Boston is old school. Forget the Freedom Trail, Founding Fathers, Sam Adams bologna. We’re talking real old school: your childhood. So you’ve grown up a little. You wear a tie to work and eat at fancy restaurants you heard about at other fancy restaurants where you order the Kobe beef Carpaccio topped with Gran Padino cheese. But there’s a place in Boston where you can stay classy while indulging in the comfort food Mom used to make on Sunday afternoons…and it’s on four wheels. Roxy’s Gourmet Grilled Cheese Truck rolls around Boston pressing everything under the sun between stringy cheese and crunchy bread.
I had the pleasure of dining with Roxy back in the fall, long before my Roaming Hunger days had begun. I met the truck right outside the Boston Public Library around 7PM for a warm dinner that made the crisp autumn-soon-to-be-winter night bearable. I stood in line, behind bundled students working tirelessly on their Freshman 15s. As the queue shortened, I drew nearer to the beacon of light that shone from the window of the pale yellow truck. It invited me closer, as the smell of sizzling, heart-stopping bacon entered my nose. “I want that.” The primordial need to consume sizzling swine took all control, overpowering any ounce of guilt. “It’s comfort food!” I assured myself, and you’ll do the same.
I ate the Green Muenster, a hearty combo of Muenster cheese, applewood bacon, and homemade guacamole. Guacamole on a grilled cheese? Yup. Roxy’s is on the forefront of grilling innovation. They take everything you know about grilled cheese and flip it upside down and backwards…and it tastes great.
As everyone on that side of the country knows, avocados aren’t exactly an East Coast delicacy. Something happens on the plane from California (maybe somewhere over Wyoming), causing the ovular fruits of joy to transform into green monsters themselves. Roxy’s truck must drive the avocados back east themselves, because this guacamole is as fresh as the guys running the truck. It’s the (surprisingly) perfect condiment for this hearty sandwich, which is piled high with the crispiest, crunchiest, bacon you ever did see. It’s like a BLAT – minus all that healthy stuff plus a whole lot of melted cheese. Convinced yet?
Roxy’s menu raises the bar for the grilled cheese enthusiasts of the world. Adding balsamic soaked figs, kimchi, and braised short ribs among other ingredients to their decadent sandwiches, they provide a meal for everyone’s appetite (even the Carpaccio guy).
There’s nothing like a little bit of comfort food, or a lot in Roxy’s case. The portions are generous, but they’ll have you coming back for more in no time. To any Bostonian wanting to get back to their roots, track down Roxy’s Gourmet Grilled Cheese Truck for an appetite pleaser that’s both nostalgic and innovative.
by Sienna Mintz
