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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chocolate ALL the way! i don’t just have a sweet tooth–all my teeth are sweet; i have a full set. i could easily bypass everything else and go straight for the chocolate! haha
Mmm, brie! The cheese course is my favorite 🙂
Yummy! I’ve never been to The Melting Pot, but many of my friends have eaten there! I’d love to try it one day. And, of course, dessert would be the highlight! 🙂
I’m so jealous that it’s still warm enough to go out without a jacket! I live in MI and it is a brisk 28 this morning! Brrrr. And I would want to do the chocolate, I’m definitely a chocoholic 😉
It’s a close tie between the cheese and dessert, but dessert always wins!
Chocolate!! Mm.
So hard to choose between chocolate and cheese!! Yum!
I’m sure I would love all of it, but I am a total chocoholic, so definitely the chocolate. Looks like a great date night!!
So hard to choose between the cheese and chocolate!!! Even though it goes against my nature, I would have to say cheese though. I love dipping the apples and in ‘real life’ I never think to put cheese and apples together.
Of course the chocolate!! Yum!
I would LOVE the chocolate course, I am a choc-o-holic! Although, I know my husband would really enjoy the cheese course. 🙂
Definitely the chocolate!!
I would probably be most looking forward to the salad! … just kidding, chocolate without a doubt!
It must be so nice to live somewhere where you do not have to bundle up in a heavy coat in January..so jealous!!
I have never been to a fondue restaurant, but am now dying to try one. I think that I would look forward to the cheese portion the most!! 🙂
I love the cheese fondue! I really liked the dipping sauces too last time I was there
Holy smokes!! Every photo you took looks fabulous!!! I have never had cheese fondue before… (I know, I know.. living under a rock). 🙂 I definitely need to get my buns over there to try it out! YUM!
The cheese course sounds like the beast!
We have never had fondue, but I know my fiance and I would both *LOVE* the cheese fondue! This post made me super hungry, by the way!
I’ve been wanting to try their cheese fondue and entrees as I’ve only done dessert there!
I love it all-but that white chocolate fondue looks amazing!!!
I love the melting pot and its definitely one of those great date night places! I know the dinner portion is fantastic, but let’s be honest nothing beats a big bowl of melted chocolate and yummy treats to dip into it!
I’m pregnant so anything off the menu would be fantastic but the cheese fondue and the creme brûlée at the end had my mouth watering !!!!
I’ve always wanted to go to the melting pot! I can’t decide which corse I would be most excited to try, because all look and sound so good!! But since I love my sweets probably the chocolate! yum!
As much as I loooooooooove chocolate, I would look forward to the cheese course, especially if there’s BACON involved!!
I’ve been dying to go here for a long time and now reading your review I still think the chocolate will be my favorite part! I would totally skip right to the dessert course if I could!
Definitely the cheese course 😉
That’s easy, the chocolate course!!
I think the best part is the cheese and dessert!!! Brie is my absoulute FAVORITE cheese, so I would be for sure getting that! And I love the chocolate s’mores fondue! : )
I was just telling my boyfriend as soon as he’s done with Air Force training and we have a chance for date night I want to go to the Melting Pot! I’ve never been and it looks so fun! I would go for that exact cheese fondue you and Ryan got!
How about all of it?! How do you even decide!
It’s a toss up between the cheese & the chocolate courses. So delicious! I’m so glad you guys had a great date night!
I love it all! But really the chocolate is the best part!
I would choose the chocolate…and then hope my husband wouldn’t eat it all!
The cheese would be a hit in my family! 🙂
Definitely the chocolate!! Love the melting pot but it’s generally out of my budget so this would be a real treat. Happy new year!!
Without question- the chocolate course!! Yum!
I would love to try the cheese! I’ve never been to the Melting Pot, and it all sounds so delicious! I’d love a date night here with my husband!
i would look forward to all three courses! i have been wanting to try to melting pot for awhile now but have never gotten the chance. if i had to pick, i would probably be most partial to the dessert course.
The cheese course!! And an excuse to spend some quality time with my man 😉
All of it…..I have never been. Looks yummy!!
I’d have to say the cheese course! It looks amazing and had me drooling 🙂
Definitely the cheese! I tried to go vegan once, but then had a date at the melting pot, so that vegan thing didn’t last very long…
Chocolate dessert course for sure!!
CHEESE PLEASE!!
Dessert, definitely dessert!
Definitely the cheese!
Love your outfit!
I’ve never been to the Melting Pot but I’ve always heard great things. I’d look forward to the chocolate fondue the best – but that may be because I just ate a savory egg breakfast 🙂
CHEESE!! You had me at “bacon and Brie”!! 🙂
Yuuuummmm! I’ve never been there and all the courses look amazing! I’d love to try all those sauces with the shrimp, and the cheese and apples look so yummy, too!
cheese!!