Cleveland restaurants put a new spin on comfort food

— -- Cost-conscious travelers can enjoy bountiful pleasure at mealtime if they choose their itinerary carefully and order wisely. To help with the planning each month, USA TODAY's Jerry Shriver offers a menu of suggestions from a major destination:

Down-home dining: Profiles of cheap-eats classics.

1. Sokolowski's University Inn 1201 University Road; 216-771-9236; sokolowskis.com

Beginning in 1923 and continuing through three generations and several shifts of fortune in the Tremont neighborhood, the Sokolowski family has served belly-filling, home-style Eastern European dishes to legions of locals, Cleveland sports and polka stars, U.S. presidents, and more recently, hordes of trendy foodies. The eatery includes a workingman's bar, a cafeteria-style food-service area and a warren of comfy rooms stocked with communal tables. The main meal is lunch (there's also a fish fry on Friday evenings, plus Saturday night dinners), where diners pile their cafeteria trays with kielbasa and bratwurst sausages, potato pancakes, cabbage rolls, sautéed pierogies, Salisbury steak and other Old-World fare (most entrees, which include a few sides, are $7.25), then move into the lively social scene in the rear.

•Top treat:Sautéed pierogies, $7.95/dozen

2. Melt Bar and Grilled 14718 Detroit Ave., Lakewood; meltbarandgrilled.com

Given that grilled cheese sandwiches are one of the pillars of American comfort food, why did it take so long for someone to create a restaurant devoted entirely to the concept? Chew on that when you dine at this cheery bar and bistro in the West Side suburb of Lakewood. Opened in 2006, Melt offers two dozen versions of the sandwich (more, if you customize your order with the 14 types of cheeses and nearly 50 other add-ons), all substantially portioned and affordably priced ($5-$13). The most talked-about offering is the $9 "Parmageddon," consisting of 2-inch-thick slices of bread encasing two potato-and-cheese pierogies, vodka-soaked sauerkraut, grilled onions and cheddar.