Melt for Melt

Melt Grill

2805 Center Valley Parkway

Center Valley, PA 18034

610-798-9000

Menu: Italian food with a modern twist

Atmosphere: Upscale, laid back, club on third floor of restaurant

Kid Friendly: Get a Sitter

Prices: Not too bad for an upscale place, dinner for 4 was $130 without alcohol

While Lou and I were home in NJ we met up with our good friends Dana and Brian to have dinner near their home in Emmaus, PA. When I say, good friend, Dana and I grew up across the street from one another since we were 12 years old.

There is a new Sands casino in Bethlehem, PA which was built in the old Bethlehem Steel building. Originally we were going to eat at Emeril's Grill at the casino, but it was booked so we opted for a favorite, Melt.

Melt is located in an outdoor shopping mall, The Promenade Shops at Saucon Valley. They describe their own menu as a modern twist on traditional Italian cuisine, but I wouldn't classify this as an Italian restaurant. I see it more as an upscale grill with an Italian influence.

The decor in Melt is beautiful. The pictures are a nice representation of the main dining room, but whoever designed melt made the mistake of making the middle of the main floor the focal point complete with a large floor to ceiling fireplace. I imagine most people, who have been to Melt before, ask to be sat on the main floor, but there are only about 40 seats in that area.
Another strange design choice is the bathrooms. They are on the second floor. A lot of restaurants have their restrooms on the second floor, this is true, but the second floor of Melt is up a staircase which reaches a span of 2-3 regular stories. The ceilings are very high. There is an elevator that can be used to reach the restrooms as well, but in general, unless you are sitting on the second floor, it is a bit inconvenient.

Each time we have been to Melt, I been happy with my meal. This time I went for the Penne Pasta Bosciala and a Caesar Salad. Something about me which may become apparent as I continue with this blog, is there are certain items I like to try at different places. One of those items is the Caesar Salad. I love it when it is made correctly. This one was perfect. The parmesan was shaved in large pieces across the top. The dressing was not too heavy, and it had the signature anchovies on top. A slight twist to Melt's version were 3 small, soft breadsticks on the side instead of croutons.

I was also very happy with the Penne Bosciala. It was diced chicken with wild mushrooms, zucchini and sage in a light cream sauce. The combination was outstanding. The cream sauce was light so the dish was not uncomfortably filling like a lot of cream sauce pastas.

This dinner I actually got some wine! Dana and I tried the Sketchbook Pinot Noir. It was a good wine suggested by the server, but I got the impression the server didn't know much about the wine list except a few choice bottles. I don't think this is entirely out of character for a place like Melt. It is probably one of the nicest restaurants in the area, but it is in a Mall, and I don't imagine it draws a professional wait staff with extensive wine knowledge.

For dessert, Brian and I shared the Pistachio Cake with white chocolate icecream. It was two generous pieces of cake. The taste was similar to pound cake with a pistachio flavor and nuts throughout. It was very good.

On a whole our experience at Melt was excellent. Everyone enjoyed their meal choices. Our server was fun. We harassed him consistently through the meal, but he took it in stride. There was one late arrival of a Caprese Salad which Brian ordered, but it was corrected quickly. If traveling through the Allentown area, Melt is worth a trip.