Melt: A Restaurant Review
NOTE: I know this is a post that's not of particular interest to anyone outside of the New York area, dealing as it does with a Brooklyn-based restaurant, but I wanted to write it anyway, if for no other reason than to show all you good people that Girlfriend and I don't just eat at places like Arby’s. I'll try to make it interesting though.
Melt
440 Bergen St.
Brooklyn, NY 11217
718-230-5925
The Occasion: Girlfriend just completed her Spring semester of Grad School classes, so we thought we'd celebrate by eating some food served on an actual plate, as opposed to a Styrofoam container. We got dressed up (rather, she got dressed up; I put on the shirt with the least-visible stains on it) and proceeded to hit the town... with a vengeance!!! By "with a vengeance," I of course mean "with a positive, cheery attitude and an enthusiasm for a good meal to come."
The Place: Melt is hip, but not oppressively so; their color scheme of brown and white is pleasant but not distracting, the waitstaff is uniformly friendly and attractive, and the whole environment gives off the air of a funky, SoHo apartment owned by a really cool couple who throw amazing dinner parties. While we were there, the bar played a mix of old Morrissey tunes and Lily Allen's new CD, which made for a surprisingly good-vibish background to the meal at hand.
A Note About The Meal: We went to Melt specifically last night because, on Tuesdays, they do a 20$ "tasting menu." This is fancy-speak for "five courses of food, small portions, and you don't get to choose what you eat." This sounds a little restrictive, but, as we'd been to Melt before, we trusted them to only give us the good stuff. We were not disappointed.
THE FOOD
Course #1 - Butternut Squash Soup with Bacon and Hazelnuts
This was just fine, but I'm really not that big of a fan of squash so, with me, it was already starting at a disadvantage. It tasted good, however, or as good as anything made with a gourd could possibly hope to be; I did find it a bit weird that it had whole hazelnuts floating in it. It was like combining a soup with a bar snack and it was a little disconcerting. Girlfriend, though, was tempted to ask if she could have all five of her courses just be this soup. It was her favorite thing of the evening.
As good as: A date to the movies with a pretty girl who makes the first move towards holding hands.
Course #2 - Goat Cheese Wonton with a Green Salad
I know that it's probably in bad form to use the phrase "holy shit" while writing a restaurant review, but seriously... Holy Shit! The Goat Cheese Wonton was... well... a wonton stuffed with goat cheese and loads of fresh herbs, but it was un-fucking-believable. It was punch in the mouth from the Heavyweight Champion of Flavor. It was fresh and bright and just greasy enough to make you feel at home; it was deep-fried Springtime and I could have eaten a bucket of those magnificent bastards. The green salad wasn't bad, but it was like watching a double feature of The Umbrellas of Cherbourg and Happy Gilmore; two good things, but things that reside on two different planes of existence nonetheless.
As good as: Finding boxes of money in the back of your closet while a naked Reese Witherspoon gives you a massage as, in the background, your favorite baseball team wins the World Series with a walk-off grand slam.
Course #3 - Mushroom Croquette with Red Pepper Aoli
Creamy and flavorful, the Mushroom Croquette was very tasty and probably would have impressed me more had it not followed the Goat Cheese Wonton of Eternal Wonderment and Magic. As it was, though, it reminded me of a really good hors d'oeuvres served at an office party where you're not required to wear a tie.
As good as: Bumping into an old classmate at the supermarket and having a nice conversation for about ten minutes, before you both have to split to run more errands.
Course #4 - Mini-Tostada with Guacamole and Chipolte Drizzle
This was the only semi-dud of the evening. It wasn't bad, per se, it just wasn't up to the quality of the rest of the meal. The guac was certainly well-prepared and the chipolte stuff was tasty, but... meh. Definitely the lowlight.
As good as: A really long nap where you wake up all fuzzy-brained and slightly sweaty.
Course #5 - Maryland Crabcake with Celery Slaw
As crabcakes go, it was top notch. More meat than breadcrumbs (always a good sign) and not overly seasoned like some that you find, it was the perfect accompaniment to the celery slaw upon which it sat. The slaw, by the way, was called something else; something fancy. But I can't think of the word right now and, really, it was just a caper-heavy coleslaw. Good, though.
