Milk Truck’s special of the week: fresh mozzarella, field tomatoes and feta salsa verde
Milk Truck, the fancy grilled cheese purveyor that started hawking its dairy delights at the Brooklyn Flea last year, has earned near-universal praise as one of the city’s best options for melted cheese on bread. But now a new grilled cheese specialist has opened up shop just around the corner: Food Freaks, which debuted its stand outside Fort Greene Park Labor Day weekend. Both serve super-buttery sandwiches made with top-of-the-line cheeses, high-end meats and fresh farmer’s market fare. But which one’s the champ?
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Milk Truck |
Food Freaks |
Point |
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Fancy-Free Grilled Cheese |
The Milk Truck Classic—aged Wisconsin Gruyere and cultured butter on crispy bread from Manhattan’s Levain Bakery ($5.75). |
Fresh mozzarella direct form Arthur Avenue in the Bronx, melted on wheat pullman or potato bread ($5), plus a slice of tomato ($1). |
Milk Truck’s is just like mom used to make–if mom had started with NYC’s finest bread and butter.
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New-School Versions |
The menu changes weekly, with fresh market finds utilized in sandwiches like caramelized Granny Smith apples with Gruyere, cheddar and blue cheese on rosemary bread ($7). |
Inventive, meat-heavy sandwiches like tangy fontinella cheese with avocado and bacon ($6.75) or Gruyere-short rib with pickled red onion, blackberry jam, and watercress on sourdough ($8.75). |
Food Freaks. Short ribs, blackberries and greens all on one sandwich? And it actually works? Yes, Please. |
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Extras |
Deep River potato chips, plus there’s always the hangover-busting egg-and-cheese breakfast sandwich ($6.75).
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Dipping sauces like agave mayo and (hot) tomato soup ($1), plus crispy fried Brussels sprouts ($4.25) and homemade veggie chips ($1.75).
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Food Freaks. The dipping sauces make all the difference. |
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Drinks |
Fresh squeezed lemonade ($3), cardamom-honey iced tea ($2) and French vanilla milkshakes with crushed malted balls ($5.50). |
Fresh watermelon juice with lime and mint ($3.25).
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Milk Truck. If you can justify the double-dairy splurge, this grilled cheese-shake combo is hard to beat. |
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Schedule |
At the Flea every Saturday year-round. Also sold through the fall at Smorgasburg Saturdays and the Williamsburg Flea Sundays. |
Now at the Dekalb entrance to Fort Greene Park, all |
Food Freaks. The only thing better than grilled cheese and tomato soup (dip) is thinking about how much it’s going to improve your walk home in the dead of winter.
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Food Freak’s “Garden” option: Cacciotta del Lazio sheep’s milk cheese with shaved carrot and zucchini salad tossed in a red wine vinaigrette
The Verdict: In an upset, newcomer Food Freaks wins our vote in the highly competitive battle for Fort Greene’s best grilled cheese.
