I just arrived back home from The Melting Pot... Not impressed. I was tricked by my wife into going. Now, I'm usually pretty cultured, but I wasn't totally aware of what fondue fully meant - I thought it was a big bowl of cheese. I was partly right I suppose. So here's the full disclosure:
First and foremost, if you're with your lady or fella, and you're planning on a full 3 course meal, prepare yourself for the bill. I just dropped $120.00 (remember that figure).
So you're sitting in the dark (a little exaggeration) at a table with, essentially, a stove built into the center. So then you pick the type of cheese fondue, entrée, and dessert you want. It's cheaper to agree on the selections and do one of the package deals, so beware if you have different tastes. So the waiter comes out with some the ingredients of the cheese dip (hey that's what it is) and piles it into the pot, turns on the burner and soon you have melted cheese. You're given a little bowl of bread cubes, apples and veggies to dip with a pitchfork (research the etiquette on its use prior) into the cheese. So, yeah, yum - cheese dip - impressive? No.
Then the entrée. We did the "fusion" meal. This came with some steak, chicken, shrimp and lobster. That sounded excellent at the time. Then my wife's trickery became evident. The waiter brought out a different pot, this time filled with butter; this was followed by our meat - in it's raw form. Now sure, you're saying, "Oh! That's different," yeah it is. But for $86, I expect my food to be prepared for me. That's the reason I go to a restaurant. If I wanted to cook my own food...I'd buy the meat...and stay at home. So the next 1 1/2 hours was spent sticking my raw meat into this pot - frying it - then timing it - then pulling it out to check to see if it was cooked, rinse and repeat.
Then came dessert. And to keep up with the ridiculous novelty, the waiter throws a pot of chocolate with some peanut butter on the burner. Gives us a plate of marshmallows, cheesecake (1 slice to fight over), and assorted fruits. This part was okay - certainly not worth the price however.
So essentially you're paying for a novelty and some dim lighting because the food is average (could have had equally tasty food at a banquet/potluck) and the service is average. The restaurant simply provides you with groceries and a dish washing service.
Very unimpressed. This place is hyped way too much. Save yourself the trouble and find a place that serves up cooked food.
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