What is a chopped cheese? The most satisfying $8 lunch I’ve had in Worcester – masslive.com

A chopped cheese is a cheeseburger that’s been reformatted to fit onto a sub roll. It’s awesome — and one of the most satisfying lunches you can get in Worcester for $8.Instead of a hamburger patty, you get a scramble of burger meat that’s chopped up on the griddle to the tune of metal spatulas popping, a sizzling concerto of savory percussion.Originally a New York City specialty available at bodegas for a cheap-but-tasty lunch, the chopped cheese has picked up steam and started to gain a foothold across the country, including Worcester. A couple of spots where they’ve popped up include:(Credit to the for highlighting those. If you know of any more, let me know at nomalley@masslive.com)In my case, I hit up Habibi’s to witness the mysterious meat magic that is performed on the griddle, hidden behind flimsy skyscrapers of foil takeout containers and a pickle jar the size of a fish tank.Habibi’s is a marvel in the underrated art of the bodega, or corner store, that also serves up quick and cheap lunches at the deli counter in the back.Want an egg & cheese sandwich for breakfast? That’s $3.99. Want a sub for lunch? That’s $7.99. Want to throw in fries and make it a combo? That’s two bucks more. Now go wait with the slowly building crowd and figure out whether you’re grabbing a Cherry Coke to go with it.The Chopped CheeseHere’s the process of how the chopped cheese comes together:What does it taste like?The Chopped Cheese has all the best qualities of a cheeseburger and a sub sandwich.It tastes like a burger, which is great. Burgers are awesome. It’s also not surprising considering it has all the same ingredients.It’s simple hamburger meat, but the beef here has this wonderful savory flavor. The caramelization of the meat from the grill really sings throughout the burger.You also get a wonderful arrangement of complementary components. The melty cheese ties the whole thing together. It’s simple American cheese and really scratches that itch for familiar flavors. The tomato and lettuce provide some nice crunch and fresh elements that brighten and balance the whole thing out.But the secret here is the shift from a normal burger to a sub sandwich. This meat-amorphosis has the wonderful effect of giving you more burger without things getting unwieldy. It’s bigger and heftier without losing the simplicity of a good cheeseburger.You don’t have to unhinge your jaw for some fancy super-angus half-pounder monstrosity that costs $16 and soaks the bun with all the meat juices. You also don’t get a flimsy cheap burger that doesn’t satisfy your lunch needs.The chopped cheese also travels really well. Burgers usually aren’t great if you have them sit in the package for a while. But the chopped cheese? It stays hot and crisp — instead of stodgy and moist like many a takeout burger.So is it any good?Absolutely. It’s like a tasty, well-balanced burger-sub that just kept going and going.With that said, it’s made with pretty basic ingredients. It’s not going to blow you away with wild flavors. It’s a simple, satisfying sandwich that you can grab for a quick, affordable lunch when you need something sturdy and satisfying.You may ask if it lives up to the hype. Don’t worry about the hype. Just enjoy this burger-torpedo and let it satiate you with meat, cheese and bread for the rest of the day.The final wordThe brilliance of the Chopped Cheese, and myriad big and bulky lunch subs like it, is the lost art of heft.Sometimes, I’m not just looking for flavor. I’m looking for mass.There are days when I’m at my desk and by 11:15 a.m. the tank is just empty. There’s no way salad or sushi is getting me through the day. Also, I don’t feel like spending $20 after tax and tip at a sit-down restaurant nearby.This is an ode to the big ol’ meaty, cheesy, savory lunch sandwich that contains all the power I need to survive the 5 MPH Mad Max experience that is Grafton Street or surviving the endless red light that refuses to let me go through the underpass onto Green Street.“I ate it so you don’t have to” is a regular food column looking at off-beat eats, both good and bad. It runs every other Thursday-ish at noon-ish.You can send any praise/food suggestions to . Please send all criticisms about whether there’s too much hype about chopped cheese to mdaniels@masslive.com. You can .