A few weeks ago Caroline and I competed in the 7th Annual Grilled Cheese Invitational. Our sandwich didn’t win but the real treat was getting a look (and mostly just a look) at the hundreds of delicious grilled cheese variations. After our portion of the competition we strolled around in hopes of getting our hands on some samples. Quick tip: If you plan on attending the GCI in 2010, be sure to get there early. The line to get in can be brutal. And be prepared to muscle your way through a small mob to get your hands on a competing grilled cheese…Needless to say, I wasn’t having much luck scoring a sample slice. After an hour of watching by bigger and buffer attendees take down one gooey sandwich of goodness after the other I needed to resort to Plan B.

My friend, Johnna, had mentioned a great exotic grilled sausage place nearby in the heart of LA’s Historic District called Wurstküche. Don’t ask me how to pronounce the name. You’re guess is probably better than mine. The menu offers a lot to get psyched about with wild varieties of sausages, Belgian fries, homemade dipping sauces, twenty-four imported beers on tap, and a gourmet sodas for the non-drinkers. I tried the sun-dried tomato chicken sausage topped with spicy peppers and a side of fries that came with an amazing truffle ranch dipping sauce. Suddenly, the last thing I was thinking about was grilled cheese. Complete heaven.