DiPrato's Pimento Cheese Spread

I love pimento cheese. I hate mayonnaise and “sandwich spread.” This hate makes it hard to love pimento cheese because the main ingredient is usually mayonnaise or sandwich spread. I’ve tried many different pimento cheeses, looking for the one that strikes my palate perfectly. My favorite is from a restaurant in Columbia called DiPrato’s. Their pimento cheese spread is served with garlic pita chips and is the best appetizer ever. They also put it on a lot of sandwiches, giving you more than one way to enjoy it. I think that their pimento cheese does have mayonnaise in it, but if so it’s not a ton. It’s just enough to keep everything together. You can see the real, grated cheese in the picture to the right that I’ve posted. No weird, icky cheese paste here! Their pimento cheese spread isn’t the only good thing on the menu, though. I’ve been there for brunch and lunch and have yet to have something I didn’t like. Today I got the rosemary ham sandwich with pesto mayonnaise and Brian got the chicken saltimbocca – both delish, and pictured below (mine on the left, Brian's on the right). The prices are sometimes a little on the high side but the portions are generous. Brian and I both took ½ of our sandwiches home. If you’re in Columbia I HIGHLY recommend it.