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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Cheese for the win! I’ve never been to the Melting Pot. Would love to try it!
I have only been to the melting pot once but I would definitely be all over that shrimp and chocolate. Not together. But yum.
The Kidless Kronicles
Definitely the dessert!
Everything looks so heavenly! Of course I would love the chocolate dessert course!
I love the melting pot! I think it’s a tie between the cheese and dessert fondues. Their house salad dressing is also my absolute favorite dressing.
The cheese course looks AMAZING I love brie!!!
Ive been hinting to my boyfriend for the past couple months to take me there! I have never had fondue! I want to try it all!
I have never been to the Melting Pot but have always wanted to try it. The chocolate would be my favorite because there is just something about the warm, melty, richness that would be unbeatable!
I always love the desert course when it comes to fondue!
I love the cheese portion! It’s not often you get to eat a big pot of cheese and feel normal lol.
Dessert course hands down!
I have never been to the melting pot but would be most excited about the chocolate!!!!!
It’s hard to pass up delicious looking steak and shrimp but I think for my first time at the melting pot I’d definitely have to say cheese, please!
I love the melting pot! Such a hard decision. I love cheese, but I have a huge sweet tooth! I think I will definitely go with the cheese! YUM!
I think I’d enjoy the cheese fondue the most! I can never get the cheese to melt properly and stay melted when I try to make fondue at home!
What a fun giveaway! I’d love the entree!!!
Looks delish! We make chocolate fondue at home, but that cheese course looks amazing!
The cheese for sure! I have a date there with my college friends in a few weeks.
Definitely dessert!! I loooove chocolate.
I would most enjoy the dessert course! Although the dipping sauces with the entrees are right up my alley! I am a sauce girl!
I have never been to the melting pot and always wanted to try it!!! I’m a fondue novice, so I would have to try it all:)
What a super giveaway! Everything there sounds wonderful!!
The cheese is my favorite part! Yum!
Oh there is a Melting Pot 20 minutes from me I have ALWAYS wanted to go to.
I think the cheese would be my favorite course!
Chocolate! I’ve never been but have been meaning to plan a date night there!
I love The Melting Pot-so fun for date night! I always look forward to the best course—dessert!!!
That whole meal looks amazing! Yum! I would definitely look forward to the chocolate course the most!
I have never had the opportunity to eat at the Melting Pot, even though there is one close to me! I would love the chocolate fondue the best!
Chocolate S’mores all the way! 🙂
My boyfriend and I love going to melting pot for special occasions its such a fun experience! I def most look forward to the cheese course- i love dipping the bread and apples 🙂 yummm
I’ve never been to a Melting Pot! Would love to try it!
Omg cheeeeeesssseee!!!
Oooo as much as I LOVE cheese, I would look forward to the Chocolate course the most! 😉
The cheese!!!!
Definitely the dessert! I am a total chocoholic!
Chocolate all the way!
I’m a Wisconsin girl, so definitely cheese for me!! I’ve never been to the Melting Pot before but always wanted to try! I’ve heard great things!
I am a desert-a-holic! I would love to try the chocolate! My fiance’ and I have never been to a Melting Pot and have always wanted to try it out!
The cheese and the dessert! Yum!
Entree–the shrimp looks amazing. But I’m a huge sauce fanatic so anything that offers that many dipping options, I’m a fan! 🙂
Omg! My boyfriend and I have tried to go to this restaurant so many times, I think I would look forward to the cheese. How can you go wrong with cheese? I hope I win!
Great giveaway! I am all about the cheese fondue. I’ve been to the melting pot twice, and everytime I just want doubles of the cheese fondue and skip the entree one. Unless they’ll let me dip the meat and seafood in the cheese fondue!
Yum!! I am a chocoholic and that chocolate course looks fabulous!
I would definitely love the chocolate fondue!
although they all look delicious i would definitely look forward to the cheese course!
Usually I am a sucker for dessert, but that cheese looks fantastic! I have a melting pot in our town but have never gone!
I would loooove the chocolate, it sounds fabulous!!
I think I would really look forward to the cheese! I’ve never been to the Melting Pot, but I’ve always been intrigued by the cheese fondue! Yum!
Chocolate… always chocolate! 🙂
I am a chocolate girl through and through–but I’ve never tried cheese fondue and cant imagine not liking it 🙂