This sandwich and salad shop is my home-away-from-home. Taunted by nagging grilled cheese cravings at least twice a week, I crawl the two blocks to Tiny’s (129 Rivington St.) dressed as my mother circa 1980 in her oversized USA sweatshirt and hand-me-down leggings. The deep burgundy walls and tattered couches pay no homage to the delicious sandwiches prepared there. The two waitresses could easily fulfill the highly competitive position as poster child for the Lower East Side – hipsterettes donning blunt bangs, lopsided headbands, and consignment shop frocks. The grilled cheese, however, is phe-no-me-nal. I order the sandwich to-go and peel away layer-after-layer of grease-drenched paper to finally reveal the fatty culprit. Cheddar, provolone, and mozzarella bubble between two pressed slices of 7-grain bread. The cheddar adds saltiness, the provolone packs sharpness, and the mozzarella brings a chewy, silly puddy-like resilience to the mix. Fresh juices from perfectly-ripened tomato slices ooze from the sides of the sandwich (and make me feel like I’m ingesting some nutritional value.) And for only $4.60? It’s a total steal. To add bacon, which I highly recommend, costs another buck, and if you eat in-house you get a free side of ruffled potato chips. My only gripe is that the servers move in extreme slow motion, probably because their brains are so addled by hallucinogens.

Photo by Allix Geneslaw