Melt - Lakewood's best

Over the Memorial Day Weekend I decided to take a ride through the Metroparks. Since I was going to Rocky River to start the run I decided to hit Melt on Detroit right in the middle of Lakewood. Now Melt has gotten quite a bit of attention and good reviews, and all of it is deserved. For those who haven't been there or haven't heard Melt is one of the best bar/casual restaurants in the area. The decor is old fashion corner bar with all kinds of funky hip decor. The walls are covered with Cleveland memorabillia, with a heavy dose of Cleveland sports teams. There are plastic figures on top of the bar, Dracula, the Easter Bunny etc. and there are a number of TVs which may be on sports or on cartoons, either way you win. The music is great rock and roll. The atmosphere is fun and friendly with a lot of humor. Once you get in and seated, which may involve a wait as the place is usually humming along, you are faced with the first of many hard choices, what to drink. Melt offers one of the best beer menus around, with everything from the regular suspects to beers I haven't seen before. You'll have about 20 draft choices, and a near endless list of bottled beers sorted by category and with plenty of information in the list. All seem to be reasonably priced and there are usually monthly beer specials, so you will have even more options. Now you will get to the menu. Melt bases it's menu around the grilled cheese sandwich. But not the little old ones we used to get in school, these have been elevated to works of culinary art. With a wide range of choices it is hard to go wrong. I have had the Mushroom Melt, the Lake Erie Monster (walleye), the North Coast Shores (Crab Cakes) and they have been excellent. It starts with thick slices of good bread, which are then stuffed with high quality ingrediants and your choice of cheese and then grilled to perfection. Served with a large mound of home made fries and a good coleslaw, this will fill up even the biggest appetite. Melt has taken the grilled cheese and made it king. In addition the menu has a number of appetizers (try the vegie chili another winner), salads and burgers. There is also a monthly special, this month it was the Big Popper. A heavenly combination of cream cheese, cheddar cheese and jalepeno peppers is sandwiched between two slices of killer french toast and served with a side of blueberry maple sauce. This all combines together in ways that will make your tongue sing. The sweet and hot contrast nicely, as does the gooey cheese with the crisp peppers. Served at a size that made me cry Uncle for $8.00 it was the best meal I have had all month. I do want to mention the servers. In the times I have been to Melt, the service has been excellent. The servers know the menu and can explain it to you. Plus they really seem to enjoy working there. This last visit, the bartender was rocking out to the classic rock tunes as he kept drinks filled, delivered and cleared plates and generally made sure that everybody was having a good time. Kudos. Melt is located at 14718 Detroit Road in Lakewood, next to Geigers. There is a small patio. You can check them out on the web at http://www.meltbarandgrilled.com/home.html