Shady Glen Cheeseburger

Not too long ago, B and I saw a segment on the Food Network about a hamburger joint that serves cheeseburgers with grilled cheese.  Not the crazy phase (let's hope it's just a phase!) of a cheeseburger served between two grilled cheese sandwiches...this is a scruptious burger topped with gooey yet crunchy cheese that has been melted on the grill.

So on a recent beautiful fall Saturday, we took a drive to Shady Glen Dairy Store in Manchester, CT, to try one for ourselves.

There was a line when we arrived, and some confusion about how seating is  handled. Once we found a helpful regular to give us some tips, it was pretty simple. The line forms to the left for booths and to the right for counter seating. As soon as a seat opens up, the next person in line can grab it.

The same gal who helped us navigate the seating recommended the Bernice Original platter - the "grilled cheese" burger served with two sides. I chose crinkle cut fries and cottage cheese, B ordered fries and onion rings. The burgers were served with just the cheese on a standard roll - lettuce and tomato is one of the sides you can order.

I added a little ketchup, mustard, and plenty of chopped onion to mine, folded the cheese over, and ended with the top of the bun.  Amazing!!  The cheese is crunchy and gooey, and a little salty.  The burger was the perfect size and cooked just right. I'm kinda glad Manchester's a good 40 minutes away....