| rev:text
| - This is my favorite restaurant for special occasions because fondue is, well, fun! But it is a bit pricier than we usually budget for dinner out: our bill usually runs about $90-$120 for two with drinks. We have been to this location as well as the Montgomery, Ohio (Cincinnati suburbs) location several times. The service is always exceptional and it seems staff truly enjoys working at The Melting Pot. The ambience is low-key, but slightly upscale. Most of the booths are laid out for privacy.
Our standard choice is the Fondue For Two, a three-course fondue plus salad dinner that is more than enough, and a bottle of wine or two. The waitstaff will be happy to recommend a bottle from their extensive collection of wine. All fondue courses are prepared at the table on the built-in hotplate.
With fondue there comes several choices. First, the cheese course gives the option of Cheddar, traditional Swiss, Wisconsin butterkase/buttermilk blue cheese or a spicy Mexican-style cheese fondue served with bite-size bread cubes, raw vegetables and apples. We have always enjoyed the traditional Swiss cheese fondue, but I think I'd also like to try the Wisconsin.
Then, comes the salad, which you shouldn't fill up too much on even though their California greens with gorgonzola and rasperry walnut vinaigrette is delicious. Tip: you can buy the salad dressing in bottles to duplicate the salad at home.
For the main course, you will choose from several fondue styles and meats. Standard fondue choices will be oil or bouillon (vegetable broth), but for an additional fee, you can choose Coq au Vin fondue (herbs, mushroom, garlic and burgundy wine) or Caribbean bouillon with garlic and citrus flavor. The standard bouillon is low-sodium, cholesterol-free, light and healthy that does not add bulk to the meal (that pays off at the end). The meat selections include their standard chicken breast, pork tenderloin, shrimp, teriyaki sirloin and fresh fish fillet (based on availability); the market-price "surf and turf" with lobster tail, Filet Mignon and portobello mushrooms; or the pricier pacific rim with teriyaki sirloin, breast of duck, pork tenderloin, chicken breast, and potstickers. All of the above come with bite-sized portions of red potatoes, mushrooms, broccoli, squash, and a variety of dipping sauces. The meats and vegetables come to the table raw and you will cook them yourself in the broth/oil, then dip and eat. See? Fun!
Hope you saved room for dessert because this is where fondue becomes sensuous. Again, you have choices to make. Chocolate comes in dark, milk, and white which you can choose unadulterated or with additives, like Bailey's Irish Cream, or Amaretto, or marshmallows and crushed Oreo cookies, or caramel and pecans. They have pre-selected combinations or create your own. I love dark chocolate + Bailey's Irish creme instead of their milk chocolate + Bailey's. "Yin-Yang" is pretty: dark chocolate swirled with white chocolate. Dessert fondue is served with fresh strawberries, cheesecake, pound cake, marshmallows, bananas, brownies and pineapple for dipping. This is also a good time to switch to coffee to start coming down from the wine-buzz and endorphins before attempting to drive home.
I have never walked out of this place unhappy, although I have walked out completely stuffed and pleasantly buzzed. We will keep coming back every year to celebrate our anniversary, and leave the Valentine's Day crowds for the more adventurous. Related, I have one request of TMP diners: please, introduce your kids to fondue at home. This is most definitely NOT the place for less-than-well behaved young children.
|
![[RDF Data]](/fct/images/sw-rdf-blue.png)
![[cxml]](/fct/images/cxml_doc.png)
![[csv]](/fct/images/csv_doc.png)
![[text]](/fct/images/ntriples_doc.png)
![[turtle]](/fct/images/n3turtle_doc.png)
![[ld+json]](/fct/images/jsonld_doc.png)
![[rdf+json]](/fct/images/json_doc.png)
![[rdf+xml]](/fct/images/xml_doc.png)
![[atom+xml]](/fct/images/atom_doc.png)
![[html]](/fct/images/html_doc.png)