The Melt-Closed

The Melt
7870 Monet Ave Ste 1050
Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91739
909-332-3342

The Melt is a San Francisco Bay Area based chain.  I went toThe Melt at the Americana in Glendale, which is now closed, and thought it was pretty good.  I found out that The Melt had a location at the Victoria Gardens in Rancho Cucamonga, and since I've never been to Victoria Gardens, I decided to go.

The Melt is on a corner lot with a good sized dining area in the middle of the room.  The line to order is to the left as you enter. The Melt trys to appeal the hipster crowd with their decor.  I find it boring, but whatever!

3 Cheese classic with sharp cheddar, muenster, and fontina cheese, $5.99 on artisan French bread with jalapenos.  Florentine bacon mac & cheese, $4.99- No bacon, creamy cheddar, fontina & provolone with spinach and crispy onions.

The 3 Cheese classic was ok, but I was expecting more flavor!  Maybe the muenster and fontina balanced out the sharp cheddar or maybe the sharp cheddar isn't as sharp.  But, it was lacking flavor.  Good thing I added the jalapenos!  That added a nice kick to the grilled cheese.  The artisan French bread was good though.

Like an idiot, I ordered the Florentine bacon mac & cheese without the bacon, instead of the trio mac & cheese, which is $3.99.  For that extra $1 I got bits of spinach.  Totally not worth the extra price.  Florentine actually means a dish serve with spinach!  But, the mac & cheese was very creamy and the amount of cheese was great.  The macaroni was a bit undercooked, too tough and chewy, maybe another 2-3 minutes in the pot and it would have been fine.

Service was good.  Nice and friendly.  But, you can order on tablets instead of the counter, but the tablets only accept cards, no cash!  I wish they would have a sign, wasted a few minutes ordering on the tablets, only to find they do not accept cash.

I wouldn't go back to The Melt again.

Heywood A Grilled Cheese Shoppe-Closed

Heywood A Grilled Cheese Shoppe
3337 W Sunset Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90026
323-667-1522

I loved grilled cheese sandwiches as a kid but rarely eat it as an adult.  I just don't think it's worth the money restaurants charge for grilled cheese sandwiches.  Gourmet store to buy cheese and bread.  A pannini maker or just a hot pan, and you can make a grilled cheese for much less.

But, I've been by Heywood a few times and read good reviews.  But, last week I read they had lost their lease and will be closing at the end of June.  So, I figured give them a try.  While they are closing, the coffee shop/cafe that is taking over will serve some of the grilled cheese sandwiches from Heywood's menu.

Vintage, $9,-cheddar, butter, on multi-grain bread.  All grilled cheese comes with tomato soup and salad.

The Vintage was fine, good quality cheddar and nice oversized multi grain bread.  But, nothing great and not worth the $9 price tag.  Yes, it includes soup and salad but still not a good value.

Tomato soup and salad included with all grilled cheese sandwiches.  Salad was fresh, probably from a package. 

Tomato soup- served lukewarm.  Nice tangy flavor, but nothing special.

Service was OK.

Again, the grilled cheese sandwich was fine.  But, not worth the price.  But, the hipsters who have taken over Silver Lake, must love Heywood, because many people are coming by for a grilled cheese before they close.