October 30-November 5, 2003

cover story

Cheesy Choices

Guess all of the advertising by the dairy industry is getting to us. We had a number of milk-product awards to dole out this year.

Best Grilled Cheese, Please

When you're cold, hungry or feeling blue, nothing beats a grilled cheese sandwich like the ones at Food Bazaar. Unwrap the silvery foil to reveal a perfect square of puffy Texas toast|grilled to a mellow|airy|these babies are as close to pure comfort as you're likely to get without a bottle of Janice Joplin's favorite libation on hand. --TB

1500 Locust St., 215-735-2929.

Best (Ham and) Cheese Sandwich

With the croque monsieur at Caribou Café, Chef Olivier De Saint Martin has transformed the humble Parisian sidewalk café sandwich into a luxurious mouthful of mingling textures and flavors. But it’s not for dieters, who should check out the extremely tasty quiches de jour or salades instead. --PB

1126 Walnut St., 215-625-9535.

Cheapest Dairy-Related Thrill

What lies in the little “nothing over $3” cheese basket at Whole Foods Market spans the oceans, connecting those who long to indulge their inner gourmandizer and the obsessively thrifty. You could add dieters to the list, but who cares about them: This is about good food. Peek inside for small portions of fabulous cheeses you haven’t tried yet. If you love it, grab the full-size later -- or, keep trying out tiny portions of what’s unknown. Selections change daily. (We scored a creamy, tiny, black truffle-infused wedge priced at $19 a pound for just $2. Now that’s elegant indulgence at its most minimal.)--AR

2001 Pennsylvania Ave., 215-557-0015; 929 South St., 215-733-9788.

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