Why am I talking about The Melting Pot though? Surely everyone knows what that is right? NO. We can't assume everyone knows what we know. Granted I've long since known about this restaurant as a young girl. My father would take my mother for Valentines Day, and he would one day take me on a daddy daughter date there as well.
Yet, recently I was reminded that some people have either never heard of this place or they've heard the name, but don't entirely get the concept. Here's my take on it, stemming from my most recent visit with my boyfriend for Valentines Day 2018.
The Melting Pot is the original fondue restaurant where guests can enjoy several fondue cooking styles and a variety of unique entrees, salads, and unforgettable desserts. You can choose to forgo the cheese fondue and dessert option, and focus on the main dish, or however you want to enjoy the experience. Maybe you only went for dessert. I don't know, it's your choice. My boyfriend and I went with the Valentine's Day special which is actually quite similar to the regular Midtown | BIG NIGHT OUT : Individual $49.00, Per Couple $98.00.
The only real difference was the meat options, and the Valentine's Day special included a champagne toast for two, along with red velvet cake included in the dessert options. Both options are set up as a 4-Course Experience. Cheese Fondue, Salad, An Entree Selection (Meats), and Chocolate Fondue.
**Keep in mind that this is only a representation of the Midtown location in Charlotte, NC.**
Cheese Fondue & Salad
If you have a hard time making up your mind about food this place might not be for you because it is options on options ON OPTIONS! Maybe just asking your waiter to decide will suffice if you're down to try anything. For our cheese selection we went with:
BOURBON BACON CHEDDAR - LOCAL FAVORITE MENU ITEM
smoky, flavorful Featured Cheeses: Aged cheddar, Emmenthaler Melted with: Lager beer, bacon, dry mustard, garlic, Worcestershire, bourbon
As pictured above they heat up the hot plate and bring out a pot for the table. The waiter will add the ingredients above and stir up the cheese to a smooth consistency. Next they'll bring out apples, assorted bread, and a mixture of vegetables for you to go to town on. Surprisingly cheese and apples taste good to me. As for my boyfriend he'll argue otherwise.
Not pictured are your eating utensils. You're given fondue forks - very similar to a grilling fork. Simply stab your food, dip it on the pot of cheese, scoop out, blow really hard to cool it off, enjoy, AND REPEAT!
For our salads we went with a simple...
CAESAR SALAD
Crisp romaine, shredded Parmesan cheese, croutons and Parmesan-dusted pine nuts, tossed with Caesar dressing.
Entree Selection (Meats)
For our entree we were allowed to substitute some of the meats out because my boyfriend is allergic to certain foods. We ended up with:
ENTRÉE
Teriyaki-Marinated Sirloin - a personal favorite
Memphis-Style Dry Rub Pork
Premium Filet Mignon - another personal favorite
Herb-Crusted Chicken
Honey Orange Duck Breast
Shrimp
As you can see from the picture you're given the food entirely raw. So, it's up to you how thoroughly you cook your food. Your waiter will tell you roughly how long each of the items you have will take to cook fully. I suggest grabbing your phones and setting low sounding timers.
You still only have two fondue forks at this point which means you're really only able to cook two pieces of meat at one time - per person. This is the best part though! Because it's the longest, and who's gonna sit there and stare at their food while it cooks. It gives you a chance in-between chomps to not only savor the food and fill up, but to talk to the people at your table.
My boyfriend and I did a lot of reflecting from what had gone by within the year; from 2017 V-day to 2018 V-day. A lot had changed between us, and it was good to sit down and have such an in-depth conversation. Something we wouldn't necessarily get at home.
Back to the food. Our complimentary choice of cooking style was-
MOJO
bold, flavorful
Caribbean-inspired bouillon bursting with flavors of fresh garlic and citrus.
I don't really have much to say regarding the cooking style used. It cooked my food and I don't think it changed the way my food tasted. I will say the scent is strong. I've used this particular style once before and I felt nauseous from it. So bad that we had to change the way we were seated so that I couldn't smell it. Other than that I'm fine with it.
Chocolate Fondue (Dessert!)
As always the best is saved for last!
My boyfriend and I honestly couldn't be more opposite of each other even if we tried. Meaning if you took a look at the selection of chocolate fondues available it would only make sense that we'd pick.....
YIN & YANG
balanced, tempting Featured Chocolate: Dark, White
Instead of mixing the two our waiter granted our wish to have two separate pots come out with of course half the chocolate in each. half would be his white chocolate, and half would be my dark chocolate.
Along with the chocolate you're served a variety of desserts such as:
strawberries
pineapples
cheesecake
brownies
marshmallows covered in what I believe to be Oreo crumbs
rice cripsie treats, and whatever else I may be missing.
That ladies and gents concludes the lovely fine dining experience of The Melting Pot! I hope this entices you to try it out at least once in life. Go with your significant other for a special occasion. Celebrate someone's birthday with dessert their. Do whatever, but go try it!
Have you been to The Melting Pot before? Comment below and share what you ordered; what you liked, loved, or disliked!