MeltKraft | Valley Shepherd Creamery

(Reading Terminal Market)
12th & Arch St
Philadelphia, PA 19107
(267) 639-3309
Website

The Reading Terminal Market has just about every kind of food you might want. So it was no surprise that a cheesemaker has somewhat recently taken residence, and is cranking out some amazing fromage.

They also have a specialty grilled cheese bar.

The most popular sandwiches are prepped, assembly-line style, before a trip to the hot press.

I decided to try one that was toasted, and one that featured their fresh-made mozzarella without toasting.

The "classic mozz" was simple and delicious. Fresh mozzarella, soppresetta, and roasted tomatoes drizzled with olive oil.

There was a significant amount of soft, buttery, salty cheese inside, and the crunchy baguette was a great vessel for delivery.

If I were to make one change, I would probably look for just a bit more acidity, as the rich flavors were definitely there in force. I really liked this simple sandwich, and their house made fresh mozzarella was incredibly good.

The other choice was the "Melter Skelter." This was a non-traditional style grilled cheese with raclette cheese, pickled green tomatoes, crushed BBQ chips, jalapeno, and watercress.

This was no diet sandwich. Between the butter, cheese, and chips, this was a heavy-duty lunch. I could have used some more jalapeno, BBQ chips, and watercress to cut some of the heaviness, but it was definitely a good grilled cheese. As should be expected, the focus is on the cheeses themselves, and they are damn good. Not to mention, they are very generous, with the cheese.

You also get a chance to see them at work, right next to the olive bar (not to be missed).

As we all know, RTM has many offerings and the new Valley Shepherd cheese & grilled sandwich shop is a welcome addition.