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 would love to try the chocolate on due with fruit… I’m a chocoholic!
I would loo forward to the entree! I have never been to a Melting Pot but it looks pretty amazing!
I sometimes go to Melting Pot just for the chocolate course. S’mores is the best!
The entree – I LOVE dipping sauces 🙂
Oh how I loooooooooovvvvee chocolate!!!!
Oh my goodness I absolutely LOVE this restaurant! It’s kind of pricey, so my boyfriend and I can’t afford to go there ourselves… the one and only time I went was with his parents… fantastic food and it would be so much fun to go back. The best part, by far, was the dessert! We got chocolate pb fondue and it was delish. This time I would really look forward to trying some kind of white chocolate or caramel fondue. Yum!
I’d love to try their chocolate fondue!
I would love to have the cheese with bread! It look so good. I think I am going to try to create it at home!
Definitely the cheese! I looked over the menu and there wasn’t a cheese fondue on there I wouldn’t be willing to try!
Ah what a fantastic give away! The dessert option looks delicious. But the cheese with veggies and bread look amazing too… Mmmm
Yum…all if it? Since i have to pick one, will go with desert!
The cheese part is always my favorite!!
The Melting Pot Minneapolis is where my husband took me the night he proposed! We have not been back since…..I would definitely go for the cheese course if I had to choose just one!
That cheese looks amazing!!
Mmm, definitely the chocolate/dessert course….that caramel white chocolate you had sounds delish. Of course, cheese doesn’t sound so bad right now either…I must be hungry! Lol. 🙂
I would definitely look forward to dipping everything in cheese, yum!
LOVE the Melting Pot and always go for the S’mores chocolate. SOO good!
I would love to try just about anything on their menu, never been. I’m a protein, veggie person so anyone of their entrees would work for me.
I always look forward to the chocolate fondue part the most, it is the best!!
I would enjoy the cheese fondue! Cheese goes into almost about everything I eat 🙂 Just call me cheese head 😉
My twins turn 10 on 1/22 and I think they would be thrilled about the chocolate course for a birthday dinner!
Chocolate. Is that really a question? I should break out my fondue pot and whip up a batch of pb/choc fondue.
DESSERT sounds lovely.
The cheese! That brie + bacon sounds amazing.
Cheese course! But I’d love chocolate too 😉
The dessert course with the crime brûlée looked to die for! I want it right now!
I’ve been there before-so good and such a treat! I would most look forward to the entree/veggie part.
The cheese course sounds so yummy!!! I’m drooling!!!
That’s a tough one, both the cheese and chocolate fondue are soooooo yummy, but I’ll go with chocolate for my incessant sweet tooth 🙂
The cheese plz:)
The entree!
The cheese entree of course! I heart the Melting Pot! Everything there is absolutely delicious!
I’d love to try some good ol chocolate …. fondue style!!! Mmm mmm!
Tough choice! I love the cheese and the chocolate. I think I’ll have to go with cheese though.
I love the Melting Pot! I think I would most enjoy the cheese entree.
Their chocolate peanut butter fondue is amazing!!!
We go to the Melting Pot every year on our anniversary! I’m already looking forward to the chocolate!
I’ve never been to the Melting Pot but I’ve always wanted to! The cheese fondue sounds SO AMAZING!
I would definitely have to say the cheese! Yum!!
definitely the cheese–always my favorite part of going to the melting pot!
Definitely the cheese! I love the cheese paired with the bread and apples. It is a fabulous combination!
Their dark chocolate fondue sounds divine and I would love to order multiple pots of it!!
I’m pretty sure I would be all about the dessert portion of the meal – melted chocolate – YUM!
CHOCOLATEEEEE
Definitely the dessert! I would love to try the creme brûlée!!!!
I have never been there but I bet the cheese would be my favorite!
Dessert–no question about it!
actually the entree! I have never been to The Melting Pot!
I love the Melting Pot and think both the cheese and the chocolate rock!!!
I love the chocolate at Melting Pot! Hands down my favorite part!