Anna and Sharrone Sofer took a risk last November: opening a new restaurant in the middle of a pandemic. But that risk paid off, as their restaurant The Compound quickly became Clinton’s new favorite grilled cheese joint. The town and college have welcomed the husband and wife duo’s project with enthusiasm and support, and with good reason — The Compound serves a mean grilled cheese.

The vision started with butter. As Anna and Sherrone’s homemade butter made its way from friend’s tables to farmer’s markets, they decided that grilled cheeses were the best way to showcase its rich flavor and share it with more community members. Enter The Compound.

The Compound makes every grilled cheese with bread baked locally at Utica Bread and Heidelberg Bread Company and spreads each sandwich with a different house-made butter. The restaurant specializes in “chee and tea,” but customers can also enjoy toast, salads, and waffles in addition to discovering local foodstuffs on the shop’s whimsical shelves. Most of those products on the shelves are locally made or from small women-owned businesses.

“We really fell in love with the idea of reviving this area,” said Anna. She and Sharrone are both originally from the Clinton area but met each other in Austin, Texas. When they decided to move back Upstate to raise their family, they wanted to bring some favorite flavors of Texas back to the Clinton community.

I visited The Compound during the Friday lunch rush and was unsurprised when the busy cashier and chef on duty informed me I’d have to wait 30 minutes for my meal. I had some time to look around the store, and I was struck by the homey and whimsical decorations in the storefront and the colorful murals and prints illuminating the walls. I laughed when I noticed an orange flower pot shaped like a triceratops.

I discovered that Anna, the shop’s visionary and owner, had decorated the restaurant largely using items found around her own house. “My house looked like someone ransacked it,” she told me. “I definitely want people to feel at home. Or, I guess, at my home?”

When my order was ready, I took my lunch up the Hill and eagerly unwrapped my grilled cheese. I ordered the “Fugget About It” sandwich paired with creamy tomato bisque. The sandwich featured an indulgent garlic herb butter, the house cheese blend, fresh basil pesto, and tomato slices topped with a sweet balsamic glaze. The bread was fluffy, crispy, and buttery — and best when dunked straight into the soup.

The whole affair was quite gooey and drippy, which is to be expected of the best-grilled cheeses. I found the flavors reminiscent enough of a classic grilled cheese to inspire nostalgia for lunch on elementary school snow days, but the tangy garlic and herb butter and balsamic drizzle added a nuanced complexity to the sandwich. I wholeheartedly encourage all Hamilton students to try this sandwich, but I have a sneaking suspicion that it’s pretty hard to go wrong with any order at The Compound.

Anna usually gravitates toward “The Farmer’s Market” and advises to ask for it with avocado and bacon.

The menu changes four times a year, from season to season, but Anna assured me not to fret if a favorite item disappears. “We also do weekly specials which sometimes make the menu, so if you really like a sandwich let it be known!” she said. And for those aspiring dorm chefs, Anna has a tip for making the perfect grilled cheese: “Butter both sides of the bread!”

The visionaries behind the Compound certainly took a leap of faith opening shop in the midst of the pandemic, but they were right to trust the loyalty of the Clinton community. Anna wanted to let all Hamilton customers know she’s thankful for our support since the restaurant’s opening.

“We love y’all, and we’re so damn thankful to see your beautiful faces on the daily. Thank you.”