As good as: Watching a guy who carjacked a granny getting beat with a stick.
POST-FOOD
NOTE: After the tasting menu was done, we decided to stick around for dessert and a round of drinks.
Alcoholic Beverage - Grappa
Grappa is basically Italian moonshine and it's fabulous. If you can get your hands on this grape-based White Lightning, I highly recommend that you try it. Careful though: It'll take your head off if you don't watch your back.
Dessert - Peanut Butter and Jelly Cheesecake
Oh... god... Melt took my childhood and formed into a fattening dessert that made my eyes roll back in my head. I'm also pretty sure I saw dead relatives and heard classical music playing. There may have been a pearly gate, but I'm not sure as I was too busy licking my plate.
CONCLUSION
At one point, Girlfriend said to me, "It's like the Iron Chefs are cooking for us and the secret ingredient is 'Deliciousness!'"
I couldn't have said it better myself.
Melt
440 Bergen St.
Brooklyn, NY 11217
718-230-5925
The Occasion: Girlfriend just completed her Spring semester of Grad School classes, so we thought we'd celebrate by eating some food served on an actual plate, as opposed to a Styrofoam container. We got dressed up (rather, she got dressed up; I put on the shirt with the least-visible stains on it) and proceeded to hit the town... with a vengeance!!! By "with a vengeance," I of course mean "with a positive, cheery attitude and an enthusiasm for a good meal to come."
The Place: Melt is hip, but not oppressively so; their color scheme of brown and white is pleasant but not distracting, the waitstaff is uniformly friendly and attractive, and the whole environment gives off the air of a funky, SoHo apartment owned by a really cool couple who throw amazing dinner parties. While we were there, the bar played a mix of old Morrissey tunes and Lily Allen's new CD, which made for a surprisingly good-vibish background to the meal at hand.
A Note About The Meal: We went to Melt specifically last night because, on Tuesdays, they do a 20$ "tasting menu." This is fancy-speak for "five courses of food, small portions, and you don't get to choose what you eat." This sounds a little restrictive, but, as we'd been to Melt before, we trusted them to only give us the good stuff. We were not disappointed.
THE FOOD
Course #1 - Butternut Squash Soup with Bacon and Hazelnuts
This was just fine, but I'm really not that big of a fan of squash so, with me, it was already starting at a disadvantage. It tasted good, however, or as good as anything made with a gourd could possibly hope to be; I did find it a bit weird that it had whole hazelnuts floating in it. It was like combining a soup with a bar snack and it was a little disconcerting. Girlfriend, though, was tempted to ask if she could have all five of her courses just be this soup. It was her favorite thing of the evening.
As good as: A date to the movies with a pretty girl who makes the first move towards holding hands.
Course #2 - Goat Cheese Wonton with a Green Salad
I know that it's probably in bad form to use the phrase "holy shit" while writing a restaurant review, but seriously... Holy Shit! The Goat Cheese Wonton was... well... a wonton stuffed with goat cheese and loads of fresh herbs, but it was un-fucking-believable. It was punch in the mouth from the Heavyweight Champion of Flavor. It was fresh and bright and just greasy enough to make you feel at home; it was deep-fried Springtime and I could have eaten a bucket of those magnificent bastards. The green salad wasn't bad, but it was like watching a double feature of The Umbrellas of Cherbourg and Happy Gilmore; two good things, but things that reside on two different planes of existence nonetheless.
As good as: Finding boxes of money in the back of your closet while a naked Reese Witherspoon gives you a massage as, in the background, your favorite baseball team wins the World Series with a walk-off grand slam.
Course #3 - Mushroom Croquette with Red Pepper Aoli
Creamy and flavorful, the Mushroom Croquette was very tasty and probably would have impressed me more had it not followed the Goat Cheese Wonton of Eternal Wonderment and Magic. As it was, though, it reminded me of a really good hors d'oeuvres served at an office party where you're not required to wear a tie.
As good as: Bumping into an old classmate at the supermarket and having a nice conversation for about ten minutes, before you both have to split to run more errands.
