Cheese is the Word: Melt

Umami finally had a chance to try Melt when the lunchwagon was fortuitously parked across the street from Honolulu Hale!  It had somehow managed to scoop the prime location from the Simply Ono Lunchwagon, which had, in turn, managed to scoop the prime location from Nicky Lunchwagon.  It's a regular lunchwagon war on Punchbowl!

That's Honolulu Hale in the background

Melt is a lunchwagon that basically does variations on grilled cheese sandwiches.  It's like years and years ago when Cheeseburger in Paradise in Lahaina (before the Jimmy Buffet Lawsuit) basically did variations of cheesburgers.  Including one without the burger.  Which they helpfully identified as "just a grilled cheese sandwich."  Ah, to be back in the day, when you could get a cold beer and a cheeseburger and look out over Front Street, and start a pool on when Buffet would sue.  (If you guessed "1997," you win!) 

Anyway, Umami was saying just the other day that a grilled cheese sandwich can really only be Kraft American singles on grilled white bread.

Wrong.

At Melt, it can be Gouda, Gruyere and Cheddar on Sourdough!

Not Umami's Basic Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Umami, though, is partial to Reubens and, therefore, was compelled to order the Pastrami Melt, which is essentially a carnivore's Reuben (i.e., no sauerkraut).

Pastrami Melt

Like the menu says, it's Gruyere, pastrami, deli mustard on grilled rye . . . and it's a tasty, gooey, mess!  Though if it had sauerkraut . . . whew!

NOM x 4 !

Melt moves around from place to place, so the best way to find them is to check their website (http://www.melthonolulu.com/) or follow them on Twitter (@meltHNL).  Umami will, and when he finds them, he's ordering that Melt of Shame!  (Don't tell Dr. Beth or Dr. Lois, they wouldn't understand!)