Kids Bites: The Grilled Cheese Eatery in Westport

Author, Hannah Bukzin,is a 14 yr old Staples high school student with a passion for cooking. Hannah has her own blog "Small Chef in a Big World,"and is a contestant in the 2014 Chopped Teen Tournament on The Food Network. 

It’s all about comfort food.  Everyone has that one dish that makes them feel right at home and for me... I love nothing more than a simple grilled cheese with some tomato soup.  Classic, right?  Featuring 13 grilled cheeses with over 10 add-ons, I think the Grilled Cheese Eatery in Westport fits the bill.  Tucked away right next to the former Great Cakes, the Grilled Cheese Eatery offers a casual dining atmosphere with amazing food.  Owners Ivanina and Henri Donneaux opened this venue after their much deserved success with their location in Fairfield. 

This location has much of the same décor – bright reds and yellows on the wall and the iconic phrase that everyone knows:  “To Brie or not to Brie”. When looking at the simple yet innovative menu, what other than grilled cheeses pop out.  Everything from the simple Classic; which features white cheddar, Havarti and oven-roasted tomato; to the Grilled Cheese Mac & Cheese (which is my personal favorite).  Even better yet, Monday-Friday from 3-5pm,  there is a special...buy one Classic Grilled Cheese...get one free!  In addition to the well known and loved grilled cheeses, homemade soups and salads are offered every single day.  The menu also includes gluten free grilled cheeses using Udi’s bread.

I spoke with one of the chefs, Cristean, who gave me the inside scoop.  The owners surely had expectations after coming from such a successful business venture with their Fairfield location. “After the construction finishes with the gas station and the building next to us, we expect to do the same amount of volume.”  This may be difficult though because there are only around 10-15 seats in the restaurant.  This could be seen as an advantage though because, as Cristean said, it offers a more intimate dining experience and diners can see how their food is being made with the kitchen being wide open. 

The feel behind this location was to be able to have casual and fast dining with the same quality of food that was being put out in the well loved Fairfield location.  Everyone wants to know the secret: what makes these grilled cheeses so delicious?  Although I couldn’t get the secret ingredients, Cristean said “the ingredients are the freshest, coming in everyday and we get the bread daily from this awesome bakery in Fairfield.”  

Now it was time for me to finally sit down and order something to eat.  I got the Grilled Cheese Mac & Cheese and from the moment the grill sizzled, my mouth was watering!  I bit down into the crispy bread to the creamy mac & cheese and remembered why this innovative and delicious restaurant is successful.  

This is exactly the kind of place Westport needed.  Good food in a casual atmosphere.  Maybe the next thing on their menu will be a dessert grilled cheese?