Thursday, May 10, 2007

Meltdown etc.



I had lunch today at the 2-day-old Meltdown etc. in good ol’ downtown Culver City. Shortly after they opened for lunch today, they quickly had a steady line out the door. Their main attraction are grilled sandwiches (including breakfast and dessert sandwiches), along with some side dishes like soup, salad and potato chips. I had the Market Melt ($8.75), with herb goat cheese, fontina cheese, grilled vegetables, caramelized onions and walnut pesto on ciabatta bread.



My friend ordered their “classic 3 cheese” with cheddar, muenster and fontina, and he opted for one of the 3 add-ons, applewood smoked bacon ($6.75 + $2.00).


Both sandwiches were enjoyable, and certainly made for a great affordable, easy lunch. They carry a variety of bottled teas, juices, water, and even bottled Coke from Mexico (made with sugar rather than corn syrup). My only criticism is that my sandwich was just lightly grilled, and the vegetables inside were on the cool side. I really enjoy grilled sandwiches very dark and crisp, perhaps I can make a request next time. They sell bags of Dirty brand potato chips, which are pretty good, and similar in style to Kettle Chips. Although, it would be really fabulous if they made their own chips, or even just offered a nice side of fries or onion rings, which would have rounded out the meal perfectly.

Meltdown etc.
9739 Culver Blvd
Culver City, Ca 90232
310-838-MELT

8 comments:

Aubrey said...

So bummed that there is little to no chance of me hitting Meltdown since they have really bad hours. I had been waiting to check this place out for so long and then was heartbroken when they said they're basically open during the day only (can't catch it coming home from work). Just sad. Good post though Bree!

triplecreme said...

Aubrey -
Yes, right now they are open only weekdays from 11-3. They have breakfast items on thier menu, which I am assuming they will began opening earlier someday soon.

Anonymous said...

Forget the sandwich...I'd go just for the Dirty Potato chips.

They are hard to find, but the best potato chips I've ever had.

Hopefully those hours will change, because I'd like to check out this place.

H. C. said...

hopefully they open for dinner soon, can't wait to check it out on a weeknight (esp. the "Sweet melts")

Anonymous said...

Seems there are quite a few of these upscale grilled sandwich shops opening up. Makes sense, most anything tastes better warm and crisp.

There's quite a few in NY - 'Pressed', 'Press Sandwich' - there's one that only does Grilled Cheese.

and o/t - one that specializes in Mac N' Cheese!

Cheese is good.

Anonymous said...

I just had the regular grilled cheese and I thought it was very tasty. However, I do think the prices are a little high and they should come with chips or fries or something like that. My coworker got a chicken sandwich, chips, a drink and fruit and it was like $15 bucks. I don't think you'll continue to see long lines if people will be shelling out that much money a few times a week. Needless to say the food is good!

Anonymous said...

after reading your nice review, i ran down there for lunch. after looking at the 6 or so sandwiches, i ordered the turkey melt.

it took over 45 minutes before i was walking out with sandwich in hand. it was also 9.50$, and really don't go if you're hungry. though it had good mustard on it, and was tasty.

loaded with biz types from the nearby studio, it's really not about the taste or value of the food.

johnnyrokkit said...

Had the three-cheese with smoked bacon, a bottle of pop and a side of potato salad. The food was good, not great, and certainly not worth the $16 I dropped on it. I won't be back unless there's some price adjustments. There are other places to go for a pressed sandwich in the are that are a far better value, IMHO. Try Tea Forest or Bluebird Cafe.