Course #4 - Mini-Tostada with Guacamole and Chipolte Drizzle
This was the only semi-dud of the evening. It wasn't bad, per se, it just wasn't up to the quality of the rest of the meal. The guac was certainly well-prepared and the chipolte stuff was tasty, but... meh. Definitely the lowlight.
As good as: A really long nap where you wake up all fuzzy-brained and slightly sweaty.
Course #5 - Maryland Crabcake with Celery Slaw
As crabcakes go, it was top notch. More meat than breadcrumbs (always a good sign) and not overly seasoned like some that you find, it was the perfect accompaniment to the celery slaw upon which it sat. The slaw, by the way, was called something else; something fancy. But I can't think of the word right now and, really, it was just a caper-heavy coleslaw. Good, though.
As good as: Watching a guy who carjacked a granny getting beat with a stick.
POST-FOOD
NOTE: After the tasting menu was done, we decided to stick around for dessert and a round of drinks.
Alcoholic Beverage - Grappa
Grappa is basically Italian moonshine and it's fabulous. If you can get your hands on this grape-based White Lightning, I highly recommend that you try it. Careful though: It'll take your head off if you don't watch your back.
Dessert - Peanut Butter and Jelly Cheesecake
Oh... god... Melt took my childhood and formed into a fattening dessert that made my eyes roll back in my head. I'm also pretty sure I saw dead relatives and heard classical music playing. There may have been a pearly gate, but I'm not sure as I was too busy licking my plate.
CONCLUSION
At one point, Girlfriend said to me, "It's like the Iron Chefs are cooking for us and the secret ingredient is 'Deliciousness!'"
I couldn't have said it better myself.
posted by Clinton at 8:33 AM
17 Comments:
Melt is a few blocks from my apartment and I have wanted to check it out for a while. Thanks to your review, I think I might actually follow through with that plan.
i ate at melt a few days ago and it was really good. try their burger with bleu cheese.
great blog, btw; found you thru gawker
Jeff... It's nice to be a public service instead of a public menace every once in a while. Enjoy it!
Joey... Oooh, will do! Love burgers, love bleu cheese; it's all good. Thanks for stopping by!
What part of Bergen St.? Must be right near me but I dont' know this place. I got hungry reading this even though I am totes hung ovs & naush. Sorry for the abbrevs but look how much time I saved.
It's right off the corner of 5th and Bergen; they usually have a board outside on the sidewalk with the specials on it, but that's really only the way to tell it's there because I don't remember actuallys seeing a sign.
Also, I'm glad you saved some time, but I'm sorry you're hungover. Hungovers are lame.
Sounds like a cool place. Nothing quite like that, that I know of, in Denver. A bit too hoighty-toighty for my tastes.
Although the PB&J cheesecake does sound like a slice of...well, I can only assume you saw heaven, but based on your love for Arby's, you never know.
It was hoity-toity, but in the best possibly meaning of the phrase. It was nice and classy, but not overly fussy and stiff, if that makes any sense.
And if the Food Network is any source of info, I think there's some nice dining in Denver. It might be under twenty inches of snow, but it's there.
Yum. I'm totally wanting that goat cheese wonton now.
You and me both, buddy. Ranch dip and crackers don't compare.
Thx for the review. I've been wanting to go there for a while, I usually stumble by the joint after having too many dirty marts at Flatbush Farm, around the corner!
No probs. Happy to spread the deliciousness.
Duh.
If you want the skinny on places to eat in Denver, just ask me!
This post actually gave me a craving for Lobster Ravioli.
If I didn't have to go to the hardware store after work, I would totally be hitting Il Fornaio after work.
Big Daddy is a member of Denver's Chamber of Commerce.
and Concierge.
I never wanted to eat again after last night. It was absolutely peerfect. And Clint didn't even mention my chocolate soufle with raspberries.
an evening that ends without having to hurl pastry at a passing killer van is always a good thing.
Girlfriend... Sorry; I figured since I only had a bite of it, I wasn't qualified to expound upon it's glories.
Pigeon... And better for the blood pressure, too.
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