A place that serves gourmet grilled cheese? I was sceptical. But it turns out Grilled Cheese and Co is a great place to go for the perfect comfort food.

Grilled Cheese and Co is the brainchild of Vic Corbi and Matt Lancelotta. The first location opened in April, 2010, but its beginning goes back years earlier. It started with a dream Vic had on August 19, 2005. He dreamed that he was selling grilled cheese out of an Airstream on a street corner. While that particular vision did not come to pass, he did continued to pursue his goal of serving comfort food. Around 2009, Vic started selling grilled cheese sandwiches at the Wine in the Woods festival in Columbia, Maryland. That was successful enough for him and Matt to open a restaurant in Cantonsville. The rest is history. They now have 3 locations in the Baltimore area. I went to their original.

Their sandwich menu contains a variety of grilled cheese sandwiches. First, there is the classic grilled cheese. They also have a variation of the BLT which they call the BCT (bacon, cheese, and tomato). Being in Maryland they, of course, serve crab, in the Crabby Melt. Other meat themed sandwiches include Chicken BBQ, Chicken Chesapeake, and Arugula Turkey, and a Philly Cheesesteak. There are vegetarian options as well, but no vegan ones.

In addition to sandwiches, they also have a variety of soups and salads. Not too surprisingly, one of the soups is basil & tomato. The perfect complement to Grilled Cheese. Another option is a cream of broccoli & cheddar soup.

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I had the sandwich called the Fresco. It contains roasted red peppers with mozzarella and provolone cheeses, along with a presto sauce. This was chuck full of diced peppers. It was so full that I had to ask for a spoon so that I could eat all the pepper bits that had fallen into the plate. The provolone and mozzarella make for a soft, gooey, and mild cheese that blended well with the peppers. Quite enjoyable.

The Catonsville location has a laid back, rustic atmosphere. It feels like you are in an old farm house, making for a pleasant eating experience. There were several other customers while I was there, but most of them ordered to go. Many ordered ahead online.

If you enjoy hearty comfort food and don’t mind splurging a little bit, I highly recommend Grilled Cheese and Co.