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\")
My husband and I have gone to The Melting Pot before and the chocolate course was the best! We also went in with spoons to make sure every drop of chocolate was gone 🙂
I can’t choose between the cheese and the dessert. I don’t even need the entree!!! Cheese and chocolate will make me a very happy girl!!!!!
Just read the menu and wow! I would go for the cookies & cream marshmallow dream. Yum!
CHOCOLATE!!!! 🙂
I love your website first off and have been looking at it more and more, daily now for workouts, recipes and books to read mostly. I love that you went to the Melting Pot for a date night. I have been to the melting pot when i was younger but recently my husband I have done it at home and it is so much fun! I love the cheese course the most because there is nothing better than dipping bread, fruit and vegetables in cheese! Thank you Thank you for this blog!
I really love the cheese course. Dipping veggies in makes it healthy, right? (Not to mention all the calcium!) 😉
Cheese or chocolate? Cheese or chocolate? Probably the chocolate — it’s a girls best friend afterall. Or is that a dog? Or is that diamonds?
I love anything dipped in Chocolate especially dark chocolate! 🙂
Yumm! I was lucky enough to go to The Melting Pot once as a child, and it’s an experience I will never forget! I would love to try the brie and bacon fondue cheese…a plus w apple and bread!
The cheese for sure!! I have never actually been to the Melting Pot, but your pictures make it look so enticing!!
.
Oh, good LORD your dinner looked fabulous! I’ve been there once, the night my husband and I got engaged. It was magical! I look forward most to the cheese course. Cheese is my absolute favorite.
Oh my the chocolate!
The whole reason I go is for the chocolate!! Yin & Yang and by special request, Snickers!! It’s one of the most fun places to go and eat dinner!
All of them!!!! I think the chocolate would win me over though
I have never tried any type of fondue other than chocolate. Therefore, I would have to choose the cheese fondue, although your entree looks very good.
OMG, the cheese. Your description had my mouth watering. It all sounds wonderful. Haven’ t been to The Melting Pot in a long time but I know it’ s fantastic.
I would MOST definitely dessert portion! 😀
I would love the chocolate dessert!
I would be most excited for the cheese course!!
The chocolate course is my favorite.. the Melting Pot has a Smores dip that is to die for!
My husband and I used to frequent the Melting Pot and we LOVE the cheese, but the chocolate comes in with a very close second!
It’s safe the say the cheese would be my favorite course!
Great review and pictures! I would look forward to taking my husband out for our first postnatal date night, sans baby!
OH my goodness! It all looks so delicious! I think I would choose the cheese course. I’m such a big cheese fan! But I wouldn’t frown at the chocolate either!
Def the chocolate fondue course!! They all look soo good though!
I love the cheese and the chocolate. Can’t pick a favorite!!
Oh, I would looove the chocolate! They have dark chocolate? I have heard so many good things about the melting pot, but I’ve never been there myself. I live nearAtlanta so I know there is one up here. Go dessert!!!
Have never been but would loooove to! I’m not sure if I would like the Cheese or Chocolate better…leaning to the Cheese course! It all sounds awesome!!! Glad y’all had a great date night! 🙂
Cheese please!!!! I am so weird about cheese and only like it on some food items, but I would love to dig (dip?!?!) into the cheese fondue; looks delish!
It has been a while since I have visited The Melting Pot, but the chocolate is always my favorite.
Cheese!!!! No, Chocolate!!! I don’t want to pick it all looks amazing!!
I’ve never been to The Melting Pot even though we have one here in town. It sounds like an awesome place to take a special friend or celebrate a birthday. The Chocolate S’mores fondue they have sounds amazing though. You sure can’t go wrong with any of the cheese fondues either though!!
any dessert involving white chocolate. holy moly!
I love all of the courses, but I always look forward the most to the cheese. And that’s saying a lot given the huge chocolate lover that I am. But warm, gooey, melted cheese? Bliss.
It’s a toss up between the cheese and the chocolate! How can you pick one thing?
That all looks so delicious but I would have to go with the chocolate!!
My husband and I just went there for our year anniversary!! My fave is the cheese course…..I love love love cheese!! 🙂
I love their “original” chocolate fondue: chocolate and peanut butter. It is the ultimate combination!!
I would love the cheese course! Cheese is my favorite!
I would definitely dive into the chocolate fondue from The Melting Pot if I won!
Definitely the chocolate! It sounds amazing!!
CHEESE, please! 🙂
I love chocolate but that cheese fondue looked incredible. Brie is awesome.
I would go for dessert. Creme Brule sounds delicious.
I normally LOVE cheese fondue but that white chocolate dessert fondue sounds great! I would love to try that!!
Gotta be the cheese!
I want to say uh duh chocolate but I LOVE cheese!! It would be a tough choice!! But overall I would love to go to Melting Pot! My fiancé and I always say well go on an anniversary but its just too pricey for us unfortunately. One day!
Cheese please!! All the courses and fondues should absolutely delicious so I don’t think you could go wrong picking any, but I’m a cheese queen lol! This giftcard would be a perfect surprise for my boyfriend and I to enjoy on 3 year our anniversary coming up this month! 🙂
I would love to surprise my husband for the upcoming Valentines day. We have been once and that was forever ago.
I vote chocolate!!! I’ve had it once and it was delicious.
wow! i was actually very excited for this post because i passed by melting pot a few times and always wanted to know how the dishes would be! :). hehe i am a dessert person CHOCOLATE it would be great to be finally able to try it.