I started my career as a New Yorker in Brooklyn. This informed my idea of comfort and home and what’s involved in a night out on the town. Ideal dining conditions for me equal wooden interiors, unexpected ingredient combos, solid playlists, and still having a few bucks in your pocket when you leave. Since moving to Manhattan, the biggest challenge has been finding places that fit this mold. The highest compliment I can give a place is “I feel like I’m in Brooklyn,” and that’s the first thing I said upon entering Melt Shop in Chelsea.

Mid-Blizzard last week, I met the amazingly talented and hilarious Emmy there for a catch up session over cheese and carbs. The golden spatula at the restaurant’s door stood out amidst the snow and hinted at the goodness that lay inside. We were immediately greeted by the enthusiastic staff who helped us with the arduous task of picking what we’d order. As a veggie, my options were minorly limited. Melt seems to be a fan of pork, chicken, and bacon and includes them on most of their sandwiches. That said, I still had some great things to choose from. Emmy went with the buttermilk fried chicken, and I chose the three cheese.

Melt offers tater tots as a side, and as we are people of the human race, Emmy and I were set on getting them with all of our hearts. But due to a self-imposed $20 budget, we had to opt out of the tots. Then, the best thing ever happened. The dude taking our order gave them to us for free!! For like no reason at all!! Gotta love the Thanksgiving spirit.

Our food was bomb.com. The roasted tomatoes on my sandwich were sweet, yet smoky, prompting me to check more than once to see if they had added bacon by mistake. And we all know my thoughts on bacon. Emmy’s sandwich looked like someone gourmet’d up a KFC value meal and then encased it in bread and cheese. (Which is obvi a good thing) And holy guacamole the free tots were good. They were sprinkled in Parmesan cheese and fried in the most perfect way. Also, make sure to get the dipping sauce, cause it tastes good with just about everything. Like it’s still good when you ate all your tots and use your finger to scoop it up. (Not that I’d know.)

Even though it’s in Manhattan, Melt’s got it going on. The only problem I foresee with this place is people getting tired of me bringing them there. If you’re into enjoying yourself and not spending a million bucks, I urge you to check it out ASAP. Also, check out Emmy’s twitter. Neither will leave you disappointed.