Cheesy goodness: Hip-hop themed patty melt restaurant is open in Fern Creek
A new restaurant in south Louisville is serving up the ooey, gooey goodness of your dreams.
Melt 502 will offer a unique theme: everything cheesy and good, with a distinct hip-hop flavor.
Two Black entrepreneurs, Reinaldo Murphy and best friend Jamel Smith, opened the restaurant on Jan. 18 at 6318 Bardstown Road in Fern Creek, serving grilled cheeses, patty melts, egg rolls and fries, all paying tribute to the greats that inspired them as teenagers.
Smith said the menu items have a hip hop inspiration, like the "Hot Boy" sandwich named after Cash Money Records group Hot Boy and the "La Belle," named after singer Patti LaBelle, who is sometimes called "The Godmother of Soul."
"Louisville has a stronghold on the hip hop industry right now with Jack Harlow, Corey and EST Gee," Murphy said. "But we feel like the food aspect has not been cultivated in Louisville from a hip hop perspective. We bring that to the table in Fern Creek."
The 3,000-square-foot restaurant is decked out in hip hop glory, too, from a bar top covered in 300 CD covers to a stage with a graffiti art piece behind it and a focal wall mural of local hip hop legends like Static Major.
Murphy said he and Smith had talked of opening a restaurant together since they were 18.
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The idea for Melt 502 was born two years ago, when Murphy was hosting a house party and trying to come up with a late-night snack for guests. He ended up pressing pepper jack cheese into Hawaiian bread, and everyone loved it.
"Next morning, Jamel called and said that's it, that's our food business," Murphy said. "We tested it on pre-orders out of the house, and that went incredible. Then we parked a food truck near Holsopple Brewing, and it went off like a rocket."
Melt 502 serves egg rolls and patty melts, but they're unlike the ones you've seen before. There's a "Hot Boy" egg roll with grilled buffalo chicken, cream cheese and ranch sauce ($4.50), the "M.I. Yayo" egg roll stuffed with shrimp, parmesan, mozzarella, cream cheese, spinach and special sauce ($4.50), and "Big Poppa" rolls stuffed with jalapenos, cream cheese, bacon, green onions, sharp cheddar and mozzarella cheese.
The signature sandwiches all take their names from famous hip-hop artists, too. There's a "La Belle" patty melt made with ground beef, caramelized onion, special sauce and American cheese ($8), a "Slim Shady" classic sharp cheddar and American cheese on white bread sandwich ($7), and the "Bossalinie" made with pieces of garlic Italian toast stuffed with ground beef, ground turkey, Italian sausage, pepperoni, cream cheese, tomato sauce, noodles, mozzarella and parmesan cheese ($10).
"The most popular sandwich is between the Hot Boy and the Bossalinie, which is like spaghetti on a sandwich," Murphy said. "Nowhere in Kentucky can you get a sandwich like it."
The menu will expand soon to include dessert egg rolls, chicken tenders with specially crafted sauces, queso, salads and vegan grilled cheese made with cheese from The Vegan God, a company founded by Louisville-native but Las Vegas-based Jodie Thompson.
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The restaurant was designed by Kaelin Brutscher and constructed by Eds and Lowe. Murphy and Smith credited their Small Business Association coaches Tony Sears and Anne Shadle with helping guide them.
"We grew up when hip-hop dominated and it's formed who we are," Murphy said. "It's inspiring."
Melt 502 will be open Tuesday to Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sunday noon to 8 p.m.
Features reporter Dahlia Ghabour covers food, dining trends and restaurants in the Louisville area. Send tips on new places or story ideas to dghabour@courier-journal.com or follow on Twitter @dghabour.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville restaurants: Melt 502 patty melt shop opens Fern Creek
