MELT! I've heard about this wondrous grilled cheese haven for years.

There are few things more soothing to the soul than a perfect grilled cheese - lightly brown and buttery on the outside with cheese oozing out the edges.

Maybe a large fuzzy blanket. Or maybe the way the sun beats on your back during a warm summer day. Those are both pretty soul-soothing. I think I'm just missing summer at this point.

But a grilled cheese is really the quintessential comfort food for me - add in a thousand different KINDS of grilled cheeses, and this is some sort of cheesy restaurant god.

Inside, it's not very big, which can result in a long wait time. We got there right as lunch started, so we were seated right away. No problem.

The feel inside is pretty cool. Kind of like a punk rock/alt vibe with funky lights and artwork.

The menu had me pretty split, to be honest. I had it down to the lasagna grilled cheese "Godfather" (which was on Food Network's "The Best Thing I Ever Ate") and the Parmageddon, which has potato & onion pierogi, kraut, sautéed onions and sharp cheddar. The latter was mentioned in many reviews, and is named after a nearby Polish town, Parma.

Ultimately, I went with the lasagna grilled cheese. Because, I mean, three-cheese lasagna, with fresh fennel-oregano pasta sheets, basil marinara, roasted garlic, provolone and romano. Plus I can get my pierogi fix in Pittsburgh fairly easily.

LOOK AT THIS BEAST. I don't know if you can tell how huge this is. But I had trouble finishing just one half. It's a solid layered lasagna sandwiched between two thick pieces of bread topped with some parmesan. So much oozing marinara and mozzarella. So messy. So tasty.

I couldn't finish it. But I sure enjoyed trying it. A damn good piece of lasagna loaded with more carbs and cheese - I don't need to explain how delish that is. Marinara is flavorful, but lets the ricotta, parmesan and mozzarella shine.

Grade: A

My Saturday was going to start off in an epic way - a visit to Melt. We arrived just a few minutes early, so we traversed a giant snow mountain and stopped in Campbell's Sweet Factory first for some treats.

The store has floor to ceiling covered in popcorn, fresh made candies, chocolates and more.

The cases held so many goodies, I can't even describe - turtle cupcakes, strawberry cupcakes, peanut butter cups, chocolate-covered pretzels, and so much more.

I had to get a buckeye, because Ohio. And I had to get the salted caramel cup because it's impossible for me to pass that up.

Buckeyes are delicious. I didn't realize they were an Ohio thing until, like, two years ago. We always had them in grocery stores and stuff. But that may be because I grew up near Ohio? Not sure.

The caramel cup was also good, but not light and delicate.The cup took some power to bite through. All in all, I'm not sure you can give a candy store a low grade.

Grade: A  

I had read many, many good things about the Greenhouse Tavern in Cleveland. So, when I visited last weekend, it was my first stop as soon as I entered the city borders.

The restaurant is hip, with bicycles hanging from the walls and an eclectic, antique feel. So, yes, I loved it. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

The menu is unique with some "firsts" or appetizers. "Seconds" include crispy chicken wings confit, foie gras steamed clams and pork ramen. "Thirds" are seared market fish, bucket of tabasco chicken, pig head, pan fried pork chop saltimbocca. Plus burgers like a lamb, rib steak or beef tartar.






















I had read about their crispy chicken wings, so I went with that. They're roasted with jalapeno, lemon juice, scallion and garlic.

When they came out, they were presented as a unique dish with scallions and garlic topping them. They were pretty crispy, and the bones just fell right out. But as far as flavor, the lemon juice dominated. Everything just tasted super acidic, and there wasn't much layering or depth here.

Or maybe I had gotten my hopes up.

Anyway, dessert was next, and a buttered popcorn pot de creme could not possibly sound any better.

It was small, but delicious. A thick layer of caramel with just a touch of sea salt gave way to the vanilla custard underneath. Very faint hints of buttered popcorn shined through, but it was enough to get a taste.

Overall - the atmosphere as fun, the chicken wings were hyped up a bit more than I thought they should be. The dessert was creamy and delicious.

Grade: B 

D'Annunzios is another well-known pepperoni roll bakery in Clarksburg. Well, they also have bread, of course. But I was here for the pepperoni rolls.

I'm not sure if I just hit it at the right time, but there was only a person or two in front of me. I made it up to the counter quickly and was able to get my bag of pepperoni rolls in a few minutes and be on my merry way.

The first thing I noticed was that this was a bit more "branded." My day job is spilling over into my blogging, I think. But the bags had their logos, instead of the customer's name scrawled on them.


The pepperoni rolls were actual bun shapes - not flat like Tomaro's - and also had cubed sticks of pepperoni inside. D'Annunzio's is less spicy than Tomaro's. A fluffy, hot pepperoni roll is a treat.

I don't want to pick favorites, but I think I may have liked this one a little better. But, try for yourself and let me know.

Grade: A

North Central West Virginia is home to the pepperoni roll. Fairmont's Country Club Bakery is credited with founding the pepperoni roll. Though, two bakeries in Clarksburg are keeping up the tradition. One of those is Tomaro's Bakery.

Natalie Tennant is definitely Team Tomaro's and has passed out these pepperoni rolls at events and touts them whenever she can. Tomaro's is known as one of THE bakeries for pepperoni rolls. So, I did a mini pepperoni roll tour and woke up early on a Sunday to check them out.

Yes, Sunday. Tomaro's is open Monday 8-5, Tuesday closed, Wednesday-Friday 8-5, Saturday closed, Sunday 8-1. So, Sunday was really my best option. A lot of other people had the same idea.

I found parking along the street in front of the building. The turnover in this spot was pretty quick - people were entering empty-handed and leaving with bags full of bakery goodies.

I went inside the building - but not too far. It was packed with people waiting for the fresh pepperoni rolls out of the oven. People were inside chit-chatting, obviously knowing each other or have grown up together. I mostly tried to awkwardly stay out of the way when new people came in through the door.

Finally, my name was called, and a white bag holding two hot pepperoni rolls was handed off to me. I took them to my car and immediately had to try one. There's something special about a hot pepperoni roll right out of the oven. Tomaro's are more flat on the tops and bottoms with a slightly spicey stick pepperoni. It's a pillowy soft texture with a nice bite inside.

The pepperoni roll is a part of our culture, and it doesn't get much better than a freshly baked one from one of the best bakeries in the area.  If you haven't, give them a try.

Grade:A