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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Definitely the cheese course! That’s the best part of any fondue meal 🙂
The dark chocolate, of course! I love Melting Pot and am now intrigued about their new Skinny Dipping menu!
This looks so amazing! I would probably enjoy the chocolate fondue the most, since I am a raging chocoholic 🙂
The flaming turtle chocolate fondue sounds amazing! Any fruit dipped in chocolate I am sold!
I need that crime brûlée white chocolate in my life!
Cheese course!!! Yummy.
All of it looks great but the dessert fondue looks extra appealing!
I’ve only eaten fondue once and the cheese portion was definitely the best part!
Dessert of course! Anything with chocolate!
The dessert of course!! That caramel brûlée thing looks fantastic!
I’ve always wanted to try the melting pot, it all sounds so delicious! I would love to try the chocolate dishes.
Ohhhh def the cheese!!! I have to try that apple bread cheese combo!! Yum!
I’ve never been so I’m pretty pumped to try all of it, but I know I would be on the skinny menu looking for dark chocolate!!!
Delicious. I’m drawn to the chocolate fondue course the most!
YUM! Love the cheese fondue!!
Chocolate!! I often tell my boyfriend that we could just skip the rest of the meal and go straight to dessert 🙂
I would love to try the cheese course! I’ve never eaten at The Melting Pot but it sounds like a fun experience.
The entree! Love the melting pot!
I looooove some dessert fondue!
The cheese course! Dessert is great too but cheese…..especially bread dipped in cheese…. wins me over!
I would love to try the dessert! I have tried at home fondue but it never turns out right, I want to try real fondue! I hope you enjoyed your date night!!
Love the chocolate course! But cheese is definitely a close second 🙂
I have always wanted to foot the MeltingPot we have here MN! I would love to try everything, but I think I would most like to try the entrée, followed by the cheese and then dessert!
I would look forward to the chocolate course for sure!
My favorite course is always the cheese course. My favorite to dip into it is pretzels. How can you not like a big bowl of melty-cheesy-goodness.
Um…I think I speak for most females& say CHOCOLATE!!!
But it ALL sounds delicious.
The chocolate course – no contest! It looks fantastic! Thanks, Julie!!
I’ve been to the Melting Pot once before, and I loved it. I think my favorite course has to be the cheese one!
Not even a question. .. the chocolate! !!
I have been to the Melting Pot once before and it was fantastic! I soooo look forward to the chocolate!
I have always wanted to try The Melting Pot! The cheese and chocolate fondu look amazing!
I would LOVE to try the cheese dish! It looks amazing! I’m a resent college grad and I need to celebrate!
I would loooove that white chocolate caramel! Yum!
OMG I’d looove to try the cheese fondue! I’ve never been to Melting Pot
I have only had fondue once but through you link found that there is a melting pot in Canada and in our neighbouring city!!! From your pictures it would be such as toss up as to what looks the best but I would have to say the cheese fondue or the Entree 😀
This would be a tough one as cheese and chocolate are my two most favorite foods, I would have to say cheese though!
I love the melting pot! I love each course but I think the dessert one is my favorite.
I would definitely look forward to all the chocolate!
My favorite part would
Be the chocolate fondue!!!
Definitely the chocolate! Especially the white chocolate caramel… that sounds amazing!
The chocolate fondue would definitely be the best part! But all look great!
I’ve never been to the melting pot, though there is one in the next town over from me! I think I would best enjoy the chocolate, but I am very intrigued by the cheese!!!
I would enjoy the cheese part the most! I’m a huge cheese fan and have never been to melting pot!
I’m going to the melting Pot for their Ladies Night Out event with friends on Tuesday. This would come in handy! My favorite part is the chocolate fondue. I could skip everthing else and go right for the chocolate 🙂
Cheese fondue is my favorite!! But the white chocolate caramel looks amazing too!!
I would def enjoy the dessert part the most 🙂 🙂
Cheese!! Apple/bread/cheese combo sounds soooooo good. 🙂
This is so awesome!! My husband and I have always wanted to try The Melting Pot, but we’ve never wanted to shell out that much moolah for it. A gift card would definitely get us in the door! And as much as we love sweets, the cheesy fondue would totally be what we would look forward to the most! Thank you so much for offering this giveaway!!!!!
The smores chocolate fondue is my favorite way to end a meal at the Melting Pot!
I have always wanted to try the Melting Pot. I thin the cheese course would be my favorite!