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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Hands down the cheese course!!!
i think cheese is the best part of any meal, so i would have to say the first cheese course!
Those entrees look amazing! I would love to try some of those shrimp and veggies. yum!
I would absolutely love the cheese fondue or the dessert. I don’t even know if I could choose between the two
The cheese course looks & sounds awesome!!!
Oh my…I think I’d go with the dessert course with dark chocolate. YUM!! 🙂
the spinach and artichoke cheese course is the BEST on the menu!!
Definitely the chocolate! I’ve had a couple different chocolate fondues from the Melting Pot before, but am always up for trying more chocolate 😉
It is all about the CHEESE for me!
Love the yin and yang chocolate course. Yum!!
Definitely the chocolate!
Chocolate! I went here for the first time for the start of my bachelorette party. I can taste the peanut butter chocolate fondue now. Yum!
Definitely the cheese! The apple, bread and cheese bite made me instantly hungry!
Cheese all the way!
The cheese course!
The dessert would be the part I’d look forward to the most! Looks delish 🙂
The CHOCOLATE course, definitely!! What a great idea to start 2013 with a delicious treat!
I have to go with the chocolate course!! Yum!
I love the Melting Pot and I’m the biggest chocoholic in the world so I would definitely choose the chocolate course!
Hands down I would go for the creme bruele (spelling?!?) dessert fondue! At our wedding dinner, we had ordered a certain number of desserts (we eloped to Napa) and I, being the amazing daughter I am, gave my creme bruele dessert to my dad and I had the fried ice cream… still good, but no bruele. Now, whenever given the chance I pounce! YUMMMM!!
On a side note, I just starting following your blog (I found pbfingers on my friends pinterest page) and now I am hooked! I love reading about you, and Ryan and Sadie! I cannot wait to try your recipes!! thanks girl!
Definitely cheese!! This would be such a fun date night!
I love interactive food!!! A whole dinner of interactiveness would be fabulous, but the chocolate would be my favorite!
I have always wanted to try fondue! I would love to try the cheese course & the chocolate. Do we have to only mention one? 🙂
I love your blog!
Definitely the cheese!
Mm! Looks wonderful. I would love the entree with all the fresh veggies, on the condition that the chocolate was also allowed for dessert 🙂
You can’t go wrong with any of those choices but if I had to pick I would say the CHEESE course!! yummm
Chocolate of course! I am not a huge white chocolate fan either but that creme brulee one sounds pretty good. I usually stick to dark chocolate.
hands down…the chocolate!
Cheese! always my favorite
I love the cheese course! Mmmm!
Cheese! I am a cheese addict! And anytime I can get bread and cheese together I’m sold! I went to the melting pot the night I got engaged..such a great place.
Def the chocolate fondue part!!
Oh man, cheese and chocolate are two of my favorite foods so it’s hard to pick one, but I guess if I had to choose I would go with the chocolate. Yum!
I would love everything !!! I honestly can’t decide between the cheese and desert fondue
I have always wanted to try The Melting Pot and I would most look forward to the chocolate!
Cheese. With the bread. yes.
Hands down the dessert!
Oh yes the cheese
But wait the shrimp looked good too
No the chocolate
No the cheese
Wait !!! Most certainly the chocolate
Oh forget it ALL THREE !
😀
I would look forward to the chocolate course. My husband would love to try the cheese and main. It would be a Date night!!!!!!!
Cheese me, please!!
The cheese course!
Those little crispie treats dipped In chocolate are always yummy treat to look forward to.
I went here for my sister’s bday and I was sooooo full by the time we got dessert,but it didn’t stop me for eating all of the plate! I vowed next time I would begin with dessert to truly enjoy it 🙂
Dark chocolate for sure!
That all looks amazing but I still think I would look forward to the chocolate the most! The Melting Pot looks like such a neat restaurant!
As I have never had the chance to go to The Melting Pot, a bit pricy, I think the idea of getting to cook your vegetables and steak at your table is just about the coolest thing. Although the cheese does look good, I am a sucker for any kind of steak, and those dipping sauces I think would make the steak better than it already is!
I love The Melting Pot! I am always most excited for the cheese fondue course. Last time We went there we had the spinach artichoke which was divine! I’m excited to hear about their lighter menu 🙂
I would choose the cheese even though I am lactose intolerant! I just love cheese so much!
Always, everytime…dessert! The Yin & Yang chocolate fondue is AMAZING!!
The Cheese!!!! Yummy