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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Melting Pot is my all-time fav restaurant…but hubby says its too expensive just for cooking our own food so we never get to go there. But with a gc, we could! My fav entree is the cheese..yum!
I am from Wisconsin so I feel I would be out of line if I didn’t say I would most look forward to the cheese course!! (although I have a HUGE sweet tooth!)
Cheese! Always, always cheese 🙂
I would love, love, LOVE to try the cheese course! It looked delicious- and the bread/apple combo- yum!
Chocolate. Hands down. No questions asked!
Oh that looks like a really fun night. The cheese would be the best!!
Um- cheese please!!! My husband and I went to the MP on our first wedding anniversary in May 2005 and have not been back since b/c it’s so dang expensive! We would LOVE a gift card 🙂
The chocolate for sure 🙂
I would so love the cheese, seriously!
Ah! I need to win this! I’ve always wanted to go but it is usually a little out of my price range for date night 🙂 I would be the most excited for the chocolate, and my husband would love the entree with marinated sirloin you had.
Chocolate! *starts drooling*
chocolate – of course!
Cheese of course! I can never get the same flavor combination at home — fondue is my favorite!
Dessert!! All the way, no questions asked 🙂
It’s a toss up between the cheese and chocolate!
Excited to see that there is a location near me 🙂 I’d be excited to try the cheese!
Dessert!!!!!
I couldn’t wait until the dessert.
The cheese! I woul love to take my sister. She is getting over a badly broken ankle and really needs a fun night out!
Oh my heavens! That dessert course sounds amazing! Would love to try it!
I would love to taste the cheese fondue. I have never been to The Melting Pot…would love to go. The food and atmosphere looks divine!
It all looks delicious, but I would have to say cheese!!
Definitely the cheese! But it all looks delicious 🙂
I have never been to The Melting Pot, but have always wanted to go. I would love to try the cheese!!! I am such a cheese lover!!!
Oh my goodness! THE CHEESE!
I think I would be most excited to try the cheese course!
I’ve never been to the Melting Pot and I’ve always wanted to go! It would be hard to decide between the cheese and chocolate but I’d probably have to go with dessert!! 😀 yum!
That’s a tough call but I would be most excited about dessert! Chocolate fondue? YUM!!!
Dessert for sure!!
Can I say the drinks?!? haha… just kidding, of course the chocolate!!!
I am SUCH a savory foods and cheese fan!! I think this would definitely be the course I’d look forward to the most!!!
Cheese please !!!!!!
I would go for the dessert for sure..thanks for the chance!! 🙂
The cheese, the cheese! I’ve always wanted to try the restaurant, but we’ve never been. We just got engaged, so this would be an excellent way to celebrate!
For this girl who has chocolate running through her veins…. Dessert! I LOVE the melting pot! What a treat!
THE CHEESE oh my gosh. I want!
i would most look forward to the dessert course! you cannot go wrong with chocolate fondue. i love this place. its a special place for my boyfriend and i. I would love to win this and go back with him!
Oh gosh it’s so hard to pick! Buut if I HAD to I’d probably go for cheese fondue! I was super excited to find out we have one location in Ontaio Canada!
definitely the cheese course!!
DEFINITELY, the chocolate. hands down! Sweet tooth over here! 🙂
Dessert is always my favorite 🙂
I’m from Wisconsin so I’m a total cheese girl. I would definitely look forward to that the most! Sounds like a great date night!
I would definitely look forward to dessert the most!
Hmmm…chocolate or cheese. No way to make that choice, except for…BOTH!!
Cheese me, please!
Cheese!!!!!!!!<3<3<3<3
We’d be interested in the Brie fondue!
No question…CHOCOLATE!!
DESSERT ALL THE WAY… and meat! 😀
Cheese, definitely!