Melt Opening 22nd - TODAY!

The jumping off discussion area for the rest of the Deck. All things Lakewood.
Please check out our other sections. As we refile many discussions from the past into
their proper sections please check them out and offer suggestions.

Moderator: Jim O'Bryan

User avatar
Jim O'Bryan
Posts: 14196
Joined: Thu Mar 10, 2005 10:12 pm
Location: Lakewood
Contact:

Melt Opening 22nd - TODAY!

Post by Jim O'Bryan »

Got this from Matt Fish owner of the Melt.

Hello New Friends,
I wanted to invite you all to Melt Bar and Grilled this weekend. We will be opening our doors to the beautiful people of Lakewood Friday, September 22nd. Come drink, eat and enjoy your new place!
Hope to see you soon.
Matt Fish
Melt Bar and Grilled
http://www.meltbarandgrilled.com>www.meltbarandgrilled.com
http://www.myspace.com/meltohio>www.myspace.com/meltohio
Jim O'Bryan
Lakewood Resident

"The very act of observing disturbs the system."
Werner Heisenberg

"If anything I've said seems useful to you, I'm glad.
If not, don't worry. Just forget about it."
His Holiness The Dalai Lama
User avatar
Jim O'Bryan
Posts: 14196
Joined: Thu Mar 10, 2005 10:12 pm
Location: Lakewood
Contact:

Post by Jim O'Bryan »

Place was packed on openign day.

The Lake Erie Monster was damn fine.

Image

Image

Hey Matt, "Hey O'Bryan, kind of busy, how was the food?" Matt Fish owner of The Melt.



.
Jim O'Bryan
Lakewood Resident

"The very act of observing disturbs the system."
Werner Heisenberg

"If anything I've said seems useful to you, I'm glad.
If not, don't worry. Just forget about it."
His Holiness The Dalai Lama
Jeff Endress
Posts: 858
Joined: Mon Apr 04, 2005 11:13 am
Location: Lakewood

Post by Jeff Endress »

Y'know, it's never fair to review a restaurant on opening day. No matter how well trained the staff, it's just always different with the first "live" crowd. But, having said that, looks like Matt's going to have a winner. There is certain to be a review in the future, but don't wait for that to give Melt a try. The most notable complaint from our table (and it was from Steve Davis, and what do you expect from a guy who makes his pizza crust out of whole wheat) was that the chicken breast was too large. Think size is important at Melt's....saw a lot of sandwich halves going home in boxes.

Jeff
Suzanne Metelko
Posts: 221
Joined: Mon Apr 04, 2005 2:55 pm

Post by Suzanne Metelko »

The summer chicken sandwich is a heart attack worth having. Sure enjoyed seeing the usual suspects. Maybe Matt can pry the recipe for Tomato Alfredo soup out of Laurie and Annie's hands. It was good to be home.
“The best argument against democracy is a five minute conversation with the average voter.â€
User avatar
Jim O'Bryan
Posts: 14196
Joined: Thu Mar 10, 2005 10:12 pm
Location: Lakewood
Contact:

Post by Jim O'Bryan »

Image
Parma, Italy


Image

Satellite image of the Parma, Italy


Image

Happy, full diners.


.
Jim O'Bryan
Lakewood Resident

"The very act of observing disturbs the system."
Werner Heisenberg

"If anything I've said seems useful to you, I'm glad.
If not, don't worry. Just forget about it."
His Holiness The Dalai Lama
dl meckes
Posts: 1475
Joined: Mon Mar 07, 2005 6:29 pm
Location: Lakewood

Post by dl meckes »

We got there tonight for a very early dinner and found a couple of Farrises getting togo.

I was geeked about the transom art and enjoyed the menu design.

They've done an amazing job of transforming the place.

We're now stuffed with great food (I had the Blackened Bleu Burger, DH had a Kindergarten with chicken) and we enjoyed the requested recitation of dessert even though we couldn't finish our meals.

I forgot to ask about the soup of the day.

We've already made plans to go back.

Melt is unique, yet familiar.

We found the soundtrack to be very eclectic and while I don't want to give anyone the wrong impression, any place that throws an old Hank Williams standard into the mix is ok with me.
“One of they key problems today is that politics is such a disgrace. Good people don’t go into government.”- 45
User avatar
Jim O'Bryan
Posts: 14196
Joined: Thu Mar 10, 2005 10:12 pm
Location: Lakewood
Contact:

Post by Jim O'Bryan »

Steve Hoffert and I did Breakfast there. The omlettes were really good, the toast was tasty, potatoes were uh er uh different, but good.

Took those left at the end of rally to lunch there. I think we had maybe 20 everyone seemed to enjoy what they had.

To be honest, it was a really fun day. Thanks to all.

,
Jim O'Bryan
Lakewood Resident

"The very act of observing disturbs the system."
Werner Heisenberg

"If anything I've said seems useful to you, I'm glad.
If not, don't worry. Just forget about it."
His Holiness The Dalai Lama
Lynn Farris
Posts: 559
Joined: Fri Mar 25, 2005 8:24 pm
Location: Lakewood, Ohio
Contact:

Post by Lynn Farris »

We did go there for take out on Saturday. I've been excited because they have so many vegetarian options - we do eat dairy.

Savannah had the pirogi's and thought they were great.

I had the mushrooms and cheese It too was great and the fries were terrific.

Don had the vege roast and thought it was great as well.

