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!!!
![\"Quantcast\"/](\"//pixel.quantserve.com/pixel/p-1e3-7hOJ_U8Bg.gif\")
The cheese for sure! Yummm!
I would definitely look forward to the CHOCOLATE!!!!
I love the Melting Pot and the cheese course is by far the best!
I love going to The Melting Pot for their Girls’ Night Out!!! Gosh, I love all of the courses but I think I’d have to go with the chocolate course 🙂
I’ve never been to the Melting Pot because it is kind of pricey!!! I’d love to go with my boyfriend, especially since his birthday is coming up! And CHOCOLATE would be my favorite course hands down!
Chocolate!!!! Though I think the husband would be most excited for the cheese…silly man.
It is hard to say just ONE course. What you just showed us ALL look sooooo good. But if I really really thought hard….hmmm…..brie cheese with apples mmmmm…..but creme brulee’….steak and shrimp….Since I have not been to Melting Pot, I truly do not know what any of this tastes like and would enjoy ALL. I’m looking forward to the dessert course. Whew, that was a hard decision….
I’ve always wanted to go!! Never been!!! But how can a girl choose between chocolate or cheese!!! Both for me!! (Just not together lol)
The cheese course is amazing!!
It’s def. a toss up between cheese and chocolate- if I had to choose it would be the chocolate! I usually just go to the melting pot and order just cheese and chocolate-don’t want to fill up on salad and entrees!!!
I would most look forward to the chocolate fondue course! The dippers look amazing and I love all things chocolate!
Cheese!!!
Your pictures make me want to try it all, BUT chocolate may take cake 😉
HOPE I WIN!!!!!
My dream dinner is 3 courses of chocolate!!!
The chocolate fondue is definitely my favorite!! Yum 🙂
Chocolate! I am a dessert junkie.
I love the melting pot!! It would be a toss up between the wedge salad (best salad I’ve had at a restaurant) or the fiesta cheese fondue, both are absolutely delicious!
I love the melting pot too! my favorite course is the entree and i always get the veggie option bc of those spinach gorgonzola raviolis!
I love the Melting pot especially for the cheese fondue but after reading your review I would love to try a salad or something off of the Skinny menu to see if their selections are just as delicious as their standard menu!
I just can’t decide between the chocolate and cheese…but if push came to shove, I would choose cheese…but just at the Melting Pot. Any other time, it would be chocolate!
I have to say I would love all three, but the chocolate course would be amazing!!
Cheese! Yum! Yum!
Chocolate of course!
CHEESE ALL THE WAY!!!!!!!!!!!
My favorite course is the dessert course! Thanks!
My husband and I have never been to the Melting Pot. I’ve always wanted to go there cause I’ve heard only good things. I would love to try the dessert. Specially a dark chocolate fondue!
My fiancé and I would definitely look forward to the chocolate the most !! 🙂
Chocolate for the win:)
Definitely the cheese. It’s been awhile since my fiance and I have been able to go because we keep having bad luck in every way possible. This would be awesome. Apples and cheese combo ftw!!
Oh man, I haven’t been to The Melting Pot since I was in high school w/our French Club! (random, I know) I would looove to go again, and eat as much of the cheese fondue as possible. 🙂
I would be all about the cheese fondue!!! That Brie and apple combo looks divine!
I love the cheese and the chocolate…I can’t pick between the two 🙂
Im pretty sure the cheese would be my fav! I have been wanting to try this place!
I would enjoy all of it, but if I had to pick I would choose the cheese!
The chocolate sounds amazing! The cheese is a close second.
I would definitely look forward to the cheese and bread!!
We have one of these in Minneapolis and I’ve been itching to go.
I think the cheese course would be the tastiest. I love cheese. And it’s very “traditional” of fondue, so that’s why I’d look forward to it the most.
Mmmm.
Tough choice! I think the cheese…that looks AMAZING
Dessert of course!! But it all looks fabulous! As a mom of 5 a date night out sounds wonderful!
Love the cheese and chocolate! Sometimes I skip the entree altogether!
I love chocolate, but there’s just something about cheese fondue! 🙂
The cheese part – by FAR!
All 3!! I really love the main course part though! It would be a great birthday present for myself too!!
CHEESE, absolutely. Anything cheese always wins, in my book!
I would love the Cheese course..being that I’m originally from Wisconsin:)
We are having our 4th baby on the 21st and these days I loveee to eat everything:))) my last experience at the melting pot was 10 years ago with my best friends from high school. We graduated 20 years ago, yikes…did I just write that?! My favorite would be the bread dipped in cheese…Silly and simple, but sooo yummy…ok, now i’m craving some melting pot:))))
The cheese course! Can never pass up cheese:)
I was just thinking I may want to make a trip for my upcoming birthday! I always look forward to the cheese course the most.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE the cheese and chocolate! I could skip the others every time. But the salads are still incredibly yummy too. The cheese wins though. I could eat cheese everyday, all day.
I’ve always wanted to try out the Melting Pot but have never had the chance! It looks like it would be really delicious!