Indian café, American-style bistro, grilled cheese eatery highlight culinary additions

Lunch is set to get a lot more exciting in the Mather Quad.

Currently home to only the quick stop sandwich stand Bag-It and campus bar the Jolly Scholar in the Thwing Center and Cramelot Café in Kelvin Smth Library, eating choices have been limited in previously years. However, the opening of the new Tinkham Veale University Center is set to change just that.

Bon Appétit, CWRU’s food management service, announced that the TVUC will be home to six new eateries. Melt University, opened in partnership with acclaimed restaurant proprietor Matt Fish, has the highest profile of the new dining options. The eatery will offer grilled cheese inspired sandwiches similar to those offered at its five bar and grills scattered throughout the Cleveland metropolitan area.

Melt University will be offering a chance to attempt on August 29 its famous Melt challenge – where participants must eat a super sandwich made with 13 different types of cheese and a mound of fries and coleslaw; over 5 pounds of food. Sign-ups will be held in the days prior.

Fish is not the only culinary talent Bon Appétit tapped to design this new dining epicenter though. Acclaimed cookbook author and chef, Raghavan Iyer, created the menu for TVUC’s new Indian café Naan. The vegetarian-friendly eatery will feature a tandoor oven.  Iyer will be on site on August 25 to sign free copies of his book, Indian Cooking Unfolded to the first 60 Naan customers.

Additionally a later-to be named American-style bistro with full bar, patio and private dining room will offer a menu created by Cleveland Botanical Garden executive chef, Tony Smoody. It hopes to highlight local and seasonal snacks, small plates, pizzas, sandwiches and other entrees. The name of this restaurant will be announced at the TVUC grand opening ceremony on Sunday, August 24 since it was selected through a student contest.

Rounding out the new university center’s new food options will be a salad bar called “8Twenty6”, named after the 8 foot-counter’s offering of 20 seasonal ingredients and 6 house dressings, “Pinzas”, an Italian restaurant serving personal pizzas, pasta bowls and Italian sandwiches, and “Cool Beanz”, a coffee stand  featuring Zingerman’s Coffee, a brand from Ann Arbor Michigan which was awarded with Bon Appetti Magazine’s lifetime achievement award in 2007.

After the TVUC’s grand opening, the new dining options will be open daily from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.  The center will be open to the public. All dining options will accept Case Cash although meal swipes will not be usable.