American Meltdown Gourmet Melts

Tired of the typical mall food court menu? Then skip the lousy asian steam table or the usual sandwich spot and head to American Meltdown. I tried the Buffalo blitz add bacon on Guglhupf bread and the sweet tea. It was awesome and i look forward to trying others on the menu on my next visit.

When I go to a food court, I do not expect much. This place exceeds my expectations in all ways but one. My husband got the cubano and fries and I got the buffalo chicken and mac n cheese. The food was wonderful! Cheesy, full of flavor, and piping hot.
But you will wait for it, particularly if there is a line. That is where they lost a star. My husband’s sandwich was forgotten, I think, as several orders after his kept coming out. But the woman at the registers was on it. When she realized he had been standing there a while she kept calling for it. When it came out she comped him some mac n cheese for the wait.
I hope they can work out the kinks because the food is really delicious. It is a bit pricey if you consider paying over $ 20.00 for sandwiches, sides, and drinks for two at a food court. But, hey… you pay for great quality ingredients and fresh food that has not been sitting under heat lamps.
Totally worth it… if you have the time.
OH! I almost forgot… the mac n cheese is some of the best I have ever had! It was rich, creamy, cheesy, a little spicy… not sure what they put in it but our sons, who got Taco Bell and chick fil a were begging us to let them eat some once we gave them bites. Um. Nope. Get yer own, boys! So we gave them money and they did.

In the area, American Meltdown is one of the more popular food trucks. Who doesn’t love a grilled cheese? I was excited to stumble upon it as a new option in the Southpoint food court and it was without a gigantic line! After ordering, we waited while our food was made to order. While it is not the quickest option in the food court, it was not a bad wait.
When our food came out, I couldn’t wait to take a bite into the perfectly grilled Cubano. The bread had a great crunch and I loved the amount of cheese they put on it. But while the Cubano tasted good, it was dripping with grease from the meat which I was not a fan of. I also think it is pretty expensive for what is really just a fancied up grilled cheese. It was about $ 9 for just the sandwich by itself. No sides, no drinks. So if you want to make it a meal with fries and a drink, then you have to be willing to shell out over $ 10 for «fast food.» Not exactly ideal…
I am giving American Meltdown 2.5 stars, but rounding it up to 3. I am glad I tried it, but I don’t think I’ll be rushing back any time soon because it is too expensive for what you get.

I can get behind American Meltdown a lot more as a food truck than as a brick and motar. WHY? Because while I find it more acceptable to shell out anywhere from $ 5.50-$ 8.75 for a grilled cheese sandwich when I’m out at a brewery, it’s just really hard for me to get behind when I have lots of other options at a much better value and serving up something I wouldn’t be able to immediately replicate at home.
I tried the Scarborough Fare {gouda and parrano cheese with a sage-​rosemary pesto on sourdough bread}. I didn’t pay the additional $ 5 for fried brussels sprouts, which sounded delicious (I couldn’t get over the fact that I can buy an entire pound of brussels spouts and cook them deliciously for under $ 5!) They also have mac & cheese as a side for $ 2.50. They also are still running long on turnaround time, taking a grand total of 10 – 15 minutes for one sammy. And while the sandwich was good (who doesn’t like a grilled cheese) it tasted more of spinach and pesto than sage and rosemary. This greasy goodness might be the perfect snack for a night around town or a afternoon of day drinking, but I can’t say I’d be rushing back for lunch. On the plus side, they do offer Boyle Soda’s, classy touch Meltdown!