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| - While visiting Cleveland over the holidays, I made it into Melt for dinner to celebrate my brother's birthday. We called ahead last Friday night and were told the wait would be around an hour and forty five minutes to two hours for a table of eight. Well, they weren't kidding. I have been to the other location in Lakewood, and the wait there was just just as bad. However, at the Lakewood location, they allow you to leave and come back when your table is ready. At the Rockside location, they give you a nametag that you have to wear, and when you table is ready, they come find you based on the name tag.
A friend and I arrived early so that everyone else didn't have to wait the whole time. We made our way up to the bar and grabbed a place to stand because an entire section of the bar was missing stools. It's a good thing that Melt has an excellent selection of about thirty beers on tap, so you can drink a ton while you're waiting. That way by the time you are actually seated, you're super happy and starving. This has literally happened to me every single time I've gone to Melt.
Anyway, two hours later, our table was finally ready. There was some table drama going on which the server definitely made obvious by the way she interacted with the host. It was kind of unprofessional. In general, I've been pretty disappointed by the service in Cleveland. Maybe it's the lack of competition...I'm not quite sure. Anyway, the service was fine once we got settled in.
I ordered the vegan Mushroom Melt, which is a favorite of mine, and my friend ordered the Backyard BBQ for us to swap. I love the Mushroom Melt, but the Backyard BBQ really stole the show. The only thing it was lacking way a little more BBQ sauce. I love BBQ sauce and wanted it to be dripping. Three other people at our table ordered the Purple Parma but weren't told until after ordering that they were out of it. That was probably disappointing for the others in our party. The fries that come on the side taste fresh cut and are excellent with some malt vinegar and lots of ketchup.
While I don't think anywhere is worth a two hour, Melt has a part of my heart, and I try to go there at least once a year during my visits back to Cleveland.
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