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When we really want to treat ourselves, we make a reservation at The Melting Pot. We’ve visited several locations across the country and we always leave impressed by their commitment to excellence. It’s not cheap, but it’s definitely worth it.
One of the things we like best is that, from start to finish, the meal can take two hours or more. We’re often in such a rush when we go out to eat that we don’t really take the time to sit back and truly enjoy our time together. At the Melting Pot, we put our phones away (aside from taking a few cheesy pictures) and give each other our undivided attention.
The Experience
If you’ve never heard of it, The Melting Pot is a fondue restaurant, which means you’ll be cooking most of your own food (with plenty of guidance where needed). We’ve seen couples, coworkers, families, and friends sharing a pot (sorry, I don’t want others dipping in my broth, but to each their own!) and, generally, the mood is relaxed and happy.
The Melting Pot offers a variety of unique entrées, salads, and desserts along with seasonal menu items. You can choose to book a table for anything from a cheese or chocolate fondue experience to a full, four course meal. It’s customizable and, because you’re in charge of most of the choices, it really is one-of-a-kind dining.
What We Order at The Melting Pot
We’ve been to The Melting Pot many, many times and we always go with the 4-Course Experience. This includes cheese fondue, salad, entrées, and chocolate!
Menus vary by location, but here’s what we’ve been ordering lately:
- Classic Alpine Cheese Fondue
- The Melting Pot House Salad or Caesar Salad
- Steak Lovers Entree
- The Classic Entree
- Create Your Own Entree
- Pure Milk Chocolate Fondue
Maybe one day we’ll be more adventurous, but we enjoy the Classic Alpine Cheese fondue. The Gruyère, Raclette, Fontina, white wine, garlic, and nutmeg combine to create a neutral but complex flavor that works with all of the dippers. From Granny Smith apples to soft, brown bread, it’s all going in that cheese!
Fun fact: Josh had never had a salad until I convinced him to try one at the Melting Pot in Richmond. He didn’t finish all of it, but he ate most of it. He said the dusted pine nuts helped (they really are good!). If you look in our pictures, you might just see that he always orders an extra side of them (and laughs heartily when he gets caught! Thanks to The Melting Pot, he eats salad at restaurants and at home all the time!
In the past, I’ve always stuck to the Steak Lovers or The Classic but when they added the Create Your Own option, I was all over it. I really love the beef (I’m a little picky about chicken), but I could eat the Chicken & Vegetable Potstickers every day for the rest of my life. Being able to combine them with whatever meats I’m craving is a great way to make the most of my meal!
Much like the cheese course, we stick with a traditional dessert by ordering the Pure Milk Chocolate Fondue. It is so unbelievably good even though we’re both pretty stuffed by the time it’s served. I’m not a fan of the bananas, but I do enjoy dipping strawberries in the chocolate along with Rice Krispie treats, brownies, blondies, marshmallows, and anything else they put on our plates.
We’re usually blissfully satisfied when we leave, which is exactly what you want when you’re spending that kind of money on a meal. About once a year (or more!) we try to sneak away to the Melting Pot to celebrate. If you’ve never been, book a table now. You won’t regret it!
