You Gotta Try This: Jalapeño popper grilled cheese at Ernie’s Midtown Pub in Rockford

October 13, 2021|By Kevin Haas|In Rockford, Top Stories, Restaurants, Eat & Drink, You gotta try this/restaurants
The Jalepeno Popper Grilled Cheese has been among the most popular items at Ernie’s Midtown Pub, 1025 Fifth Ave., Rockford. The restaurant opened Sept. 1, 2021. (Photo by Kevin Haas/Rock River Current)
By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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You Gotta Try This is the Rock River Current’s weekly dining feature focused on signature dishes at your favorite local restaurants. You’ll find it each Wednesday at rockrivercurrent.com. Want to see one of your favorites here? Email us at news@rockrivercurrent.com to suggest a local staple.

Where: Ernie’s Midtown Pub

Address: 1025 Fifth Ave., Rockford

Opened: Sept. 1, 2021

Owner: Andrew Vowles

Hours: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday (kitchen open 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.); 11 a.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday (kitchen hours 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.); closed on Sunday and Monday.

You have to try: Jalapeño popper grilled cheese

What’s in it: American cheese, cream cheese, roasted jalapeño, bacon, chipotle mayo

Related: Rockford nostalgia is abundant in this new Midtown pub
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The jalapeno popper grilled cheese at Ernie’s Midtown Pub in Rockford has American cheese, cream cheese, roasted jalapeno, bacon and chipotle mayo. (Photo by Kevin Haas/Rock River Current)

Why you should try it: The jalapeño popper grilled cheese has been the most popular sandwich among customers since the restaurant opened Sept. 1, Ernie’s Midtown Pub owner Andrew Vowles said. The jalapeño poppers are rolled fresh every day at the restaurant.

“People crave it,” Vowles said. “I think it’s been the most popular item because it’s unique compared to any other grilled cheese in town … We make all the ingredients fresh in house and I think that really separates us a little bit because of the freshness of the sandwich.”

Pro tip: There is an option to get the jalapeño poppers fried before you get them on the sandwich. “We also dip it in our house breading and fry them in house as well, so nothing is frozen or prepackaged or anything like that,” Vowels said. “We make pretty much everything fresh in-house here. The only thing frozen is our waffle fries, tater tots and mozzarella sticks.”

For more information: erniesmidtownpub.com; 815-977-4365; instagram.com/erniesmidtownpub; facebook.com/ErniesMidtownPub

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This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on Twitter @KevinMHaas or on Instagram at @thekevinhaas.