Cleveland Rocks!

:)





I know I'm not one of the new elite since I know Drew Carey is the host of The Price Is Right, but I have yet to hear him say "Cleveland Rocks," the catch phrase for his old show. However, I happen to agree that Cleveland is far cooler than most people would imagine. Oh sure, there's The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (almost the coolest museum EVER unless you take a four-year-old along who wants a snack bar). It also has professional sports and a revitalized river and lake front that are both interesting places to visit. The weather along Lake Erie can be treacherous in the winter, but I would bet they are far warmer than we are. But that's not all. Cheese has put me firmly in Cleveland's corner this time.
While Wisconsin is noted for dairy stuff, I have yet to find a bar/grill like I found in Cleveland last weekend: a food place that depends almost entirely on cheese for its menu! (well, cheese and beer, it seems). I'll get to the specifics.
The place is called Melt since most of the menu is comprised of variations on grilled cheese...yep, that staple of Moms everywhere. Oh, there are soups and salads (see the photo), but make no mistake: it's forte is grilled cheese. And cheap? It's my kind of place.
I had half of a grilled cheese (Texas toast that stretches my mouth's ability to, well, stretch (made with pepper jack, one of seven cheese choices, a salad that covered the plate made of every green BUT lettuce, it seemed, including some I'd tried to Ortho in my lawn last summer, AND a potato, cheese and jalapeno soup that was the best soup I'd ever eaten. For seven bucks!
I paired that with a Stone Arrogant Bastard beer ( I just had to) and was benefitted by others at the table who failed to finish their sandwiches.
Thus, I did not get to go for the fried Twinkies since I was full. And that's just the food. You want ambience?
At the doorway, we were met with a display case containing all sorts of bobbleheads (including a former Cleveland star...see photo), twelve-inch high lifelike dolls of KISS, and a maitre de who had more tattoos than a drunken sailor on Monday morning in Shanghai, and she was the LEAST tatted person in the place! Incredible.
The only discomforting moment occurred while the Cleveland Browns game was being shown on TV. A player scored and proceeded to jump into the stands in the end zone.
"POSER!" I shouted while noting loudly that sort of thing should only be done in Green Bay. Fortunately, my son dragged me away before the crown got ugly.
All in all, one of my top five places to go in Cleveland.
Next to the RnR HOF, sans snack bar.