Review: Toasted Restaurant Vegan Grilled Cheese and Vegan Truffle Cheese Fries

With Florida temperatures a little on the cool side as we say goodbye to the Florida winter, it seemed a great time to get a vegan grilled cheese sandwich at Toasted. I had heard from a fry expert friend that the fries were very tasty, so I decided they were also worth a try. A fry try!

Restaurant: Toasted in Winter Park (Crafted Grilled Cheese & Burgers)

Two dishes:

• Vegan Roasted Vegetable Grilled Cheese (Confit Portobello mushroom, tomato chutney, garlic spinach, roasted red pepper on wheat bread)
• Truffle Cheese Fries (Truffle oil & rosemary fries topped with Cheddar style vegan cheese)

Reading: Solitude: In Pursuit of a Singular Life in a Crowded World by Michael Harris

I had a little trouble deciding which book to read, so I took both with me. I was nearly finished with the novel and didn’t want to finish it before I was finished eating, so I chose Solitude as my lunch-time reading.

Toasted is casual dining. You place your order and they give you a table card. I ordered club soda and filled my own cup, then sat in a bright sunny window to wait. I didn’t wait long.

The fries were lightly fried, just crisp and not overdone. I generally prefer my fries a touch crispier, but these were still good and had a little crunch. They were also freshly fried in clean oil, something you can tell. So while they were fried they weren’t heavy or greasy. Technically the fries have truffle oil on them, but I am not sure I could tell.

The cheese sauce on top was tasty, Cheddar cheesy in taste and the texture in the mouth of a melted cheese. The fries were unsalted and didn’t need salt, in my opinion. Also, while I do like ketchup with my fries, these didn’t need ketchup since there was plenty of cheese sauce. The rosemary was strong, pungent, and a few of the sprinkles of rosemary were on the large side. A few bites did make me think of eating a Christmas tree.

For me, the main attraction is their vegan grilled sandwich. The whole wheat bread is toasted to perfection – crisp, buttery, just off the grill. The vegetables and cheese inside were hot and gooey, not quite burning my mouth. Wonderfully hot, seasoned well. The vegetables were grilled mushrooms, red peppers, tomatoes, and spinach. I tasted the cheese a few times on its own. A lot of vegan cheeses often doesn’t taste that good alone but this one I liked. There was the faintest sweetness to the sandwich which I think is the tomato chutney. It added a smidge more yum to everything.

Toasted has four locations in the Orlando area and I chose Winter Park. The menu offers both regular and vegan cheese sandwiches, burgers, fries, and more.

My eating goal is plant-based primarily to avoid dairy and meat. For now, that generally means vegan offerings on menus, or removing cheese from vegetarian options, when eating out.

Toasted is a great restaurant for the single serving diner eating on their own. Great for reading or writing. Casual. I sat by the pig picture window at a counter high two top.

The inside is bright and cheery with cheese themed décor, kind of modern. 80s music played on the radio. Charming touches include a row of lights with cheese graters as shades, a wall that looks like Swiss cheese. And the Periodic Table of Cheese along another wall. I’d have liked to take photos, but the place was full when I was there. You can see the Periodic Table of Cheese on their website.

There are even a few outside tables and if it had been slightly less windy I might have sat out there. I can imagine easily spending an hour there writing or reading.

I knew I wanted to save half of my meal for dinner at home and had set my food aside while I read. The server passed by and asked if I needed a box, then brought me a box and baggie.

So I had a sandwich and fries for dinner, too! I heated both in the air fryer for about 3-4 minutes each. And this time I had ketchup.