The Melting Pot

meltingpot.com

This place is one of my ALL TIME FAVORITE restaurants ever!  I've had so many wonderful experiences here and I can't recommend it enough to you all out there.

Here's the concept:
You sit at a table with a cooktop that heats up.  The crew comes around asks what you want and they start a fondue for you.  It heats up, you dip food into it, eat and enjoy.
If you have a full experience you can expect:
A salad of some kind
A cheese fondue of your choice
The entree of your choice
A chocolate fondue

If you go with a cheaper or abbreviated menu, you can choose just a cheese and chocolate fondue and it runs around $50.00 for 2.
The whole meal is more like $100-150.00 for 2.
It's pretty expensive, but it's so worth it.

There's an option all the time for the item called The Big Night Out.  This is usually pretty good if you want something new or different from the regular menu and could be different throughout the country.  It changes out at least twice every year and never repeats, ever, so if you want it, try it now.
Currently as I write this post this is what they have to offer specifically, but please remember this is a limited one time only menu selection.  In the past they've had French, Mexican, German, and American themed choices.  This time they have:
America - this includes:
Boston Lager Cheddar Cheese Fondue (Absolutely delicious with scallions, bits of bacon, and resembling the taste of a cheeseburger in a fondue.  This is the only thing I've had on this Big Night Out menu)
Wisconsin Wedge Salad and
an entree that includes Memphis BBQ, Pork Tenderloin, old bay shrimp, and Buffalo chicken.
For the chocolate fondue - a variation of the PB&J sandwich (don't ask, I haven't tried it & it sounds strange, but if anyone could do it well, they could!)
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Salad choices:
House salad - romaine, iceberg lettuce, cheddar cheese, tomatoes, croutons, sliced egg, and a choice of peppercorn ranch or sweet and tangy house dressing.  Haven't tried it but I'm tempted.

Spinach Mushroom - spinach, portobellos, red onion, chopped bacon, Roma tomatoes, and a warm burgundy shallot vinaigrette.  This I haven't tried and won't because of the mushroom.

Caesar - romaine, shredded Parmesan cheese, croutons, Parmesan encrusted pine nuts, with Caesar dressing.  This one is my favorite and absolutely delicious.

California - mixed baby greens, Roma tomatoes, walnuts, Gorgonzola cheese with a raspberry black walnut vinaigrette.  Haven't tried it.
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I should mention the things you dip into the cheese of course!
A couple kinds of cubed fresh bread
Vegetables like carrots, broccoli, and cauliflower
and Apple wedges.

Cheese fondue choices:
Spinach Artichoke - fontina, butterkase cheeses, spinach, artichoke hearts, and garlic.  Sounds yummy, but I have not tried it yet.

Fiesta - cheddar cheese with lager beer, jalapeno peppers and salsa as hot as you like it.  I tried this once, and I just didn't care for it.

Cheddar cheese - sharp aged cheddar and Emmenthaler Swiss cheeses, lager beer, garlic, and seasonings.  MMMMMmmmm delicious!  I've had it several times.

Wisconsin Trio - fontina, butterkase, and buttermilk bleu cheeses, white wine, scallions, and a bit of sherry.  Very, very good!

Traditional Swiss - Gruyere, Emmenthaler Swiss cheeses, white wine, garlic, nutmeg, lemon, and Kirschwasser.  Haven't tried it, but I really want to.
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Entree choices:
Here's where it gets a bit confusing.  You have choices of what to eat and how to cook it.  The menu gets a bit overwhelming for the first timer here.  It's not as hard as the menu makes it look. 

This is not you cooking your own food at a restaurant.  Some reviews on food & restaurant websites will show people complaining of how they paid a lot of money to cook their own food.  Fondue is just that, a preparation of hot fluid where you dip food into to eat.  This is a fun experience and not just eating out.  Yes, you do have to pay attention when you are cooking raw meat in a broth.  I do about 2 minutes for just about everything, but it's part of the fun!

Land & Sea - filet mignon, breast of chicken and shrimp.

The French Quarter - Filet mignon, breast of chicken and tender shrimp all seasoned with Cajun spices and served with Andouille sausage
Seafood Trio - Tender shrimp, sesame-crusted sushi-grade ahi tuna and cedar-plank salmon
Shrimp & Sirloin - Tender shrimp and teriyaki-marinated sirloin
Breast of chicken - that's it.

