The Ultimate Tuna Melt

I have long searched for the best tuna melt.  In my quest, I  have suffered many a cold, weakly toasted English Muffin topped with a slice of mealy, spongy tomato under a scoop of cold, mayonnaise-slathered tuna salad covered with one slightly melted slice of flimsy cheese.

This horrifying experience can be saved with a good pickle or chips, of course, but the real mission is to have a yummy tuna melt.

I am please to report that I have found it!  Mecca is here in New York City, a block from my office on Park Avenue South at Emma's deli.  These guys do it right.

Here is the trick- you first make a grilled cheese sandwich with provolone on rye.  Use butter.  (Add tomatoes here if you like.)  Then, you take the lightly dressed tuna salad mixed with bits of celery and pickle and grill it like a hamburger, just until the tuna is warm through. You then place the warm tuna inside the hot grilled cheese sandwich, and close it up.

Ahhhh. This is heaven. It's also full of butter and fat, which is probably why I like it.

I was waxing on eloquent about the sheer joy and beauty of this sandwich to my friend Ninon at the office.  I tend to get pretty passionate about this.  Especially when it's 2 p.m. and I'm hungry.  She is a good sport and agreed to try it.  I talked the sandwich up so much that she started to back out of it... but I insisted.  After we both gorge on our treats, she ended up saying with a little bit of enthusiasm and a kind, generous smile, "Yes, it was okay."

She's a good friend and I still like her despite the fact that she doesn't get it about tuna melts.  This is NOT an "okay" experience. This is sensual, electrifying and oh so satisfying.

I may have to invest in Emma's - if they ever go out of business I will be so sad.  Meanwhile, I try to limit my tuna melt adventures to once a month. It's very hard.

Emma's also has amazing cole slaw.  I just love these guys.

NOTE:  I had a very similar Tuna Melt experience at (you won't believe it) Friendly's -- the restaurant chain that I happened to work in my youth and pretty much paid for college.  They do the same thing - butter, grilled cheese, warm through, thick sourdough bread.  Worth every calorie!  Thanks to brother Gary and his fabulous wife Sarah for bringing me there (with their two charming kids who had not the slightest interest in my tuna melt, but did wonder why I put mustard on my fries.)

Comments

[Wendy]

You seriously crack me up! I am so happy you finally found the perfect Tuna Melt! I’ve never gone on a mission for the perfect tuna melt (as I don’t care for fish), but I have gone on missions for other sandwiches like the perfect Monte Cristo, or the perfect grilled cheese or even the perfect French fries (which I recently found!) so I could totally identify with that story and am so glad I am not the only out there that talks about it! Most people think I am ridiculous…. And I was beginning to think I was… till now! I knew there was something I liked about you and just couldn’t put my finger on it. :) Thanks for sharing that story!