Review #2

The Grant

as eaten at: The Pop Shop(link)

729 haddon avenue

collingswood, nj

Alright, alright, I know. Being a grilled cheese reviewer and going to The Pop Shop is like being a movie critic and watching the Godfather. You know it's going to be good, and you know most people already know it's good.

If you have no idea what The Pop Shop is, then please ignore that first paragraph and think of me as a hip guy who's in the know about these grilled cheese hotspots.

The Pop Shop is a 50's nostalgia restaurant geared towards soda jerks and hamburgers. You've probably been to at least 10 of these type of places in your life, and felt like you were going to throw up afterwards. I have too.

Now what sets The Pop Shop apart from most of these places is a very special section of it's menu.

Why so special, you ask? Well let me tell you. This section of the menu; the grilled cheese section; contains over 30 varieties of Grilled Cheese sandwiches. Yeah. You read that right.

So you can see why this place is regarded as such a must-go for the Grilled Cheese enthusiast.

A few other points: Yeah, I know this place isn't in Philadelphia. It's in South Jersey. You know what though, it doesn't matter. It's only about 15-20 minutes in a car, and you know if you live in the city you end up in South Jersey at least once a month for some reason.

My second disclaimer is that I originally did not intend on reviewing a sandwich from The Pop Shop, simply because I felt like it was worn out. Old territory. Everyone knows The Pop Shop is THE place to go for a GC (damnit.). It was my friends birthday though, and she had it there, so I figured why not just go for it and do a review?

So with all that out of the way (if you read through all of that, thanks, and I'm sorry), let's get reviewing.

Here she is; the Grant:

Wow, right? A picture.

The Grant sandwich is American Cheese and Applewood Bacon on Sourdough Bread. It's a very simple sandwich, with only 1 cheese and 1 extra add in...and man, is it good.

This is definitely one of the finest grilled cheese sandwiches I've had in a long time, and really shows where The Pop Shop gets its reputation.

What makes it so great is that every part of the sandwich is cooked to perfection. For instance:

1. The bread was perfectly toasted, fairly thick, and a perfect amount of butter.

2. The cheese was just melted enough. Gooey, but not making the bread slide and getting all over.

3. The bacon wasn't overcooked, and was nice and firm without being chewy or crunchy.

And honestly...there isn't much more to say.

I could really devote an entire blog just to sandwiches from The Pop Shop, just because they are all so varied and interesting. They are known as the king of the Grilled Cheese in the area, and they really earn the title. There is no way I couldn't recommend a visit to anyone looking for a new spin on a GC. It's nearly perfect.

The only thing I'm going to take points away for is that it was served with a side of coleslaw, and it was falling out of the little cup, and some got on the sandwich, which is disgusting. Coleslaw is the worst side dish of all time, and I feel comfortable posting that.

Overall Score: 9.5/10

*thanks to Andrew Wellbrock for the photo

**happy birthday danielle