Melt

Four days off doing nothing and it's finally catching up to me. I feel spent, and falling asleep as I type this.

Our place is like a furnace, so it is always 10-15°F warmer and a lot more humid than the actual weather outside; okay in the winter, oppressive in the summer.

After perusing Melt Bar & Grilled's menu online last night, we decided to cool off by going there for lunch. My intention was to try the Firecracker chicken melt ($11.00), the melt for the month of July, and to try a crab cake ($3.00).

The plan was to arrive when the restaurant opened at 11:00. We left late, tried a new "quicker" route, and arrived at 11:30, just in time to nab the 2nd to last free table.

During my previous 2 visits, the lovely blue pressed tin ceiling has always stood out because it's as if time has frozen in the midst of the hectic blur. Multiple television screens ran Star Wars, a show that reminded me of Teletubbies but not as perverse, Scooby Doo, and a cooking show. The bar was full by the time our order arrived.

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There was an error that occurred so I received the crab cake appetizer ($8.00) instead of the side order. Our server apologized profusely and promised that only the add-on price would be charged. Poor woman.

The crab cake was tasty, a lot more seasoned than I prefer (none), but it works here because it isn't packed with celery, onions, and other nightmarish ingredients. Also served is a red pepper and corn salsa, which has a whiff of spiciness, and a creamy chipotle dip that was tangy, smoky, a slight kick, and a hint of celery salt.

When my sandwich arrived, I gasped at the enormous serving size. After taking several pictures, I was already full from the sight of everything!

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The sandwich wasn't scorching, but each bite had a little heat from the ancho, pasilla negro, cayenne, and chipotle dried pepper rub used on the blackened chicken. Also stacked within the sandwich were grilled pineapple, pepper jack cheese, and generous portions of avocado. I would love to order this sandwich again!

Bug admitted to being envious since my sandwich was 150% bigger than his, but quietly polished his El Diablo cheeseburger filled with fried jalapenos and pepper jack cheese. The same spice rub that was used on my chicken was used on his burger.

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We discussed getting dessert, despite filling 2 take-out containers of leftovers from my order alone. There were two dessert specials for July -- Rocky Road bread pudding and peanut butter cup cheesecake.

The bread pudding special changes monthly. Rocky Road bread pudding is described as baked with peanuts and chocolate chunks in the chocolate bread pudding with a marshmallow cream sauce, and chopped peanuts and chocolate chips. Vanilla ice cream is also served.

The monthly cheesecake special is peanut butter cup cheesecake; cheesecake with chocolate peanut butter cups, and peanut butter (made in-house) and chocolate toppings are drizzled on top.

How decadent! What a choice to make, in addition to their regular dessert, a fried Twinkie. We decided that we would order the dessert as take-out later in the month.

The prices are reasonable, and despite how busy the place is, I never feel rushed out of my table. It's no wonder people return.

- Cassaendra

Melt Bar & Grilled
14718 Detroit Ave
Lakewood, OH 44107
Tel: (216) 226-3699