The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

9 | W aterloo C hronicle | T hursday,M arch 19,2020 w aterloochronicle.ca Store Made REGULAR OR GARLIC PORK SAUSAGE Reg. $4.99 lb. $3.49 lb. All our manufactured products are M.S.G., Gluten & Lactose free! Proud supporters of our local farm families for over 30 years! Taking Orde rs for Easter Turkeys, Chicken, Ha ms and Roasts ! Need home delivery? See our products onMrsGrocery.com On ly the Best fr om our Fam ily to Your s Store Made SMOKED PICNIC HAMS Reg. $2.99 lb.$2.49 lb. Store Made SMOKED HAM KIELBOSSA Reg. $5.99 lb.$4.99 lb. Store Made JUMBO BEEF & PORK WIENERS OR GERMAN KNACKWURST Reg. $3.99 lb.$3.49 lb. Store Made "AWARD WINNING" MAPLE SMOKED SIDE BACON Reg. $7.99 lb. $6.99 lb. Store Made 24 PACK REGULAR OR HOT PEPPERSTIX Reg. $9.99 ea. $8.99 ea. Store Made DELI SLICED ROASTED ONION & HERB LOAF Reg. $6.99 lb. $5.99 lb. Store Made DELI SLICED SMOKED PASTRAMI Reg. $9.49 lb. $8.49 lb. Fresh Cut NEW YORK STRIP LOIN STEAKS Reg. $11.99 lb. $10.99 lb. March 16 - March 21, 2020 Locally Raised FRESH ROASTING CHICKENS Reg. $3.39 lb. $2.99 lb. 519.658.9025 | www.grahams.ca | free in-home consultation 11 Queen street east, cambridge WinDoW coVerinGs for anY room BUY 2 GET 1 FREE Blinds, Shades & Shutters A quintessential com- fort-food sandwich, the grilled cheese is a favourite for adults and kids alike. I can't imagine many people who grew up here not having some sort of memory of the sandwich -- and the accompanying bowl of tomato soup that of- ten sits alongside. Over the last several years, there has been a sig- nificant uptick in popular- ity when it comes to grilled cheese. It's found in higher restaurants and casual joints. It's the star of sand- wich contests too. However, there are a couple of schools of thought -- a tale of two sandwiches, if you like -- when it comes to a grilled cheese. On the one hand, purists will say the sandwich should only be cheese and maybe, just maybe, some sort of a condiment like mustard between the bread. On the other hand, a more progressive, you might say reformist, ap- proach permits a stuffing between the bread that the purists say degrades the grilled cheese and rele- gates it into another sand- wich category. I'm a grilled-cheese flex- itarian: as long as the sand- wich is good and gooey and cheesy, then I can enjoy both. Here are two cases-in- point, both in Waterloo and both almost within sight of each other, of this grilled cheese schism. This first is MELTwich Food Co., a smart little sandwich joint that stays open until 4 a.m. -- ostensi- bly serving coffee-soused night owls, private eyes and Laurier university stu- dents, perhaps soused with other liquids. A chain with nearly two dozen locations across Canada, MELTwich, mani- fest in its portmanteau'ed name, combines the multi- ingredient Reformation melt with the purism of the grilled cheese sandwich. (Their southern-fried chicken sandwich, though I'm sure delicious, seems to verge away from a classic grilled cheese into even more controversial territo- ry.) Relative simplicity has its place at MELTwich, however. The grilled cheese with onion and jalapeno on sourdough ($6.50) remains a cheese-forward sandwich (sans tomato soup) that captures most of what I want in a conventional grilled cheese: gooey chees- iness with bread that com- bines chewy and crispy and has enough heft to stand up as a proper sandwich. The onion and jalapeno offer a nice bit of bite. Otherwise, there is a fairly wide range of about a dozen sandwiches (you can't get a good idea of the in-store menu from their website). What must cap- ture a lot of attention is the fact that, when run as a spe- cial, the basic grilled cheese sandwich is $4. About 800 metres head- ing east on University Ave- nue, you'll find the second half of the grilled cheese tale: a popular lunchtime venue -- a line can form quickly at noon, so be ad- vised -- Johnny Fresco is grilled cheese fun. The name is fun, the jaunty typography on the signage is fun and the food is fun. It's an institution: the place has been around for 14 years. They serve pitas, wraps, poutines, salads and bur- gers. There are vegetarian options too. There's a fairly wide range of sandwiches including three or four grilled cheeses -- and a very meaty Cubano-in- spired Tony Montana grilled cheese special (so, say hello to their little friend). The "Mountie" grilled cheese ($7.99), of course, in- cludes two pieces of back bacon -- cooked and then, smartly, rough chopped on the flat-top -- sandwiched between two slices of Cana- dian Cheddar cheese. Key is some good bread: chewy organic multigrain from Grainharvest Bread- house, which is great for texture and body, does the trick. The sandwich includes a fried egg -- which is just great. It's basically a grilled cheese for breakfast, or any time. Johnny Fresco owner John Kourvetaris says about 30 per cent of the cli- entele to his 30-seat eat-in and take-away venue are students, but everyone loves a good grilled cheese no matter which side you line up on. Both Johnny Fresco (johnnyfresco.com) and MELTwich (meltwich.ca) are open daily. Andrew Coppolino is a Kitchener-based food writ- er and broadcaster. Visit him at andrewcoppolino- .com. DON'T SKIP THIS DISH: GOOEY, GREAT GRILLED CHEESE AT TWO LOCAL SPOTS OPINION GRILLED CHEESE IS A FAVOURITE FOR ADULTS AND KIDS ALIKE, WRITES ANDREW COPPOLINO ANDREW COPPOLINO Column Left: The "Mountie" grilled cheese at Johnny Fresco. Right: MELTwich grilled cheese with jalapeno and onion. Andrew Coppolino Photos