Our family of grilled cheese fanatics was excited to visit Tom+Chee, a “fast casual” eatery that boasts a variety of grilled cheese sandwich combinations along with tasty tomato soups. This sandwich and soup pairing is classic comfort food, but Tom+Chee updates the concept with an expansive “Fancy Grilled Cheese” menu that offers seemingly endless options for customizing with various breads, cheeses, veggies and meats. And, of course, pairing the sandwich with one of the inventive soups made daily.

What’s on the menu: Diners are encouraged to “dunk” their grilled cheese sandwiches into savory tomato soups for a perfect blend of flavors. Large salads for $5.95 are lower-carb options, and you can still get some sandwich flavor with grilled cheese croutons on top. For dessert, the restaurant serves its one-of-a-kind creation, the Fancy Grilled Cheese Donut.

Why kids will like it: My kids got a kick out of some of the crazy combos, like the “Grilled Mac+Cheese” (stuffed with macaroni and cheese!) and the “BBQ+Bacon” with crunchy BBQ potato chips inside. The $3.50 kids meal comes with a grilled cheese sandwich half, soup and drink. My younger boys played it safe with American cheese on white bread and swapped out the soup for chips. My 6-year-old gave me the two-thumbs up sign before I could even ask how he enjoyed his food, while my 8-year-old polished off his “BLT+Chee”. The portion sizes were ideal for younger kids, and my boys ate every last crumb of their gourmet chips.

Why parents will like it: The selection of sandwich choices is enormous, with plenty of gluten-free and vegan options. Prices range from the $3.95 “Build Your Own Grilled Cheese” to $6.45 for fancier combinations like my customized Flying Pig sandwich, which typically comes with roasted turkey, bacon, gouda cheese, and pickles on sourdough bread. Tomato soups are $3 per cup and $4.50 for a bowl, and I couldn’t resist the delicious pepperoni soup. My husband had the Crunchy Grilled Chicken sandwich for $5.95, with parmesan garlic chips tucked inside the perfectly toasted bread for added texture. He loved dipping his sandwich into creamy tomato soup.

When you order your entrée at the counter, you can also order the $4.95 Grilled Cheese Donut. Servers brought our warm sweet treats just as we finished our sandwiches. My boys couldn’t wait to try their s’more donut, oozing with chocolate, marshmallow and mascarpone cheese. I had the rich Bananarama donut with carmelized banana and gouda cheese. These off-the-beaten-path desserts were the perfect combination of sweet and savory.

There’s no question that we’ll be going back to Tom+Chee to try some different grilled cheese sandwich and donut creations, and if everyone is willing, we might even share a few bites with each other next time!

– Felicia Barman

Details

1200 Ernest Barrett Pkwy., Kennesaw and Buford
678-498-8321; tomandchee.com
Mon.-Sat.,10:30 a.m.-8:30 p.m., Sun., noon-6 p.m.

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