Beyond its dark glass doors lies The Melting Pot: a magical place of chocolatey mystery and wonder. When you first walk in, you are faced with a large, glass wine cellar and a smiling hostess that will lead you around the sharp turns and to an enclosed booth. The dimly lit restaurant has an atmosphere of privacy, luxury, and comfort. All of the tables are equipped with their own personal stovetop. I entered with my mom for her birthday dinner with enthusiasm, mostly because of food, but also because I’ve heard epic legends of their melted chocolate.
The recommended meal (best economic value) is four courses, beginning with a pot of delicious melty cheese, prepared at our table.It wasn’t regular cheese either; this stuff was fancy. Instead of forks, we had little skewers, each person gets their own color. They provide different toppings to dip into the cheese: apples, broccoli, a bowl of different types of artisan breads, including pretzel-like bread.
Next, you’ll choose one of their salads. I didn’t think it would be very good because they put so much effort into their divine cheese and chocolate, but I was very wrong. The salad I had was amazing, one of the best I’ve ever had, and it wasn’t even the fancy one with the weird toppings.
Then, you order an entree. Since it was just me and my mom eating, our table only had one stovetop, so we shared a pot. We had to agree on the same cooking style, which is just the type/flavor of broth that we would cook our food in. The entrees are mostly different types of meat and vegetables. I ordered the potstickers, chicken, steak, and vegetables. My mom had the same but instead of potstickers, she got shrimp.
They brought out our entrees raw. The meat was cut into nice, bite-sized chunks. The plate had little compartments for individual sauce bowls to dip the meat in. Our waitress gently ladled different types of sauces into each cup and placed a giant pot of broth and vegetables on the stovetop. I’m pretty sure there are genies in the kitchen that prepare the chocolate and the broths. The broth smelled heavenly. I was tempted to drink it once we had cooked everything. We were instructed to skewer each bite and let it sit in the pot for about 2-3 minutes.
Lastly, they bring out a chocolate menu. My wildest dreams had finally come true: a menu purely of chocolate- Customizable pots full of chocolate. I have yet to go back, definitely alone (less chocolate for me), to have a giant bowl of chocolate to myself (Approximately $9).
To add some extra pizzazz they can light it on fire, flambéed. Fancy. When they brought out the chocolate, we also got a platter (yes, a platter) of banana slices, cookies, brownie bites, pound cake, strawberries, and pretty much anything else you can imagine would be delicious for chocolate dipping. The best part? The toppings are refillable. Want another brownie? Ask. It will be given. The chocolate was rich, creamy, and smelled wonderful.
Was I stuffed like Paula Deen’s Thanksgiving turkey? Yes. Will I order the five-course experience next time? No. Will it forever grace my thoughts, mind, heart, and dreams? Yes.
