On a recent trip to Cleveland (Ohio, hollaaa!!) we stopped in for lunch at a place I'd seen on Man vs. Food and Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives called Melt Bar and Grilled. Yes, grilled, not grill. Why grilled do you ask? Because they specialize in GRILLED CHEESE, one of America's favorite foods. These aren't just any grilled cheeses though, they are meat filled, pasta stuffed, cheese lathered, toasted buns of culinary goodness. After our hour long wait, which was so worth it, we sit down at a table surrounded by tacky yard art and Christmas lights, and are presented with the Beer List. Much like a wine list in a fancy restaurant, this beer list has 5 pages of Ales, Lagers, Stouts, blah blah blah blah blah. I don't really care for beer, but they did have Cider, w
hich I love dearly. See yard art------->But, whatever, I'm here for the food...
I bring to you the PARMAGEDDON!
An Ohio city famous for it's peirogies, Parma was blessed to have a Melt sandwich named after it. Let me read you the menu description: 2 potato and cheese pierogi (thats mashed potatoes and cheese stuffed into pasta my friends), fresh napa vodka kraut, grilled onions, sharp cheddar cheese.
Grilled flank, portabellas, pepper and onion, provolone.
An Ohio city famous for it's peirogies, Parma was blessed to have a Melt sandwich named after it. Let me read you the menu description: 2 potato and cheese pierogi (thats mashed potatoes and cheese stuffed into pasta my friends), fresh napa vodka kraut, grilled onions, sharp cheddar cheese. You mean to tell me they're shoving carbs inside of carbs and then covering with cheese and putting it in between two giant pieces of CARBS?
Yessssss ma'am! I had to order it.
Yessssss ma'am! I had to order it.
So they bring it out, and the first thing I notice is that this sandwich is bigger than my head. The second thing I notice are the fries.. ohhhhh the fries.... fried potatoes... they were the best fries I've ever had, and I'm not kidding. I'm talking plain fries here, not Snuffer's Cheese Fries (cuz those are on a whole different level). I dove into the fries first, and then took my first bite of this little piece of heaven called the Parmageddon. Delicious :) Lots of food, didn't finish it, but my God was it worth it!
Next up, the Cleveland Cheesesteak, which looked equally delicious.
Grilled flank, portabellas, pepper and onion, provolone.You'll see in this picture that there is lettuce and tomato on this sandwich- that's because this restaurant gave you a "Sides" menu, which charged you anywhere from $0.50 to $2.00 to add on any item you wanted to your sandwich. I'll talk more about this later with the next sandwich.
Look at the medium rare beef pressed between two giant pieces of Texas toast and slathered in cheese... mmmmm
The third and final sandwich we had (unfortunately we didn't get any of their deliciously fresh salads or homemade soups.. just sandwiches) was a Chorizo and Potato sandwich, which was turned into a Chorizo, Potato, C
heese, Bacon, Tomato, Ranch, and Grilled Onion sandwich by Bob. It also changed from an $8.50 grilled cheese into one that cost $13.00, due to the addition of all the sides. Nice work honey. It did taste good, but I'm not sure it was worth the $5 upcharge.
heese, Bacon, Tomato, Ranch, and Grilled Onion sandwich by Bob. It also changed from an $8.50 grilled cheese into one that cost $13.00, due to the addition of all the sides. Nice work honey. It did taste good, but I'm not sure it was worth the $5 upcharge. Spicy mexican sausage, potato hash, sharp cheddar.
Bobby had no issues at all inhaling this entire sandwich and whole plate of fries, which made me believe that he should've tried the Melt Challenge, which is a 5 lb grilled cheese and a side of fries. Thats 3 slices of Texas toast, 13 different kinds of cheeses, and a plate of fries. I bet he could've done it :) The only bad thing about the challenge (aside from clogged arteries, heartburn, and an upset stomach) is that if you finish it, it's not free!! You still have to pay for it... granted, it's a reduced cost (a $22 sandwich that you eventually end up paying $12 for after you use the $10 gift card they give you) but still, that's crap. He's still talking about how he's so mad at himself that he didn't do it, so maybe the next time we're in "the mistake on the lake", he'll give it a try.
Bobby had no issues at all inhaling this entire sandwich and whole plate of fries, which made me believe that he should've tried the Melt Challenge, which is a 5 lb grilled cheese and a side of fries. Thats 3 slices of Texas toast, 13 different kinds of cheeses, and a plate of fries. I bet he could've done it :) The only bad thing about the challenge (aside from clogged arteries, heartburn, and an upset stomach) is that if you finish it, it's not free!! You still have to pay for it... granted, it's a reduced cost (a $22 sandwich that you eventually end up paying $12 for after you use the $10 gift card they give you) but still, that's crap. He's still talking about how he's so mad at himself that he didn't do it, so maybe the next time we're in "the mistake on the lake", he'll give it a try.
So my friends, the next time you're in Cleveland, near Lakewood or Cleveland Heights, or Toledo.. or Akron.. or Canton.. or hell, anywhere within a 4 hour driving distance to Melt, take a roadtrip and go there. It's definitely an experience worth waiting for. Or, just get on their website and stare at their menu for a few months like I did, and just imagine the lovely grilled cheeses. http://meltbarandgrilled.com/grilled_cheese/
Chow!
