Sometimes, simple things can be magical.
And the friendly, quirky folks who staffed the Princess Cinema/Cafe's ticket window-slash-sandwich dispensary on Saturday seemed to have a firm grasp on both of these concepts.
There's a guerrilla element to Cheeses Murphy, the weekend-night only, grilled cheese-only (well, mostly) late night cafe - the rolldown sign in the Princess Cafe windows, the almost conspiratorial grins the cashier gives you as he hands you a laminated picture that represents your order ("Dolly Parton" and "Oprah Tattoo" were called out before us), the mustachioed mascot with a head of cheese printed on very carefully aligned 11x17s in another window. If their methods appear spontaneous, their solid attention to detail and appealing, tongue-in-cheek humour are an excellent counterbalance.
M had visited CM on Friday night, returning with happily glazed eyes and tales of bacon jam. We returned the next day to see if the "Lumberjack" (smoked ham, gruyere, creamy mustard) and "Cheese & Chong" (ground beef, cheddar, fresh cilantro, chipotle sour cream) could take on the namesake he'd tried (with cheddar & bacon jam.) After a short wait, our avatar was called and we snagged our foil-wrapped sandwiches, choosing to eat them amidst the other groups of late-night wanderers waiting in the (open-air so rather chilly) lobby area.
I think after the second bite, we forgot it was cold outside.
Of the two, though the C&C was tasty and the fresh cilantro an awesome idea my Lumberjack was the favorite. The ham and gruyere played very well with the grainy mustard, and while I can't remember the last time I ate plain white bread and might have looked at it with mild disappointment at first, M's thought that said bread fits the easygoing, comfort-food vibe of CM in general quickly unquirked my eyebrows - as did his speculative, if-you-don't-want-it-I'll-joyfully-eat-it look!
Things to return for? The namesake (bacon jam!) possibly served with some homemade tomato soup for dipping. And if we're feeling particularly ambitious, layering one of the fancier offerings around a Classic (cheddar cheese) in what they term an "Inception."
Fast, tasty, and open 'til 3:30 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights - if you're out wandering Uptown in the wee hours, Cheeses Murphy's definitely worth a stop!
