Before our first stop on the Bourbon Trail, Vicki and I stopped at Proof on Main in downtown Louisville for lunch. I had read about it in Southern Living, the bible, so of course it earned a quick spot on my itinerary.

Proof on Main is actually the restaurant inside of the 21c Museum Hotel, which has contemporary art displays. You even walk through the museum to get to the restroom. The interior has rustic, dark woods paired with exposed brick and modern light fixtures - plus white tablecloths. Just beautiful.

Because it was a Sunday around lunch, they had their brunch menu available. Some sweets like a french toast casserole or the warm banana walnut bread sounded amazing. Then there was the "not eggs" portion, which had "hot" fried chicken and shrimp 'n' grits. Both of those had my mouth watering. But it was the grilled cheese that won me over: parmesan crust, aged cheddar, tallegio, tart apple and bacon jam.

The perfectly thick, buttered grilled pieces of toast hugged a medley of melty cheeses and crisp tart apples. The crisp texture of the sandwich gave way to a perfect combo of stringy, crunchy, creamy and jelly. This friggin' fabulous sandwich was SO perfect with a good-sized bowl of fresh fruit. The sweetness of the berries and melons was a nice complement to the richness of the cheese. So good. I wish I knew how to make a grilled cheese as perfect as this one.

I think I'd love to try everything on this menu, plus more of these grilled cheeses. I also tried Vicki's P.M.P., which had roast woodland farm pork, ham, gruyere, beer mustard and pickles. It was heavier on the carnivorous side, but totally delicious - especially that beer mustard. This place rocks.

Grade: A