After more than a year of its launch at Yorkdale (and several trips up), I FINALLY had a meal at Dine on 3, the mall’s remodelled food court (you can read about Dine on 3’s opening here) to try Glow Press, Rose Reisman’s designer grilled cheese/pressed sandwich outlet, with an emphasis on healthier choices. I love grilled cheese – especially when it’s more than just cheddar and bread. And that’s exactly what you can do at Glow Press.
A close-up of my order
Though there is a prepared menu, Glow Press emphasizes on create-your-own sandwiches. There is so much to choose from – several different kinds of bread (including gluten-free), cheeses as well as fillings (meat and vegetables) – according to the restaurant’s website, the cheeses are all non-processed (i.e. “real” cheese) and the vegetables are all locally sourced. At my visit, I had grilled vegetables, mushrooms and tomatoes with Harvati cheese on potato bread. Each order includes two sides, either hot or cold. I picked a green salad and the old grilled cheese standby, tomato soup.
The sandwich and the sides
While from a visual standpoint, the cheese didn’t blend into the veggies completely (as it really depends on how it’s layered), taste-wise, it was delicious. There was just the right combination of savoury goodness with the cheese and vegetables and the texture of the bread was perfectly – not overly crunchy, but not soggy, either (there is nothing worse than soggy, overly greasy grilled cheese. No amount of ketchup or tomato soup can hide that). However, it would have been better if the cheese and vegetables blended together a bit more. The sides I picked were nothing spectacular – standards, as I mentioned earlier – but an excellent accompaniment to a not-so-plain sandwich. Perhaps I’ll try a more “standard” grilled cheese with couscous on the side next time.
Cold sides
Choice is abundant at Glow Press, and one would probably have to go there on a daily basis for weeks upon weeks in order to try all the combinations – that is, if the availability remains constant. Keep in mind, however, that this isn’t exactly fast food. These sandwiches are “couture” – cooked upon order, so there is a wait time. Price points are more also more akin to restaurants than what one would typically find in a food court, perhaps closer to a La Prep, Delica Kitchen or other more “gourmet” grab-and-go places. But then again, Dine on 3 isn’t your typical food court, either.
