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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I’ve never been to The Melting Pot but I’ve heard so many good things about it! I’d enjoy the cheese and dessert courses the most. 🙂 My boyfriend and I want to go for our 2 year anniversary next weekend, to the Ocala location since Gainesville unfortunately doesn’t have one! 🙁
Oh I would love the chocolate! I have only had the original kind but I really want to try the bananas foster chocolate!
Since I’m not a big cheese lover, I’d go with the chocolate. I LOVE chocolate!1
Definitely the cheese!
I know this sounds crazy, but the entree part! Food just takes better when someone else prepares it 🙂
Thanks for the giveaway! Hope your 2013 is off to a great start!
The chocolate! Oh creme brulee chocolate sounds awesome!
Such a hard decision but I LOVE cheese, so I think that would be it!! Yum yum!!
Oh, I would just love to win this. I’ve been wanting to try The Melting Pot for years. I would definitely enjoy the chocolate course. I am a woman after all
The whole meal looks delicious! It would be a toss up between the entree and dessert! Looking like the shrimp/steak will win 🙂
cheese always wins!
Definitely the dessert course 🙂
I’ve always wanted to go to the Melting Pot! I would definitely be most excited for the cheese course– reminds me of the cheese fondue I had in Switzerland! 🙂
Okay, I failed at winning anything over the holidays, so this one is mine! I have a Melting Pot just down the road that we go to for special occasions. My favorite cheese fondue is the traditional swiss and our go to chocolate is the yin & yang. Have you ever had that one? I have to share with my husband and kids so those make everyone happy! Oh, and I agree, those dipping sauces make everything better on the entree. Try filling a freshly cooked mushroom cap with the green goddess sauce. Tastes just like a stuffed mushroom.
Never been but have always wanted to try! Definitely would look forward to the chocolate!
Chocolate all the way! Yum!
I’m usually a chocolate-a-holic! But the cheese fondue just looks wayyyyy to good 🙂
My husband’s and I love the ying-yang chocolate dessert so much!! One night we decided to just go for dessert instead of fro-yo!
Cheese!! By far! I love the variations they do. But I can also defnitely go to Melting Pot for just dessert and do the chocolate fondue!
Everything looks awesome, I have never been for some reason, I live near a few of them but have never made it. I would be most interested in the main dishes. I love a good cooked piece of seafood or meat and can’t get enough of dipping sauces!
I have a huge sweet tooth, so I would love the chocolate course!!
The cheese… no question!
Dessert, duh!! I’ve never been to the melting pot but have heard great things!! Crossing my fingers.
Definitely cheese! I love the melting pot!
I would LOOVEEE the dessert course. I could eat dessert for every meal if I could and being able to cover all of my favorite foods with hot chocolate sounds delicious.
Cheese! I love al the various choices of dippers 🙂
Would LOVE to try the skinny options!
I would enjoy the dessert course the most!! 🙂
I love the melting pot!! I look forward to EACH course – so please don’t make me pick one. I love the ooey-gooey cheese covering my granny smith apples and veggies (I’m really not a fan of dipping the breads in the cheese for some reason). I love the caesar salad with the toasted pine nuts and sprinkling some of that garlic seasoning on top. I love making mushroom caps and putting the green goddess dressing on EVERYTHING (literally). and I hate that I’m ALWAYS so full by dessert – but as long as I get my chocolate covered strawberries (and occasionally the bananas) I am one happy girl. My mouth is watering…I wonder if I can convince my boyfriend to take me there tonight….
I’ve heard great things about The Melting Pot! The chocolate caramel combination sounds delicious 🙂
The chees course…yum!
my husband proposed to me at the melting pot! ever since, it has been a huge favorite {and sentimental} restaurant of ours. EVERY course is good…but my sweet tooth loves the dessert course. chocolate and fruit?! yummm.
The cheese would have to be the one I would choose!!!
I have a huge sweet tooth so I am definitely looking forward to the chocolate fondue!
Though a Wisconsin girl loves her cheese, I think I most look forward to the chocolate! mmm
Oooo the chocolate is what I’d be all over!
Dessert is always my favorite! We don’t eat many sweets at home so having dessert when we go out to eat is a must!
Chocolate Chocolate Chocolate!!!!!
CHOCOLATE!! My husband and I have been dying to try the melting pot that opened near us. YUMMY!!
I am so into cheese this year (I know, only 6 days in). We had delicious Swiss Raclette (cheese you melt and scrape onto potatoes) for Christmas Eve and have been eating the leftovers melted on everything including the veggie burgers we had for lunch. I am 1/2 Swiss so perhaps this explains it!
Definitely the chocolate course! I love all the things you can do with it there 🙂
Mmm the cheese sounds delicious!!!
Oh I would definitely choose the cheese course. Everything looks amazing though.
Cheese!
Ooh it would be a tie between the chocolate and the cheese! I love the Melting Pot!!
I am the biggest chocolate fan ever, but I think I’m looking forward to the cheese!!!
The dessert course! No question about it.
Chocolate for sure! I have such a sweet tooth!
Thats easy…CHOCOLATE!!!
I would love to try their sirloin and yummy desserts!!
Chocolate… yes please!
Can you believe I’ve never been to The Melting Pot?! I’ve always wanted to try it. The cheese and the chocolate are both up my alley!
-AJ
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