If you’re a college student at Stetson University, you know that finding a good place to eat downtown with a tight budget is even harder than graduating from Stetson. When eating downtown, Stetson students are often stuck between choosing a delicious dinner or being broke for the rest of the week. Sometimes students cannot afford to make such a luxurious decision and wind up at the nearest fast food restaurant that is both money friendly and satisfying.
But when I found out about YOLO, I knew I had found the exception. YOLO, a bar, and grilled cheese restaurant, is the newest restaurant in Downtown Deland. The name can deceive you into thinking it is meant for a younger crowd, however, it is more family friendly than Wal-Mart. People of all ages can seat themselves on wooden chairs, breathing in the smell of melting cheeses mixed with burning candles, and tapping their foot to the soft rock music in the background. The rustic lightbulbs hanging from the ceiling give off a low lighting that perfectly fits with the subdued mood and brick walls. YOLO is the product of when a millennial meets the 1980s, purposely disheveled yet authentic. A love story unlike any other.
Most of YOLO’s menu grilled cheese, tater tots, and a wide selection of beer hint at their motto, “Eat like a kid, drink like a king.” The restaurant redefines grilled cheese, offering the classic comfort dish in a variety of ways. The Grotto takes you into your own grotto of nostalgia as you take a trip down memory lane and reminisce on your childhood. You begin to lick your fingers away, completely forgetting silverware exists or that napkins are a thing and then you realize the flavors are too sophisticated to be finger food. The crispy bacon, the fresh tomato, the gooey melted Gouda melting at your fingertips, all wrapped cozily in a sourdough blanket that absorbs all the sauce when dipped into the red sea of tomato bisque. The crunchy tater tots are slowly forgotten on the silver cookie sheet as the Gouda takes center stage, having no feeling of sympathy for vegans or the lactose intolerant. However, if you only live once, you mine as well stuff your face with melting cheese.
A grilled cheese sandwich order is enough food to last you the entire day and it is all under $10. Almost a steal, except you are the victim of the cheesy goodness. You almost do not recognize yourself as you see your reflection in the mirror on your way out. However, as you dawdle out the door, bloated and blissful, you are reminded of the love story that just occurred as a Jimi Hendrix quote hangs at the entrance, “The story of love is hello and goodbye, until we meet again.”
YOLO, 208 N Woodland Blvd. Deland, FL 32724. (386) 873-7760. www.yolodeland.com. Inexpensive grilled sandwiches, $7-$15. Recommended dishes: The Grotto or The Capone.
