Date Night: The Melting Pot

Last night we went to The Melting Pot (a fondue restaurant) for date night. Neither of us had been before, so it was fun to both be experiencing it for the first time. It wasn't a special occasion or anything; we just decided to go because I saw a fondue kit at the grocery store the week before and said "I've never been to The Melting Pot." Jeff said "Me either," so I said, "we should go." That's really it.

The building was uninspiring from the outside, and the parking lot was at the back with awkward sidewalk layouts and no clear route to the entrance. However, once you get around to the front and go in it was more appealing.
The  lighting was very low to enhance the intimate atmosphere. It wasn't enough, though, to conflict with the two small children at a table near ours who, for reasons beyond my comprehension, had been brought by their parents. I imagine this is probably a regular occurrence because The Melting Pot locations tend to be in yuppy areas where parents will buy their 3 and 5-year-olds $80 dinners. Jeff and I overheard the mother say "Do you want your iPad? Sit in your booster seat!" which we just didn't know how to process. If the girls had been quiet we wouldn't have noticed they were even there (because of the high booths -again- to increase the intimate atmosphere), but they needed everything on the menu explained to them very loudly multiple times, and the younger one was prone to crying outbursts. But I digress...

We had four courses based off of their current "Big Night Out" special which has an American Barbecue theme. The cheese course was a cheddar mix with bacon in it swirled around with a Samuel Adams lager (and some other spices). It was delicious and we finished it off.

For the salad course, we chose individually; Jeff had a ceasar and I had the California (with no tomatoes). They were salads... which are hard to mess up.

For our entree we ordered the Fondue Feast from the Big Night Out menu. It was a plate of Buffalo chicken, angus steak, bbq pork tenderloin, and Old Bay shrimp that we prepared with the "Mojo" cooking style (carribean/citrus flavors). It was very good, but everything on the plate was spicy (we probably should have guessed that, but a little warning in the menu or from our server would have been nice). I struggle with spicy food, so I only had one piece of steak and one shrimp since they were a little strong for me. I still ate my fill, so I wasn't upset.

Oh Dessert. For dessert we chose the Flaming Turtle mix which is milk chocolate, caramel, and pecans. I don't have to tell you that dipping things in melted chocolate and caramel is delicious. It was absolutely wonderful and I was pleased to see Jeff eagerly choosing new dippers to try because he's not usually very big on dessert.

At the end of the meal we were both absolutely stuffed. As far as price/value it was definitely more expensive than our typical date nights, and I can see why people reserve it for anniversaries. Still, the experience is definitely unique and it was a lot of fun. I would definitely like to go again, even if it's not for a while.

-Aly