Grilled Cheese Mania

My Total Cost: $12.49 (for two incredible sandwiches)

First impressions: Charming

                                    Reasonable

                                                Delicious

 

I actually stumbled across this gem on the way to buy Spyro 3 from Monster Games, a vintage video game store that I started visiting frequently now that midterms have sent me into a spiral of existential nostalgia. The name Grilled Cheese Mania immediately rang a bell, though I had never been there myself. I must have heard others singing its praise.

 

Grilled Cheese Mania has two locations. One in downtown Harrisonburg and the other the one just two minutes opposite direction down South High Street. I attended the one down South High.

 

I decided to stop in on a whim. My energy was fading quickly, the hunger pain in my stomach was growing fast, and this little red truck was the closest source of sustenance that I could find. The sandwiches were reasonably priced. I got a Suzie Pepper and a Mama Mania for $5.95 each. The most expensive tops out at $7.95 and the cheapest is $3.95.

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I decided to wait for my food from the comfort of my car, as it was a little too chilly for me to sit outside on the picnic tables they have provided. After about a 13-minute wait, one that seemed quite long because I was doing nothing other than waiting, but in the grand scheme of things I guess wasn’t all that long, was waved back to the truck to retrieve my meal. Two grilled cheese sandwiches neatly wrapped in foil, accompanied by two refreshing smiles from the culinary artists themselves.

 

I decided I could not wait any longer and wanted to eat one as soon as I got back in the car. I peeled back the foil for my Mama Mania and took my first bite. My tongue reveled in the fiery flavor for a small moment before realizing I desperately needed a drink. My clearly nimble mind had forgotten that this particular sandwich contained a dash of sriracha hot sauce.

 

Being without a drink I was forced to improvise. I reflected on my childhood experiences of eating spoonful’s of hot sauce with no more justification than a dare, and remembered that dairy, usually chocolate milk at the time, effectively counters this delicious heat that I have grown a tortured appreciation for; perhaps then, cheese from the other, non-srirachd, grilled sandwich would be the dairy to do the trick. I wrapped the Mania back up and switched it out for the Suzie Pepper. Suzie had the sweet relief I needed.

 

To my surprise, one sandwich was all I felt I needed to eat at the time. So I left the other wrapped up and went about my day. It was about another 30 minutes before I returned home, put Spyro: Year of the Dragon in my PlayStation 1, and finally ate the Mama Mania, to my surprise was still a perfect temperature for consumption.

 

This charming little food truck has made a loyal customer out of me. I will without a doubt be returning, especially as the whether gets colder and school stress increases my desire for comfort food.

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