Three Small Words + One Great Sandwich = Bread.Butter.Cheese.

1) I would be a really useless member in a drug deal.

2) I make many obscene noises when I eat something great. (This one isn't something new, rather, something I've come to accept.)

The first realization came about whilst lurking around First Park in the Lower East Side this afternoon. Giggling like a fangirl at an comic convention, I definitely wasn't acting conspicuous in the slightest. With an amused friend by my side, (I'm meeting a stranger in the park. Obviously doing this alone would be a little weird.) We waited for the pickup. The loot? A brown paper bag holding....a grilled cheese sandwich??

Bread.Butter.Cheese is a one-man sandwich cartel run by a fellow named "Ronnie" in the Lower East Side. Churning sandwiches out of his apartment and scheduling drop-offs over the past couple months, he's become some sort of a Robin Hood of Raclette. I've been keeping tabs on his Facebook page and biding my time. Today, ladies and gents, was my day.

I emailed him and waited.

It didn't take very long before he pinged me back. He asked me if I had any allergies and what I was in the mood to dress my sammy with. Totally nice and very personable. My prize would be stuffed with white cheddar, bacon, green apple on white bread (he offered me rye and rosemary too, but I didn't want those flavors to overwhelm the fillings). We scheduled a time, exchanged numbers, and then I waited with baited stomach til lunchtime. I met up with a friend who was hanging out near my job in Midtown, and we headed down to our culinary adventure.

We got to First Park a couple of minutes early, so I texted him to let him know I was ready. My excitement level was so high; my heart was all a-flutter waiting for my clandestine grilled cheese. About 5 mins later, he snuck up on us, grinning from ear to ear with a large insulated messenger bag slung across his lanky, yet toned frame. Yes, ladies...he's REALLY REALLY HOT.

We exchanged money for the yummy-ness, and I squealed. I looked down at my bag; my name was scrawled on the back of it, and on the front, "Bread Butter Cheese".









I felt like I was 5 years old all over again, and it was the first day of school and bagged lunch.

And the sandwich itself?





















Golden and glistening brown. The cheese was beautifully melted, creamy white against the dark pink of the bacon and thinly sliced green apples. The bread was thick cut and chewy, with the right amount of toasty butter cooked in.

"Oh jesus," I moaned between chews. The next bite, even more moans. Each flavor, salty and sweet, ricocheted back and forth in my mouth..and brought me back to first time I made my own grilled cheese. Something as simple as a sandwich could give me a little trip back in time on my lunch break. I guess that's the third thing I learned today.