It’s been a good five years since a Brussels sprout made my knees quiver.
The little leaf balls have become ubiquitous on restaurant menus. All too often they’re overcooked and mushy or used merely as vehicles for bacon (not that I’m complaining).
But The American Grilled Cheese Kitchen’s Brussels sprouts are a revelation. They’re fried till the insides go tender and the outer leaves become nutty and slightly charred with a tantalizing crunch. They’re slicked in maple syrup that’s been thinned with Meyer lemon juice and warmed by cayenne. They’re beautifully addicting, a reminder of what this trendy vegetable can be in the right hands.
Amanda Inscore
The American Grilled Cheese Kitchen has a variety of different grilled cheese sandwiches as well as salads, soups and sides. They also serve breakfast.
Those hands just happen to belong to a grilled-cheese place.
The American Grilled Cheese Kitchen opened in mid-November next to Marlins Brewhouse off Six Mile Cypress Parkway in south Fort Myers. It’s the third location for the small chain, and the first outside of the San Francisco Bay Area.
San Francisco to Fort Myers? Grilled cheese and Brussels sprouts?
Stick with me.
Franchisee Steven Brown-Cestero is the answer to the first question. A longtime restaurateur and businessman, he saw promise in TAGCK. He could have brought the concept anywhere, but he lived in Fort Myers, so he brought the first one here.
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Jean Le Boeuf, or JLB, is the pseudonym used by the restaurant critic for The News-Press and Naples Daily News.
Chef and co-founder Heidi Gibson answers the second question. She won seven Grilled Cheese Invitational championships before opening the restaurant with partner Nathan Pollak in 2010. She takes the classic grilled cheese to interesting places and then serves it with fried Brussels sprouts that I seriously can’t stop thinking about.
The beauty of TAGCK is in the details — a dash of gochujang here, a slathering of lavender-basil pesto there.
For the Piglet, the kitchen teams Gouda and cheddar with ham and a smear of caramelized-apple spread that hums sweetly in the background. Whole-grain bread adds an earthy crunch, helped by stone-ground mustard and a slick of rosemary butter.
That’s a lot of components for one grilled cheese. But together they’re so, so good.
Any serious grilled cheese place must have a serious tomato soup, and TAGCK’s version — silky with a hint of smoke and a finishing squiggle of creme fraiche — doesn’t disappoint.
Its salads have though, especially a sesame-kale one overwhelmed by vinaigrette.
The thing with all these hand-crafted components is they don’t always last. The Piglet wasn’t available one day (no more apple spread), nor were the biscuits late one morning when the breakfast menu (there’s that, too) was still being served.
And those components aren’t cheap. Everything at TAGCK is served a la carte. That means $11 gets you just the Piglet, as glorious as it is, but no fries (those are $4.50 and shareable), no pickle (that’s $1), and certainly not those damn-amazing Brussels sprouts (they’re $6.50, or $8 if you like them with bacon).
Judging by the crowds, I may be the only one raising an eyebrow over an $8 plain grilled cheese. People clearly like this place — as do I. Or maybe we’ve all become hopeless Brussels sprouts addicts. Either way, I look forward to going back.
The American Grilled Cheese Kitchen
- Location: 5611 Six Mile Commercial Court, south Fort Myers
- Price: under $10 to $15
- Online: tagck.com
- Hours: 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday, 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday
- Noise level: Moderate
- Etc.: Beer and wine served, takeout available, delivery available through Bite Squad, breakfast served till 11 a.m. on weekdays and 1 p.m. on weekends
Jean Le Boeuf is the pseudonym used by a local food lover who dines at restaurants anonymously and without warning, with meals paid for by The News-Press. Jean Le Boeuf recommends this restaurant for families. Follow the critic at facebook.com/jeanleboeufswfl or @JeanLeBoeuf on Twitter and Instagram.