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| - It pains me to leave this review. Melting Pot has been my favorite restaurant for about 15 years. I took French in high school and was introduced to fondue (thanks to my teacher, a native of France), and I have been hooked on it ever since.
I'll never forget the night I got hooked on Melting Pot, specifically. Picture it: Washington, DC, 2003. I had been longing to try a Melting Pot, and my fiancé (now my husband of 13 years) found one just a couple subway-stops from where we were staying. And when we got there ... Y'ALL! It was underground!!!! ... I mean, there isn't a Melting Pot we have visited in 14 years now that could possibly *touch* that place in ambience and atmosphere. Yet, they have all had the same dim lights, the same professional staff, the same laid-back jazz music, the same steam rising above the quiet booths.
*** When we visited the same D.C. location a couple years later, we were so surprised to find the same bartender there. And what was more surprising?: He recognized *us* and treated us (once again) like royalty. (We haven't been back in more than a decade, and I hear that location no longer exists, which is SUCH a shame.) ***
Since then, my husband and I have sought-out Melting Pot restaurants in every, single city we visit. (We've literally had servers who have sat down at our table and spent our entire meal-time talking to us.) We know what's on our Melting Pot "Big Brother file," including our favorite recipes
that are no longer on the menu but are still prepared for us by request because we fell in love with the recipes (that are perhaps foreign to some of Melting Pot's current staff, many of whom were possibly just out of diapers when my husband and I experienced our first-and-favorite Melting Pot date in DC.)
You can imagine, then, how ecstatic we were a few years ago when we found out that a Melting Pot was sinking roots in our "backyard," in Huntersville. And, as would be expected, we've been regular patrons since it's been open.
We still LOVE the food. We still LOVE the wait-staff (especially that one waitress who explained to us on our first visit that, even while we had made reservations for a "romantic spot for two," we had, in fact, been placed in what's widely known as "the armpit" of the restaurant - bright lights and lots of noise and foot-traffic during the entire meal - even in spite of our $230 bill at the end of the night ).
Forget for a moment that you might be seated in "the armpit" (suggestion: request ANYWHERE BUT THE ARMPIT ... and, trust me, the wait-staff knows what you mean by "the armpit"), the overall vibe of the Huntersville location is completely "commercial" and uninspiring. Perhaps it's because it was once a Fudrucker's burger joint, and I remember it as that?! But I'd guess it has more to do with the fact that there are no quiet, isolated booths like other Melting Pots have ... and - ugh - perhaps the hardest pill for me to swallow: this one plays lame "pop" music instead of that laid-back, romantic, genius jazz that Melting Pots far-and-wide are known to play. Adding insult to injury for us old-school Melting Pot fanatics: they apparently no longer make the fondue table-side. It's made in the kitchen and brought out to the table burner. Back in the day, the fondue for *every course* was made at the table, and waiters/waitresses would explain what they were adding as they made it.
We still pay $125-$200 for a dinner for two, despite all the corners now being cut, including cuts to the amount of food served. (We used to have a big box of leftovers to take home. Not anymore.)
We have continued to make reservations for special occasions, even up to a week ago for our anniversary celebration. We always look forward to the friendly staff and the great food. But, unfortunately, at least this location has turned into a "fast food" version of the Melting Pot, with really cheesy music and food that isn't prepared table-side. Bottom line: They're cutting everything EXCEPT costs. And without even the ambience that Melting Pots are known for, I'm afraid that we may be ending our memorable, frequent 14-year relationship with Melting Pot.
We will try the King Street, Charlotte, location (where we frequented before Huntersville opened) before we give up on our favorite restaurant entirely. Maybe the Lake Norman one is trying to appeal to a different "crowd" than the long-time, hardcore Melting Pot patrons. But if *all* of them have turned into what the LKN one is, I'll stick to making fondue at home and saving $150. And that sucks. Because it isn't the same.
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