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| - Let's be honest here; a food cart that cranks out artisan grilled cheese sandwiches is going to get no less than a four star rating from me. The Jalapeño Popper Grilled Cheese sandwich (extra sharp cheddar cheese, cream cheese, pickled jalapeño, drizzled with house-made ranch on grilled sourdough bread) was one of my favorite bites during the 2014 Taste of Madison. And I'm pretty sure I'm not the only person who felt that way, the lines in front of the Melted Cart were easily the longest of any booth at this year's event.
The reason for their popularity is quite simple to understand (and taste): 1) Employ high-quality ingredients and 2) masterfully prepare them.
Melted, which came on to the local food cart scene in 2014, offers up seven standard menu options between $6 and $8. While expensive, the high quality of the ingredients justifies the price. Each sandwich comes with a shot of house-made tomato soup. For those needing an extra blast of flavor, any sandwich can be grilled with garlic butter. The cart also serves up a variety of weekly specials, so follow Melted's Facebook page for the deets.
A great sandwich requires top-notch bread and Melted does not disappoint - the sourdough was beautifully moist and easy to chew with a mild yet complex flavor. Grilled to a gorgeous golden brown, it provided the satisfying crunch necessary for a stellar grilled cheese sandwich.
Not so be out done, the perfectly melted cheese was everything I expect from an extra sharp cheddar - slightly salty, pleasantly bitter, creamy and a little sweet.
I enjoyed the pickled jalapenos but could have done with a little less cream cheese, which made the center of the sandwich rather goopy.
Despite the massive crush of Taste of Madison customers, the folks working the cart were friendly and efficient. I look forward to sampling more of their sandwiches next time I'm downtown during lunch hour.
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