Cedar Plank Salmon - American classic with a perfectly-balanced smoky flavor
Pacific Rim - Teriyaki-marinated sirloin, tender shrimp, citrus-marinated pork tenderloin, breast of duck, breast of chicken and potstickers
The Vegetarian - Edamame or onion rings, artichoke hearts, Portobello mushrooms, Thai-peanut-marinated tofu, asparagus, spinach artichoke ravioli and our Big Night Out pasta

Teriyaki-marinated Sirloin - is at it sounds.

Filet mignon - 6 or 9 oz. size

Ways to cook the meat and veggies listed above:
Coq au Vin - Hot broth with flavors of fresh herbs, mushrooms, garlic, spices and burgundy wine

Court Bouillon - Homemade, seasoned vegetable broth

Bourguignonne - European-style fondue in cholesterol-free canola oil / 0g trans-fat oil
Mojo - Caribbean-seasoned bouillon with a distinctive fresh-garlic flavor and a citrus flair

Included in the meats and cooking styles there's a lot of sauces they give you to complement the finished meat.  Should mention here you don't pick them, they are given to you based on what things you choose to eat.  Here they are:

Curry - A mild, yogurt-based curry that complements fresh vegetables and salmon.
Green Goddess - A  blend of cream cheese, sour cream, onions, chives and parsley that is great on vegetables and makes an excellent stuffed mushroom. (This is one of my favorites)

Teriyaki Glaze - with garlic, ginger and onions.  For steak items. (pretty good)

Gorgonzola Port - A rich and robust cheese sauce that pairs well with filet mignon and fresh vegetables.
Ginger Plum - Own unique recipe with red and green bell peppers, ginger and just a hint of plum that is delicious on chicken and shrimp. (This one is very good as well)
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Chocolate fondue choices:
First I'll mention what they give you to dip into these:
Strawberries, bananas, cheesecake, brownies, rice krispy treats, marshmallows, and pound cake.

The original - Features their signature milk chocolate with a swirl of crunchy peanut butter
(So SO good!  I just tried this for the first time last time and it was a knock out!)

Disaronno meltdown (formerly known as Amaretto meltdown) - Silky white chocolate swirled with Disaronno® Originale Amaretto and flambéed tableside (This one has been my favorite for years.  Recently they took it off the menu, but you can still ask for it)

Cookies 'n Cream Marshmallow Dream - Dark chocolate topped with marshmallow cream, flambéed, swirled together and garnished with crushed Oreo® cookies

Flaming Turtle - Milk chocolate, caramel and chopped pecans flambéed tableside (tried it, but didn't care for it much)

Pure Chocolate - Milk, dark or white chocolate melted for the most pure of all chocolate fondues
Bananas Foster - Silky white chocolate swirled with bananas and a dash of cinnamon and flambéed tableside
Yin & Yang - Half dark chocolate and half white chocolate artfully swirled for a perfect balance of flavors
Chocolate S'mores - Milk chocolate topped with marshmallow cream, flambéed and garnished with graham cracker pieces
Special Event - Create your own masterpiece. Select from milk, dark or white chocolate and make it a culinary work of art with your choice of Baileys, Cointreau, Grand Marnier, Chambord or Tuaca!
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Don't forget you can order any of the items separately from the Big Night Out Menu.  You don't have to order all of it, you can just choose the salad or just the cheese.  That's what I did last time with the cheese choice so don't be shy!
Also I should mention I just looked at the local menu for my area and it may be a bit different from yours.  Just look over the whole menu carefully and pick out what you really want to try.  Most times, you'll find something really fantastic even if you've been there 100 times and tried everything!  There's always something new.

Note: This is a pretty expensive restaurant and it does get very VERY busy for holidays and weekends.  Best to make reservations if you are planning something special and they also offer stuff like roses on the table, balloons, or cards if you want for a fee.  It takes anywhere from 2-3 hours to finish eating here because they let you take your time and never rush you.  The service and food that I've received at this chain restaurant has been consistently excellent all across the country.  You will not regret eating here, and there is no dress code (unless they are having a special event - i.e. ugly Christmas sweater night, or couples on New Year's Eve type things) so come as you are.

P.S.  Happy 34th Birthday to one of my dearest friends!