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 just got married last month so this would be perfect for a nite out with my hubby. And if I win I’ll try everything because im a food lover. ♥
The spinach and artichoke cheese is my favorite!!
The cheese course, hands down! I am a huge cheese lover 🙂
I’ve never had fondue before, your write up had my mouth watering, I am a crime brûlée girl, so I would love to try that!!
I’m a dessert girl, so I’m interested in the melted chocolate, yum! But my fiance loves cheese so we would both love the meal. Thanks for the giveaway!
Cheeseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
Definitely dessert! 😀
For sure the Cheeeeeeeese course! I’ve been on a very strict elimination diet for the past 5 months due to breastfeeding and of all the things I can say I’m very much okay with cutting out of my diet (like caffeine and milk), cheese is still the one thing I CRAYYYYVE!
I have never been to the Melting Pot, but I would probably like the chocolate course with a glass of red wine the best.
That salad looked Delish! But the cheese is making my mouth water lol
I love that the Melting Pot came out with a Skinny Dipping menu! For one, the name is so cute and clever and, two, it’s great to have some lighter options there. Hands down, I would be looking forward to the dark chocolate fondue course at the end! 🙂
I would love to have the dessert! I’ve never been here either so would love to!
Cheese for sure! Can never have enough cheese!
I am a chocolate addict- so the dessert fondues would be right up my alley! : )
The chocolate fondue is by far my favorite thing to get there (the cheese fondue is NOT far behind!). My favorite chocolate fondue is the yin and yang. A mix of white and milk chocolate! Yum!
The cheese looks amazing; I would love to try that!
I’ve always wanted to eat at The Melting Pot! The cheese fondue you had in the photos looks amazing, I think I’d go with that 🙂
What isn’t there to look forward to?!? Hmm okay maybe chocolate trumps…
The chocolate. I’ve had fondue, but never at a Melting Pot.
Cheese, cheese and more cheese!
I would enjoy the cheese course the most! I’m a huge chocolate fanatic but there’s just something about melted cheese & tart apples!! Yummy. Your post made me hungry!
This all sounds amazing!! I’m from the gulf coast but we have plans to eat in pigeon forge TN on our trip next month!! Chocolate looks amazing but so does spinach and artichoke!!!
Melting Pot is my favorite!!! I look most forward t the main course entree. I tried duck for the first time ever there and it is DELICIOUS!
Usually dessert is the favorite part of my meal, but with fondue, cheese is my FAVE! I just can’t get enough of cheese fondue!!
I have always wanted to go there and try the cheese and chocolate fondues! I used to live near a Melting Pot but now I’ve moved and the closest location is 45 minutes away in Nashville and a date night there would be a fun little trip for my fiance and I!
I’m drooling over that cheese fondue! Fingers crossed!
Cheese course all the way! I always thought this place was over-priced and kind of “touristy”, but after reading your reviews I will have to give it a shot! Have y’all tried the downtown sushi right in the square? It’s one of my favorites. Ocala is kind of limited in nice restaurants, so keep the great reviews coming!
Definitely the cheese!!!
Cheese is my passion! I love it in all forms…:-)
Iwould love to try the chocolate!
I am a huge fan of the Melting Pot! My sister and I always used to choose it as our special birthday dinner! My absolute favorite part of the meal is always the cheese!
I would love to try the entree course because it seems so different at a fondue place and I am so curious!
Hmmm tough choice!!! probably the cheese!!! I could live off melted cheese with veggies and a fantastic glass of wine 😀
I love love love fondue! If I was chosen as a winner, I would be forced to choose between either the cheese or chocolate fondue. Both of these are two of my food weaknesses! 🙂
My soon-to-be sis-in-law and I were just talking about this on New Year’s Eve. I’ve never been to The Melting Pot before and she called me crazy!! Looking at the menu I would definitely do a the Fiesta Cheese Fondue to start off, since I love spice cheese! For an entree I would get the Filet and Chicken Duo from the Skinny Dipping menu and for dessert I am a HUGE dark chocolate lover so I would, without a doubt, get the Dark Chocolate Fondue!! Talking about it is making me hungry!! Yummm!!
I would love to try the chocolate fondue!! Sounds delish! 🙂
I have never been to a Melting Pot but have always wanted to go. All the courses sound awesome but I think my favorite would be the CHEESE!!!!
I would love to try the cheese course! But I would also love to try the dessert and everything else! 🙂
I would look forward to the cheese course, but the chocolate would also be a favorite!
The cheese part!!!!! Gotta love melted cheese on everything! 🙂
Bring on the CHOCOLATE!! Pretty much anything dipped in chocolate (milk, dark or white)is a winner in my book 🙂
I would so love to win this! I have always wanted to try The Melting Pot. I have a feeling that the chocolate fondue would definitely win me over. 🙂
I’ve never been to the Melting Pot and I know the chocolate would win over my heart!
Chocolate is my fav! But cheese is a close second. 🙂
I would lurve the cheese and veggies/bread. I mean bacon and cheese, two of my favorite things!? Always wanted to try the Melting Pot, now I’ll def have to!
I think I would have to go with chocolate…and it should be the first portion of the meal! Life is short, right? I’ve never been to MP but I’ve heard great things! Hey, how come there’s no peanut butter portion of the meal?
I’m all about the chocolate!
I would love the cheese course!
I love melting pot and would love to go with my hubby some we haw never been together. With 3 kids date nights are few and far between. I would love the cheese and dessert and when my hubby heard cheese and bacon he was sold:)
I love cheese, but would definitely look forward to trying the dessert course! I have a huge sweet tooth:)