
I’m pretty certain if I ever became a vegetarian it would be more like a cheese-atarian. Without the protein and savory goodness of meat, warm oozing cheese would make for a great substitute! And the food truck, American Meltdown food truck is all about the cheese. I’ve had the chance to hit up American Meltdown a couple of times. They’re often at the Raleigh Wine Shop for special events but not sure where their typical hangout is. Looking at their schedule, they seem to move all over the Triangle which is good for any cheesy fans.

American Meltdown typically does fancy cheese-meat combo sandwiches. I’ve done their Carolina burger (pork, bacon with pimiento) on a lovely sesame bun and recently tried their Alsatian bratwurst. The Carolina burger was a favorite, full of melty cheese and meat. I had a total mess on my hands but it was worth it. The Alsatian brat was a bit of a mix. A well-grilled sausage with a couple of pieces of dry bacon and a slice of meunster (non-melted). Paired with the over-toasted bun, it wasn’t an impressive sandwich and needed some sauce or something to counteract the dryness of the ingredients. American Meltdown does use very good ingredients, including the locally made Farmhand Sausage so their medium-sized sandwiches typically run about $7. But I have to confess, I’m not a big fan of Farmhand Sausage which I wish, wasn’t the case…

While American Meltdown delivers pretty decent food and sandwiches, the one area where it falls short is turn-around time. Both times I’ve eaten with them it’s taken probably about 20 minutes with not a particularly big crowd. Given the menu is typically only about 4 – 6 items, I scratch my head on this one. But in the end, the niggles and hassles of eating with a food truck is part of the whole deal so American Meltdown still works out ok in my book. Who knows what visit three will bring but I’ve got my fingers crossed. Cause it’s hard to go wrong with locally sourced meat and cheese from the grill, bon appetit!
Raleigh, NC