Melt Celebrated in the Dark with 5th Annual Blackout Party

CLEVELAND, OHIO – Melt Bar & Grilled, a Cleveland favorite for gourmet grilled cheese sandwich creations, will celebrate in the dark this weekend with its 5th annual Blackout Party. The lights-out event marks the Great Northeast Blackout of 2003. With no lights, no TVs, it’s Melt by candlelight—and flashlight.

Melt will offer a huge selection of dark beers for the weekend, including a special beer from Stone Brewing in San Diego for the event.  Stone’s 15th Anniversary Escondidian Imperial Black IPA will debut at Melt for the Blackout Party, with Melt being the first to tap the beer in the country.

“We’re really excited to have Stone’s anniversary black beer for Sunday’s event,” said Melt owner Matt Fish. “The owner of Stone, Greg Koch, is a big fan of Melt and wanted to send something cool out for the party. This is one of those nights when we won’t be glued to the TV or distracted. We’ll just talk, like all those neighbors did during the big blackout.”

In addition to Stone’s special brew, Melt will offer five dark domestic bottles, four import bottles, six on tap, plus Stone Smoked Porter and Dark & Stormy.

The Northeast Blackout, on August 14, 2003, affected 10 million people in Canada and 45 million in eight U.S. states, darkening cities from Cleveland to New York.

This summer, Melt has been recognized by a plethora of grilled cheese lovers, including PETA, who praised Melt’s “Kindergarten” grilled cheese sandwich as a top vegan choice, and “ESPN The Magazine,” which named Melt one of the top 10 best sports bars in the country.

“It truly just keeps getting better and better at Melt,” says owner Matt Fish. “We seem to have something for everyone, from vegans to fisherman to sports nuts. With our third location opening this fall, we keep working on new and innovative monthly special sandwiches to keep our fans on their toes. And we’re still having fun, too, and that’s the No. 1 goal.”

Melt also recently unveiled a new website at www.meltbarandgrilled.com—a place for everything Melt, from rave reviews to the story behind the popular restaurant chain to an online store for dedicated Melt aficionados. The new Melt site is a central hub for all three Melt locations: on the Eastside at 14718 Detroit Avenue in Lakewood, on the Westside at 13436 Cedar Road in Cleveland Heights, and opening soon in the South at Liberty Commons on Rockside Road in Independence.

Melt is not only a local favorite but has garnered national attention from The Food Network’s “Diner’s, Drive-ins and Dives,” “USA Today,” “ESPN The Magazine,” “The Boston Globe,” FOX News and The Travel Channel’s “Man vs. Food.” Accolades for the ground-breaking menu items include “Cleveland Magazine’s” Best Sandwich and “Esquire’s” One of the Best Sandwiches in America list.

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