Toasted – Crafted Grilled Cheese and Burgers – Winter Park

Yes, I love comfort food, with fond memories of great homemade grilled cheese on the stovetop at the kitchen.

To be honest, I had rather low expectations going into Toasted. I don’t like being overcharged for bread and cheese, and if they are going to overcharge for bread and cheese it better be worth it.

But I was pleasantly surprised with what I did find at Toasted, despite the somewhat pricey sticker tags.

Located, inside a rather tight shopping plaza near the Whole Foods on Aloma and Lakemont in Winter Park, Toasted sits with its cute logo above its doors, poised for the inevitable franchising opportunities if this concept proves successful.

The interior is very playful with a textured yellow left wall like a giant slab of swiss cheeses and a right wall with a “periodic table” of various cheeses. For those who are a bit claustrophobic or wary of mouse traps, the restaurant itself may seem a bit tight and narrow and there are only a few scatterings of seats. I suppose it’s designed more for take outs rather than sit down eats?

Order at the counter in the back and the order comes up to your table when ready.

I am skeptical at first at the sight of my seemingly tiny Braised Brisket grilled cheese sandwich, but luckily this sandwich packed a lot of flavor. Italian Fondina cheeses, yummy braised beef brisket, with a housemade bbq sauce and sweet tea caramelized onions, this braised beef sandwich was a definitive winner. It also went well with my “dipper” sized portion of roasted tomato soup. The tomato soup and sandwich was great together, but the soup by itself was a bit too tangy to enjoy alone.

One of my dining companions ordered a fig and goat cheese sandwich made with havarti and goat cheese, sweet fig preserves, basil, and honey. I tried a few bites and thought it was good but may need more cheese. My dining companion however thoroughly enjoyed it and finished the sandwich to the last bite.

The Periodic Table of Cheeses

Another dining companion of mine ordered the Southern Comfort off of the Toasted Burger menu. This is probably the first time I’ve seen mac and cheese in a burger, but surprisingly the combination with applewood smoked bacon, bbq sauce, and cheddar went very well together and I could only have wished to try another one next time.

Overall, I would definitely go back to try some more of their sandwiches and burgers, but the braised brisket sandwich and southern comfort were both standouts for Toasted.