We’re up to our 18th week and the 18th grilled cheese sandwich on this cheesy sandwich eating tour. It’s hard to believe because the weeks have flown by!

Someone suggested we try out Hearth’s grilled cheese sandwich that is featured on their luncheon menu.

I had no idea Hearth had a grilled cheese sandwich and I appreciated the suggestion.

So this week we’re going to Hearth and we’re going to meet the person who made this suggestion. Who is this mystery guest star? Well keep scrolling and you’ll find out!

Here we are at Hearth restaurant located on Prospect Road on the now legendary “Restaurant Row” in Peoria Heights.

Hearth opened up in November of 2013, so they have a big birthday coming up! I’m anxious to see how they celebrate that!

As you can see, they have a lot of outside dining options…

But it’s fairly hot and humid out here, so we’ll go inside and enjoy the air-conditioned comfort!

The sign said to see the host for seating and here she is, the lovely host of Hearth, Swathi.

She said she’d be happy to seat us, but first…

Let’s say hi to Hearth owner Hugh Higgins!

Hugh said business has been great and that it’s been a wonderful summer here at Hearth. He said he was sure that I’d enjoy their grilled cheese sandwich and said the cheese is infused with wine and is pretty special!

Great to see Hugh and I’m really excited about this grilled cheese, however there is one ingredient in the sandwich I’m wondering about though, I’ll share that in a bit.

Let’s go grab a table with Swathi right now and get settled in!

Swathi took me to the back table in the corner in the left side dining room.

Rachel was our pretty and friendly waitress and I told her I was meeting friends but was early, so she happily poured me a glass of iced tea and said she’d return!

I can’t wait! In the meantime, let’s take some pictures until our guests of honor. Yeah, I only mentioned one before but there’s actually two guests of honor today. I’m just chock-ful of surprises, aren’t I?

Here’s the dining area on the other side of the room. The vibe in here is so relaxing and comfortable.

There’s also another dining room in the back, there were people at the tables on one side, so I just took a picture of the tables and photos on the walls of this side of the dining room.

If you want to know what the whole room looks like, just imagine this times two. It’s really not that difficult, so quit making such a big deal out of it. Sheesh!

I love the table in the window up in the front of the restaurant here that overlooks Prospect Road in Peoria Heights.

The bar in here is nothing short of spectacular and it boasts probably the biggest selection of whiskey in Peoria.

Stella Artois is the lone beer on tap. Hey Stella!

If wine is your thing, they have a whole wall of it in here at Hearth!

Meanwhile, back at our corner table…

Our special guests, Jon and Mae have arrived! They’re good friends of mine and active Peorians!

Mae accepted the prestigious title of the Executive Director of ArtsPartners, last February and she said that’s kept her very busy. Yet somehow she still finds time to host Out & About on WCBU! Mae was the one who suggested the Hearth grilled cheese sandwich!

Jon has a lot going on as well, in addition to his Content Strategies duties at Simantel, he’s also the co-author of Punks In Peoria, a correspondent for WCBU radio and he spins records at various venues, functions and parties as his altar DJ ego, juanGoblin.

These two have a lot going on and I appreciate them taking time to have lunch with me on this cheesy tour! Great to see both of them!

Now on with lunch!

Lunch begins with soup! As in soup’s on!

John got a cup of their signature house tomato soup and I got the special of the day, the Pork & Peanut Stew.

This was a really different soup/stew with a savory nutty thick broth with peanuts and pork swimming in it. It had such a unique and original flavor and it was such a delicious way to start this lunch!

Then the main courses arrived.

Mae got the Hearth Veggie Burger with fries and John opted for the Lamb Meatball Sub with fries.

They both loved their entrees and said everything was prepared expertly and that both plates were a delicious afternoon taste-treat.

And now, on to the star of this week’s cheesy post, our 18th grilled cheese sandwich!

Hearth has a most unusual take on a grilled cheese sandwich. The cheese is a creamy combination of Molten Jack Cheese & Brie that’s infused with wine.

There’s also sliced almonds and an ingredient that has me a little nervous: Thin slices of Granny Smith Apples.

Apples on a grilled cheese sandwich? I don’t know, it kind of reminds me of pineapple on pizza and if you eat pineapple on pizza…well, it’s never too late for therapy.

I decided to try out the cole slaw and it was tart, crunchy and delicious!

Okay, I’ve stalled enough, time to try out this week’s grilled cheese sandwich…with Granny Smith Apple slices. Yikes!

Here it is and you can see the questionable apple slices protruding out almost as if to say, “Hey, you…eat me!”

Okay, here we go!

Wow, what a flavorful grilled cheese!

The cheese has a unique rich and creamy taste. And the apples turned out to be a pleasant surprise, they added a nice crispy texture to the sandwich and supplied an underlying, light sweet and sour layer of flavor.

The sliced almonds were just one more component of taste and texture and the bread was buttery and bakery fresh!

What a delightful surprise and this is one of the best sandwiches of the tour!

Time to give it a rating.

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