Ryan and I went out on a fondue date last night!
Our first date night of 2013 took us to The Melting Pot in downtown Ocala.
Downtown Ocala is still decorated for the holidays, so we had fun walking around the square before dinner and taking in the holiday sights before they’re put away until next year.
Once we meandered over to the restaurant, we were immediately greeted by the hostess and escorted to a cozy booth.
Drinks!
Tipsy Turtle + Blackberry Bourbon Bramble
Ryan and I planned our date night after I received a press release from The Melting Pot inviting me to try some of the dishes on the restaurant’s new Skinny Dipping menu. The Skinny Dipping menu features three courses – a salad, fondue entrée and dark chocolate fondue dessert – for less than 700 calories. I selected a salad and entrée off the Skinny Dipping menu last night and loved both of my choices! (I veered off the Skinny Dipping menu for the cheese and chocolate fondue courses.)
Our meal began with the cheese fondue!
Ryan and I selected the special of the day which included a big pot of brie and bacon cheese fondue, served with bread, tart apple slices and fresh vegetables for dipping.
Oh cheese fondue, you are so fabulous!
Our waitress suggested placing a piece of bread and an apple slice on our fondue forks at the same time before dipping it into the cheese and the flavor combination was fantastic!
Salads were delivered to our table shortly after we finished the cheese course.
I ordered the spinach salad topped with baby Portobello mushrooms, red onion, chopped bacon, Roma tomatoes and a warm burgundy shallot vinaigrette. Though this salad came off the Skinny Dipping menu, it didn’t taste lightened up at all! The toppings were quite generous and the dressing was delicious.
When it came time to order our entrees, I decided to go for a combination of shrimp and teriyaki-marinated sirloin.
At first I thought the portion looked rather small, but as I started eating, I filled up fast. (I think I had a head start on filling my belly with the cheese course!)
Every entrée comes with fresh vegetables to cook in your fondue pot and I couldn’t get enough of the mushrooms! They were the best, especially when dipped in the various sauces.
Ryan and I both agreed that the five dipping sauces that came with our entrees added so much to our meal. My favorite two sauces were the teriyaki and the mild, yogurt-based curry sauce.
And then it was time for dessert! The shining star of any fondue experience!
It didn’t take much convincing from our waitress for us to order the crème brûlée white chocolate fondue for dessert.
Caramel shavings were sprinkled atop creamy white chocolate and set afire before we cracked the caramel coating with our fondue forks and dipping items.
I am normally not a huge white chocolate fan, but the caramel component of this fondue took it to another level. Ryan and I used our spoons to get every last bit of chocolate out of our fondue pot. Incredible!
And now here’s the really fun part!
One of YOU will win a $100 gift card to The Melting Pot to enjoy your own fantastic fondue experience! (To find a location near you, you can visit The Melting Pot’s Locations page.)
To enter this giveaway, please tell me what course you would look forward to enjoying the most if you won the gift card. Cheese? Chocolate? Entrée?
I will randomly select a winner on Tuesday.
Good luck!!!
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Definitely the chocolate. Delicious. Although let’s be honest. The cheese would be heavenly as well!
Chocolate! Chocolate! And more chocolate!!!
I’ve been wanting to try the melting pot! Chocolate is the winner for me, but cheese is a close second!!
The dessert fondue would be the best! Sooo delicious looking!!
Jeeze I don’t know!!!!! I have never had fondue at a restaurant before………..just chocolate fondue at home with my girlfriends……..so I would probably enjoy the cheese part the best because it would be a totally new experience and I love me some cheese!
Definitely the cheese course! I crave melted cheese.
Cheese! I’m from Wisconsin and anything involving cheese is at the top of my list for foods!
Ooooh I LOVE the Cookies n’ Cream marshmallow dream dessert!! But there’s so many cheese fondue’s I want to try! Not sure which course I like more! 😀
Cheese! Though chocolate is a very close second. We fondued with my in-laws for Christmas Eve and now I’d love to do it again!
Cheese! I’m such a cheese head, and I can never get enough of quality cheeses like the combination you mentioned. Yummy!
My favorite course is the chocolate! Yum!
Cheese course!
Hard call between the cheese and chocolate, however I am a complete sucker for melted cheese so I would have to pick that!
Dessert! Omg what you guys got looks amazing!!!!
I have been wanting to try the melting pot! I’ve never been but I have heard rave reviews. It all looks yummy, but I think the entree would be what I’m looking forward to most!
My favorite would be chocolate, but cheese is right up there, too! Sounds like a great date night!
Ohhh we have The Melting Pot in our city and I’ve always wanted to try! It looks so fabulous! I think my favorite would probably be the cheese because I’m so obsessed with cheese! 😉
Cheese all the way!!!!! I so want to try this! Wish me luck 🙂
Hands down, the dessert!! I’d love to take my mama, who is a chocoholic parallel to none, and try out all the dessert fondues on the menu (:
I think I’d enjoy DESSERT the most! I loooove chocolate 😉
Dessert!!! 🙂 I have never been to the Melting Pot but I’m dying to try it!
Hmmm. A tie between cheese and chocolate.
definitely a tie between the cheese and the chocolate but I think the chocolate wins!!
Definitely the chocolate!
Oh man! Definitely a toss-up between cheese and chocolate!!! So yummy!
I love cheese and dessert almost equally so I would go with either of those…maybe the dessert if I really had to pick a #1!
I would def. pick the cheese course! What’s better than nice, warm crusty bread in gooey cheese?! Sign me up!
Cheese, please!! Just hearing about that Brie and bacon with apples has my tummy rumbling (but I’ll do just about anything with Brie anyway). 🙂
That meal looks so good! I would choose the Seafood Trio. Mmm! And I hope the creme brulee fondue that you had is on the menu, because that’s what I would choose for dessert!
While dessert is high atop my list, I’d have to go with the CHEESE! I love cheese, and I’ve heard great things about The Melting Pot (never been there, though)
Definitely the cheese course! Brie and bacon are such a good combo.
Although I’m sure I’d love the cheese, I’m just crazy about chocolate! Yum! Looks like your first date night of ’13 was fantastic!
Chocolate for sure! I’m a big cheese lover but I could never pass on the chocolate!
I love the Melting Pot! My friends and I go there every year for Christmas instead of exchanging gifts. And the chocolate fondue is definitely the best part, but it’s so hard not to be stuffed by that point with all the other yummy food!
So hard to choose! The cheese probably but it all looked amazing!!
Although every course looks soo delicious..I have to say I’d be most excited for dessert! I love chocolate !
I thought it would be easy to choose (cheese of course!) But that chocolate sounds delish!! Wonderful giveaway!!
Dessert would be my,number 1! Its my weakness!
The chocolate! And the entree – that shrimp looks yummy! But, not shrimp in chocolate – gross. 🙂
Chocolate–no contest!! 😉
My word-that cheese fondue sounds sooooooooo awesome!
My favorite part would ABSOLUTELY be the cheese fondue! I’ve always been much more of a savory person and I am pretty much drooling looking at that cheese fondue.
I’ve always wanted to try the Melting Pot! The creme brulee course with caramel shavings looks amazing, I would have to say I would look forward to that course the most!
I would loooove to eat an entire pot of melted, cheesy goodness!
Hands down…. The cheese!!!!!! Looooove cheese.
Cheese!
Definitely the cheese fondue!! It looks fantastic!
Chocolate! I’ve been looking for an excuse to go here and now I’d have one!!!
I’ve never been to The Melting Pot! I would love to try anything off the skinny menu and I think I would like the cheese course the best!
Definitely the chocolate!! Dessert is my favorite course by far! 🙂