6 Months of Research Went into GCDC's Sandwiches

GCDC, the city's first grilled cheese-centric restaurant, is expecting to open in five weeks or so. During the day, the restaurant will be handling the lunch rush and in the evening, it will be focused more on the happy hour and cocktail crowd with in-house desserts, cheese plates, wine, beer, and cocktails on the menu. Two beers will be on tap and the rest will be in bottles; about seven cocktails will be on the menu.

The grilled cheese sandwiches on the menu were developed through a six month research and development process, believe it or not, in the company's "Cheese Lab" in Dupont in the basement of a law firm. To help with development, GCDC brought in Sophie Slesinger, a well-known cheesemonger.

Research continues to this day; potential sandwiches include a short rib grilled cheese and a vegan one as well. For the sandwiches, bread is coming from Lyon Bakery with four or five different types of bread being offered to customers.

The grilled cheese sandwiches will not be skimping on the cheese: 3 to 3.5 oz will be included in each sandwich, with some of the cheeses coming from Union Market's Righteous Cheese. Some of the sandwiches that will be offered are:
· Steak and kimchi
· Pasta carbonara (goat cheese, mozzarella, gruyere, pancetta, and leeks)
· White House Kitchen Sink (bacon, chorizo, 2 sunny side eggs, and pepper jelly)
· French onion
· Lobster

The sandwiches will start at $8 for a basic sandwich, but many will run in the $9-$12 range. The premium sandwiches, such as lobster, will cost more. The selection will be seasonal with updates to the menu. Sides will include tater tots, fresh greens, and several different kinds of soup, including tomato soup. Because grilled cheese and tomato soup go hand in hand.

GCDC will have room for 45 people during the day and around 55 during the evening. The interior space is transitional and can accommodate more drinkers.
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