I LOVE FOOD.

You probably figured that out…and when I get obsessed with something I read about I just have to try it – which is why I recently walked seven miles roundtrip to head to Harlem for one of the most iconic bodegas that serves “chop cheese”!

First, a primer:

Here’s how a “Chop Cheese” sandwich is described online:

“Found in bodegas throughout Upper Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx, and Queens, it is made on a grill with ground beef (typically pre-formed ground beef patties), onions, adobo or other seasonings, and cheese, all of which are chopped together on the grill as the meat and onions cook and the cheese melts.”

Notice they used the phrase “chopped together”?

Here’s a brief snippet of what that means….

There it is: terrific ingredients “chopped” together on a flat grill….and here’s how it all got from there to my mouth!

As always, it started with a walk in New York’s Central Park…this is a north-east view from above, so to the far left, at the very northern part of the park, sits the iconic neighborhood of Harlem!

Welcome To Harlem!

As you exit the north end of Central Park, you walk right into Harlem, with classic New York architecture and wide boulevards that run north…I was headed to 125th and Lenox Avenue, renamed Malcolm X boulevard!

This iconic corner is home to Chef Marcus Samuelsson’s terrific Red Rooster restaurant as well as this iconic location:

Time For A “Chopped Cheese!”

The sign says it all!

Inside, there is a treasure trove of great food to order!

As you can see, there are seven boards with menu items – and a case stuffed with pre-made as well as fresh food to make there for you to take away:

I was here for one thing and one thing only – let’s check out themes board for the “Chopped Cheese”:

Look at all of those options! I promise you I will be back for different variations but for my first time here, I needed to get #7, the “Chop Cheese Lover”, because it’s loaded!

It begins as the Chef “chop chops” the meat, which I already showed you – then he mixes in the onions and peppers – I didn’t have a great angle of it but you get the idea:

While that is cooking away, he takes the hoagie roll and piles it high with lettuce, tomatoes, mayonaise and ketchup, then sets it next to the grill:

The last touch is the American and Provolone cheeses put on top of the meat and melted…

After piling the meat and cheese on top of the bun, he brings it over to the counter to wrap it:

It’s massive! I did get the “large” portion, but for $9.50 this is a bargain, no matter how it tastes!

What’s next? Well, I needed to eat it, so I hopped on the subway located conveniently located right across the boulevard, and was home in 15 minutes!

Here then is my review of the Harlem Chopped Cheese:

It truly was delicious!

Messy, dripping with flavor and lots and lots of cheese – which as you saw made it a bit difficult to get the wrapper away, but I did it!

It really was bursting with flavor – and for less than $10, a bargain!

I could only finish half of it, saving the other half to warm up later – and it was just as good!

So, what’s my obsession with “chop cheese?”

This all began a few years ago when Whole Foods was accused of misappropriating the culture behind the chop cheese sandwich…here is that story:

The bodega known as “ground zero” for the chop cheese sandwich is called Hajji’s aka Blue Sky – located less than a mile east of Harlem’s Chop Cheese” – and I went there to try one for myself!

I walked more than 5 miles to get there and try one – and here’s that taste test!

There are so many reasons to head uptown to Harlem – it’s a cultural wonderland – and Alex and I recently went to a Sunday Gospel Brunch there!

What a terrific performance – and incredible food as well!

See more of the terrific “SingHarlem” gospel group by clicking here:

Since moving to New York a few months ago, my wife Alex and I have explored a lot of food here – like the $29 hot dog!

Alex and I went to the wildly inventive Mischa restaurant and yes, I paid $29 for this hot dog – click my story at my food blog “Bite! Eat! Repeat!” to find out why it was worth every penny!

I will be exploring more of the food of New York – and remember the time I was in New York and got my “walk on?”

196 blocks to be exact!

It was all part of my “Hitch Hiking” series, where take a fun hike and tie it in to a Hitchcock classic – in this case “Rear Window!”

196 blocks through New York included this walk through Central Park.

See it all here!

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If you enjoy these posts, please help me get the word out and share on social media and and with your friends – and leave a comment to let me know if you’ve eaten a “Chop Cheese!”

Categories: cookbooks, Food, food blog, Food Review, Hamburgers, Memoirs, New York, Pop Culture, Recipes, Restaurants, Travel, Travel Adventures, Travel Memoir, Wacky Food

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