melt

man, i dig northside.

the same coworker who introduced me the downtown scene at cafe de paris took me for lunch yesterday at melt. just being back on hamilton reminded me of all the reasons we considered living in northside — tons of small, local businesses, all within walking distance. for some reason, though, now the drive to northside — which can distract me if i take ludlow through clifton so that i never quite make it to northside anyway – feels long, so i rarely make it. but this lack of exploratory spirit on my part makes discovering little nooks in northside all the sweeter.

i loved melt. loved loved loved it. i think i have loved a little hole-in-the-wall restaurant like it in almost every city i’ve lived in. madison (yeah, not a city, i know) has (sadly, had) savory thymes. the twin cities has trotter’s, hell’s kitchen, swede hollow. seattle had too many places to name. and now i find melt. i’m in restaurant nirvana.

melt is super-cute, but not that in that gag-me super-cute way. the floors are a little dingy and the paint job is chipping on the corners. it has striped panels lining the wall at head-height when you’re seated, a pressed-tin ceiling overhead, and fewer than 10 tables. the walls are currently displaying not wall-art but hand-made jewelry, all the pieces of which are stones wrapped in silver. they are kinda cool, with just a hint of hippie that does not go all the way to hemp hippie. which would be too far.

although it is TINY it feels bright and open. when you walk in the door you can feel the good health radiating outward from the kitchen. but this isn’t your wheat-germ-laced, raw-foodist-haven of health: this is good, good food that is well- and locally-made.

since i’m not a reporter and always forget to ask things like this, i’ve turned to google for more info. cincinnatiusa.com has this to say about melt’s food:

Sandwiches are made on Shadeau’s preservative-free, vegan bread, and dressings, soups, pesto and hummus are made in-store. All poultry used is antibiotic- and hormone-free. Other dishes include vegan chili made from Melt’s own recipe.

i can vouch for that chili. for lunch i had the nachos: a bed of sun chips covered (and i mean covered) in the house-made chili (with chopped red peppers and a lovely smokey taste that was not, i felt pretty confidently, liquid-smoke), black beans, yummy tomato salsa and a bit o’ sour cream on the side. lunch was at one o’clock, and i was still too full to eat a proper dinner that night. not a bad bargain for $6.95.