A grilled cheese tour of downtown Des Moines, Part 2.

Zombie Burger + Drink Lab takes grilled cheese down a dark path with the There Coming To Get You, Barbara grilled cheese burger. Zombie assembles a burger with caramelized onion, bacon and Zombie sauce, sandwiched between a pair of grilled American cheese hamburger buns. A delicious combo with Zombie Burger's special grind ground beef patty; you can instead opt for a chicken breast, portobello mushroom cap, or one of two kinds of veggie patty.

Though technically not a grilled cheese the Spicy Four Cheese Panini at Ritual Cafe made with chewy, toasty garlic focaccia comes close. The combination of cheddar, pepper jack, provolone and Swiss is cheesy indeed, and delightfully zesty with the addition of diced serrano chiles.

You can't finish off a grilled cheese tour with mentioning the analogous quesadilla served up by downtown newcomers, The Fighting Burrito. With choice of tortilla, meat and salsa on the side, I passed on meat and in its place ordered grilled onions and peppers in a wheat tortilla. With earthy, nutty flavors the wheat tortilla is the way to go! The veggies were a little oily. I would have enjoyed the quesadilla more without them.

If I had to pick a favorite among the crowd [see also A grilled cheese tour of downtown Des Moines, Part 1.], it would be Something Italian's awesome build. It was the inspiration that compelled me to seek out other toasty sandwiches served in my neck of the woods, though I had tried Keller's sandwich months earlier. I'd give Keller's a close second.