was pretty geeked to discover not only was Oregon turning out to be a hotbed for grilled cheese sandwiches, but here was this whole grilled cheese DESTINATION. Grilled cheese served out of an airstream?

School bus dining car?

More than one grilled cheese on the menu?! Insanity. How do I eat ALL of them? After scouring pages of Yelp reviews, and several days of careful thought and consideration, I knew exactly what I wanted. When I landed in Portland at 1:16 PM on Wednesday, it was sunny and beautiful…. and I could think of little but grilled cheese.  When we arrived, I was immediately disapointed to discover they were out of shirts. Fortunately, my disappointment didn’t last that long. Many thanks, Edward. You’re an artist.

(Reviews to follow.)