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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My boyfriend and I had planned to go to The Melting Pot (Minneapolis) with friends, but I hurt my back and couldn’t go. We hope to get over there soon; neither of us have been there before.
CHOCOLATE!!!! YUMMM! I have been known to lick those pots so dry that I end up burning myself…. so worth it though!
I would definitely look forward to the CHOCOLATE course of dining at The Melting Pot the most. I may have to have the wait staff handcuff one of my hands to my chair so I didn’t lose complete self-control! 🙂
I would look forward to the CHEESE course! MMM, I adore the melting pot!
I always read but never comment.. I would definitely look most forward to the chocolate portion although cheese will come in close second. Funny enough my boyfriend and I were talking about planning a melting pot date for Valentines Day so this gift certificate would be amazing! This is why I decided I might as well comment and try to win it =)
CHEEEEEEEESE! It’s all about the cheese for this girl 😉
I love the Melting Pot but haven’t been in years! What a great reminder for a fun date night. I would eat the heck out of some cheese fondue there!!
I LOVE the melting pot! I would look forward to the entree portion of the dinner, their meats/sauces are delicous!!
Definitely the CHEESE!
Dessert is always my favorite course! Just about anything dipped in chocolate would make me happy, haha! 🙂
Chocolate of course!!!!
My favorite would definitely be the chocolate (white or dark) desert fondue!
dessert course hands down! the caramel white chocolate would be the first thing i would go for!
oh no! You are making us choose??? 🙂 Definitely chocolate!
Cheese! Hands down!
Desert! No, wait, the cheese! The meat looks very good too 🙂
I absolutely adore them all! I worked at the Melting Pot when I was putting myself through college. It’s all fantastic 🙂
Cheese. We always go to the Melting Pot for Valentine’s Day, and can’t get enough of the cheese. Brie and bacon? Um, yes please!
Chocolate. Although the brie and bacon sounds amazing!
Cheese, for sure!
I’m from Wisconsin so it has to be the cheese – brie sounds wonderful and I love the sound of tart apples and cheese 🙂
Date night is so important! I am so glad you guys took some time for a special night.
The whole meal looks yummy, but I adore cheese. That would be the course I would be most looking forward to!
Definetely CHEESE!! My husband and I are huge fans of cheese. He once told me…I love you so much, more than cheese 🙂
Cheese!!!!!!!!!!
Even though I love chocolate, the cheese fondue at The Melting Pot is so amazing. I never thought about it until just now, but I think I may love cheese (especially goat cheese) MORE than chocolate. How instructive…
My husband and I visited the melting pot in 1998 (man I feel old) when we started dating. I would honestly say I would look forward to the salad! The one we had was piled high with mushrooms and the dressing was amazing! It’s funny how I can remember what we ate 14 years ago…guess there was just something special about that night and the man beside me!
i def would enjoy the chocolate one the most!! add peanut butter and it’d be perfectttt
I love the cheese and chocolate!
As much as I love chocolate, the entrees look soooooo delicious I have to choose that. Teriyaki-marinated sirloin? Gorgonozola port sauce? Yes, please.
Ahh, my husband and I love the melting pot! My favorite course is dessert, no question 🙂 (Usually the dark chocolate!)
Cheese! 🙂
Dessert !!!! 🙂
Yum! This all sounds so good! I’d love the cheese the best I think!
While I am a huge dark chocolate fanatic, I’m even more in love with cheese and don’t even think I could go a day without it. There’s a melting pot about an hour away from me but I have always dreamed of trying it and would most look forward to the cheese!!
CHEESE!!! I love the Melting Pot based on my love and devotion to cheese!
Chocolate.
I’d love to try one of the cheese fondues!
you had me at chocolate
Cheese!!
I would love to try the chocolate fondue. You can’t go wrong with chocolate!
Entree !!
Cheese!
mmmmm sounds like a great date place! We have 3 little kids so I would totally pick that as a date night – a nice long uninterrupted meal to enjoy! I think I would look forward to the chocolate 🙂
Dessert or cheese! Such a hard decision! Probably the dessert – my boyfriend loves creme brulee so that dessert sounds right up his alley!
I have never been to the melting pot because its so expensive! From all of the reviews I have heard of, the cheese platter is the most amazing part! I would love to take my mom who loves cheese as much as I do, since my boyfriend wouldn’t enjoy the cheese and chocolate and wonder when the meat would come lol, and get to spend some quality time with her that I do not get to do as often! Ps love your blog, this is my first entry in your giveaways after reading for over 2 years, I need to do these more often!
My oh my….how do I choose??? I call it a tie between the cheese fondue and the dessert!! Oh how I would love to win this for a date night with my hubby!! Awesome giveaway!
definitely the cheese!
I typically only order the cheese and chocolate when I go. Perfect meal!!!
Brie cheese absolutely! It’s my weakness
Definitely the cheese course! Bree mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm