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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Dark Chocolate!
Awesome giveaway… Always love reading about your meal choices 🙂 I think I would have to go with the cheese portion of the meal.. Can never get enough!
Chocolate! !!!
I would love the cheese- any and all cheese!! I have never been to a melting pot but I adore fondue!
cheese! i love the melting pot and would love to go back!
Chocolate! 🙂
I’ve always want to go to the Melting Pot! I’d like to try the cheese fondue!
For sure the dessert portion! I LOVE white chocolate!
Dark chocolate.. obviously!! I went to a Melting Pot for dinner for my bachelorette party and it was so much fun!
Dark chocolate or a special white chocolate mix! I have always wanted to try fondue but never have. I can already picture my boyfriend cleaning out the bottom of the fondue pot haha
chocolate.. that creme brulee white chocolate one looks delicious!
I am a huge fan of chocolate, so definitely the dessert course! Your meal looked delicious!
CHEESE!!! I love love love cheese!!
Chocolate of course!
Cheese course for sure!
This is an amazing giveaway! I loooove fondue and love to make it sometimes! But going to the Melting Pot is such a cool experience and is so delicious that it beats homeade anyday 🙂 I look forward to the chocolate course the most, and would absolutely LOVE to try that Creme Brûlée white chocolate! Looks to die for!
Cheese please!!
I definitely would most look forward to the cheese. Don’t get me wrong, chocolate is great, but I LOVE my cheese. As a vegetarian, I used to eat a lot more cheese than I do now, since I have tried to get myself in check. I think this has made me appreciate the opportunities when I get to sample new cheeses and recipes incorporating cheesy flavors even more.
The cheese is always my favorite!
without a doubt, chocolate!
I’d be most looking forward to chocolate AND cheese! Did you know in South America they eat them together (dip cheese into their hot chocolate). “The more you know . . .”. 🙂
Ahhh I love them both!! But I’m going to go with the cheese…
Cheese fondue is simply amazing!!
Cheese!! Anything with cheese is always a winner!
I think I’d most enjoy the chocolate course – looks deeeeelicious!!!
It’s a toss up between cheese and chocolate for me! I don’t know if I could pick between the two!
The chocolate! Although the cheese would be amazing too 🙂
chocolate of course! 🙂
I would definitely want the cheese fondue! I’m a savory girl over sweet any day. 🙂
the cheeeeese for sure!!!!
Cheese… It’s making me hungry just to think of the deliciousness!
Hmmm tough to decide which part would be my favorite…but I think it would be the entree. Love this place but have only gotten to go once, that was on our 5 yr anniversary and that was 5 yrs ago. Definitely time to go again!!’
I would definitely be looking forward to the CHEESE!!
Wow, that is a tough decision…but the crème brûlée white chocolate fondue sounds absolutely divine! Aand Tuesday is my birthday so this would make a pretty awesome birthday gift 😉
Dark chocolate!
Definitely the cheese fondue.
The cheese for sure! Cheese and bread are my weak links. 🙂
Definitely chocolate! Yum 🙂
Cheese, for sure. It’s the best. 🙂
I would definitely say the chocolate dessert fondue! Chocolate makes everything taste better and is totally worth the wait, if only I could save more room for it by the time it comes around as the last course. Thanks so much! 🙂
Cheese! I am a Wisconsin girl!
umm, I am a mushroom fiend, so I would love any entree where I could cook them!
The melting pot just opened at Destiny USA here in Syracuse, NY! I have been dying to go with the bf! The creme brulee white chocolate fondue looks amazing!! 🙂
omg i hope i’m not too late!!! i just found out there’s one at a hotel in town…dying to go!!!
Oooh! I would definitely enjoy the cheese fondue the best. There is one here in town, but it seems so expensive to go there on a date night when we have to pay for a babysitter too.
Um hello, chocolate???? I die.
The cheese….without a doubt! That brie and bacon one sounds amazing!
Hands down–dessert! Dipping brownie and cheesecake pieces into more chocolate and caramel sounds heavenly!
Ohhh chocolate for sure!! My mouth is watering now!! (:
Chocolate 🙂