We definately plan to visit again.
"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away." ~ George Carlin
DougHuntingdon
Posts: 527
Joined: Tue Feb 07, 2006 10:29 pm

Post by DougHuntingdon »

I am glad I have been reading this thread. Initially it was my impression that the menu consisted solely of grilled cheese sandwiches (in addition to drinks).

Doug
Sean Wheeler
Posts: 184
Joined: Wed Sep 20, 2006 8:02 am
Location: Mars Ave

Post by Sean Wheeler »

This is just the type of business leader we need in our town. The food is great, the beer selection is fantastic. Just the thought of having Great Lakes Nosferatu on tap is enough to get me back there next week! I strongly encourage everyone to check Melt out.
c. dawson
Posts: 194
Joined: Fri Apr 14, 2006 2:22 pm

Post by c. dawson »

The Free Times had a good review for Melt in this week's issue! I definitely want to try the Parmaggedon!!



Check it out:

The Cleveland Free Times : www.freetimes.com
Article link : http://www.freetimes.com/story/4213
Volume 14, Issue 26
Published October 18th, 2006


All Up In Your Grilled
Melt Makes An Event of the Ultimate Comfort Food

By Douglas Trattner


When it comes to comfort foods, the conversation pretty much ends at the mention of a grilled cheese sandwich sided by a bowl of tomato soup. Snow days, sick days, Sundays all required this heart-warming soup-and-sammy combo, made by mom and delivered to our cozy nest in front of the television. Those schmaltzy recollections may explain why Melt, a restaurant that serves dozens of riffs on the grilled cheese sandwich, is presently the hottest ticket in Lakewood.

Set in the former White Door Saloon, a Lakewood institution since the '60s, Melt fits seamlessly into the eclectic neighborhood. Owner Matt Fish, a chef and musician, spent considerable time and effort spit-shining the erstwhile old-man bar into a fun and funky little café. The boisterous barroom is routinely packed with heavily inked artists, musicians and service-industry types, most with cigarette in one hand, pint glass in the other. Melt feels like backstage at the Beachland.

Menus are mounted onto the backs of old album covers, a clever idea that serves as an instant conversation starter. Eighties rock seems well represented here, with Best of Blondie, Asia's self-titled debut and Def Leopard's Pyromania all making an appearance at our table. (In hindsight, it's tough to defend the music of Asia.)

Melt also has a fantastic beer list, with close to 100 domestic and imported options spread across six pages. Unfortunately, the list isn't organized terribly well, with varieties grouped by state if domestic, and country if imported. Classifying them by style would make more sense. Equally bothersome is the absence of prices, which can range from $3.50 to $6.50 per pint.

It might be a stretch to say, as management often does, that Melt serves 30 different grilled cheese sandwiches. I mean, at what point does a grilled cheese sandwich with numerous add-ons become just a "sandwich"? But Fish, a man who has crisscrossed the globe playing music, succinctly pares down his concept to a unifying theme. "Every country seems to have good bread and cheese," he told me over the phone. "I wanted to take grilled cheese sandwiches to the next level."

Along that vein, every sandwich features hearty, thick-sliced bread, a healthy dose of cheese and a crisp exterior thanks to a hot seat on the flat-top. Fillings can be as austere as a slice of cheese, or as extravagant as a pair of handmade crab cakes. Hippies have the grilled peanut butter and banana sandwich to call their own; stoners get the Wake & Bacon, with bacon, egg and cheese; veggies can sink their pearly whites into the mushroom melt, a "meaty" stack of portabella, grilled onions and provolone.

Fish also gives props to his hometown, with sandwiches named after the old Municipal Stadium (brats), Lake Erie (walleye) and Parma (pierogies, of course). That Parmageddon ($9), by the way, is a beast of a sandwich. Two doughy potato pierogies share bread space with napa kraut, onions and cheese. "I'd hate to meet the man who can finish one of these," I told my tablemate.

A beer-battered flank of walleye is paired with American cheese, sweet slaw and jalapeno tartar sauce in the Lake Erie Monster ($12), though the advertised jalapeno was in short supply. In the Smoky Russian ($9.50), good (not great) quality smoked turkey gets an added dose of smokiness from multiple slices of Gouda. House-made napa cabbage sauerkraut provides the crunch. Occasionally, sandwiches exit the tiny kitchen having spent too little time on the griddle, leaving the cheese a little south of soft â€â€￾ a sin for a place called "Melt." And the thick, golden brown toast has a tendency to soak up a little too much butter, leaving it on the greasy side.

If the prices sound steep, keep in mind that a) the sandwiches are two-fisted behemoths, b) each comes with a mound of fresh-cut fries, and c) they also come with a hillock of sweet and crunchy slaw.

Appetizers include quesadillas, nachos, cheesy fries and a crock of amazing spinach-artichoke dip ($8), served with plenty of warm tortilla chips. There are also eight salads to choose from. On Sundays, Melt serves a brunch with eggs, french toast, waffles and omelets.

All those elaborate sandwiches are great fun, but when the mercury dips and melancholy comes knocking, it's the fundamentals that sound the most comforting. Fortunately, Melt has us covered in that regard. The Kindergarten ($6) is a plain grilled cheese sandwich. Grab one, along with a cup of tomato soup ($2), and park yourself at home in front of the tube. You won't even have to feign a fever to enjoy it.
Rhonda loje
Posts: 647
Joined: Wed Jun 29, 2005 10:08 pm

Melt

Post by Rhonda loje »

We were there tonight...the place was packed! The food was great..we had the walleye sandwich and the perogi appetizer. That was enough for the two of us!

The beer selection is terrific! I love Belgin beers!

Rhonda Loje
Post Reply