one door closes, a pricier one opens

gosh. grilled cheese nyc is closing (at least for now). i made it there only once, and had the "phoenix" --cheese and olive tapenade, on multi-grain bread. the melted cheese (if memory serves, it was gruyere) was sort of earthy and flat, and the olive paste perked it up and gave it a salty, smooth finish. it was really rich and terrific. they had good sweet potato fries, too.

but, there will be no shortage of cheesy options in the 'hood since apparently pala pizza romano is opening around the corner on 198 allen street (at houston). it's high-end stuff, though, made with organic flour and your choice of any number of fancy-pants toppings (pumpkin? eh, no thanks). and it's not cheap--$12-$18 a foot! i guess folks gotta help them pay the newer, higher rent that's killing the rest of the neighborhood.