Despite all the commotion over the opening of the Promenade Shops last fall, it took me until last week to visit the two cornerstones of the outdoor mall: Melt and Rave. If somehow you don't know, Melt is an Italian restaurant designed by the same people who brought the Lehigh Valley the wine bar Blue and Rave is the Promenade's movie theater. You've likely heard it and I'll only confirm it, they are hands down the best in the Valley in their respective businesses, but they were not made for the typical cash-strapped twenty-something. As I am a card-carrying member of the cash-strapped, I had not been able to enjoy the services of either place until a couple free passes and my girlfriend's parents came along.

Rave is actually a national chain, although the Promenade location marks the first one in Pennsylvania or any Mid-Atlantic/New England state. That's right, none of your snobby New York friends (or even the smelly Jersey ones) has a theater like this, although your friends in Alabama do have seven... seriously. While I've always liked Carmike off of Airport Road and the Regal Cinemas off of 248, Rave has something no other theater in the Valley can boast: leg room. Four feet, to be exact, enough to make even your run of the mill circus freaks and NBA superstars named Shaquille comfortable. Most importantly, enough so that someone would really have to try to kick your seat, so this time you're justified in throwing a haymaker at the 70-year old behind you. I had heard about this before coming but didn't quite realize just how spacious four feet between rows is; you need to find out for yourself.

As for Melt, many say it's the closest the Valley gets to a real NYC restaurant, but I only saw Vegas when I was there. A muted Vegas, though; understand that there aren't dancers swinging from the light fixtures, but the thousands of wine bottles that pretty much make up one of the walls of the place makes for a showier atmosphere. The service is impeccable, but there isn't too much on the menu for a vegetarian, though those like me who shun the dead things do need to remember that Melt is billed as a grille and has a menu that reads much like an upscale cross between the Olive Garden and Damon's. I did have the ravioli, and when it arrived I found out that Melt wasn't your typical Italian place as there wasn't enough raviolis on my plate to keep me full until summer. I didn't quite know how to feel about this as this particular entree was $18, and though it was very good, it was eighteen-frickin'-dollars!!! That's almost twenty-frickin'-dollars!!! I wasn't paying, however, so that made the whole thing moot. It did leave room for the best. tiramisu. ever. for dessert.

So here's the thing, these places are pretty damn awesome but are located in what's been billed as an upscale mall. Melt may actually be the most upscale thing there, while Rave isn't exactly a distant second. If you haven't gone yet for the same reasons I hadn't, you might want to wait on those upper middle class relatives of yours to visit. If you don't have those, find friends who do. As shallow as that all sounds, it might be worth it in the end.

-Ryan