As mentioned in my last entry, I "fleed to the Cleve" for a long weekend to visit a long-time friend, Rick. Ever since the summer of '09 in the Berkshires, I've heard about this magical place called Melt Bar and Grilled, of which Rick is a loyal customer. There was no doubt in my mind that we would stop there immediately after my plane landed in Cleveland. All melt specialty grilled sandwiches look like a heart attack on a plate - I don't dare look at the nutrient facts if they were available. But the taste makes it so worth it. The waitresses and waiters are made up of biker chicks and tattooed dudes, who somehow keep their figure despite being surrounded by such food. The ambiance of the restaurant, according to this blog, is described as "cute and hipsterry," which I would complete agree with. Plastic snowmen and jack'o'lanterns adorn the shelves all year round, and the exposed brick on the walls make the restaurant seem all the more inviting.
Fun fact, Melt is recognized as one of the more vegetarian and vegan-friendly restaurants in Cleveland. The owner is vegetarian, and came up with a fantastic idea for a restaurant that has expanded to four different locations surrounding and in Cleveland. Many TV shows from the food network have visited Melt, namely the guy from Man vs. Food, who completed the melt challenge.
As my trip straddled the end of March/beginning of April, we had opportunities to enjoy the remainder of March's special and try April's special for the first time. March's special was a reuben, which was an excellent introduction to what Melt has to offer. The sandwich comes with two sides, which can be substituted as you wish. I got the coleslaw and the buffalo chicken chowder. The coleslaw was a bit dry for my liking, but the buff chic chow was exactly what I wasn't expecting but exactly what I wanted. Melt seems to have the same philosophy about their products as Apple - serving up products you didn't know you wanted and would love. Related, go read the Steve Jobs biography by Walter Isaacson, it's pretty darn good.
I was pleased to find out that Cleveland is a cheaper city than Boston - a beer and a sandwich with two sides cost $16, with the food easily lasting through two meals. I ended up eating the soup and 1/6th of the sandwich at Melt, and saved the rest for dinner the following night.
The pictures you will find below could easily be spotted on foodporndaily.com
On my last night of my stay in the Cleve, we treated ourselves to a five-course meal at Melt - spinach artichoke dip, buffalo fried tofu, roasted garlic tomato soup, southwest salad, jalapeno-induced soup, blackened chicken sandwich, mom's meatloaf dinner sandwich, and topped it off with the April special - peanut butter bread pudding. Delicious and not nutritious is an understatement. Couldn't have asked for a better last supper in the Cleve! Rick had a $20 off coupon, which he was proud to claim was his 12th coupon, which can be obtained after spending $300 at Melt. I may suggest to Rick a financially viable option of getting a Melt tattoo and receiving 25% off for life!
Even though Melt likes to keep their restaurants local to Cleveland, I still have a false hope that Melt will migrate to the east coast.
Thanks for being awesome tourguides, Rick and Annie!
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