Meltology opens in Middle Island

When Kevin Muller was scooping ice cream at the now-defunct Friendly’s in Middle Island, the then-16-year-old couldn’t have predicted he’d own the storefront by age 32.

 “I went to Longwood High School and worked [here],” Muller said, looking around the dining room of what now is home to his second Meltology eatery. And he kept working at Friendly's to put himself through college, leaving in 2012, when he was ready to open his first business, Crazy Crepe Cafe in Selden.

The new restaurant, on Middle Country Road, is the first sit-down Meltology, boasting table service and a full menu centered around an over-the-top grilled cheese concept. Muller opened an “express” version of the restaurant in Mount Sinai in 2017. And now he’s hoping to start a franchise.

“It’s a tight knit community over here,” he said of the Middle Island neighborhood where he grew up. ”I wanted to get back into that. I thought Meltology would fit in great,” he said.

Customers can find more than 10 grilled cheese variations on the menu, including  the kitchen cinque (Parmesan-crusted sourdough with melted American, Swiss, Cheddar and pepperjack cheeses, with bacon and tomato), $9.95; Buffalo grilled cheese (melted Mozzarella, Buffalo chicken strips and blue cheese dressing),$10.95; bacon mac-n-cheese (melted American, sliced bacon and homemade mac-n-cheese), $10.95; and grown man grilled cheese (melted  American, sliced tomato and smoked bacon), $8.95.

And then there are appetizers like chicken wings, $8.95-$12.95; quesadillas, $7.95-$9.95; and mozzarella sticks, $8.95; burgers, including the better burger (melted Cheddar, lettuce, tomato, better sauce, sliced bacon and fries), $10.95, and Southwest burger (melted pepperjack cheese, spicy mayo, lettuce, tomato and jalapeños), $9.95; and salads, like the fresh berry salad (spring greens with grilled chicken, strawberries, blueberries, cranberries, walnuts and blue cheese crumbles), $10.95, and crispy chicken salad (spring greens with Cheddar, grape tomatoes and crispy chicken), $10.95.

Several breakfast grilled cheeses and Belgian waffles make up the all-day breakfast menu, which ranges from $7.95 to $9.95. Meltology also has an all-you-can-eat weekend brunch buffet starting at $13.99 per person for adults and $7.99 per child.

Muller said he plans to open another express Meltology this fall in Selden, and hopes to “franchise out” and expand Meltology into Nassau County in the future.

Meltology is at 848 Middle Country Rd. in Middle Island. 631-504-6284. meltology.li