We're Melting, Melting!! Ohhhhh, What a Restaurant!!

The Melting Pot, Town & Country, MO (August 2, 2008)

For some reason I got it into my head that Jay and I had to go out to dinner (ya know, like a date) after our cheese pairing at Whole Foods. And since we've never been to the Melting Pot by ourselves this seemed like a good opportunity to do so. I booked a table for 8:30 PM just to give us some extra time, but we arrived about 30 minutes early and so were forced (wink wink) to wait in the bar until our table was ready. And you all know how hard it is not to order a drink when hanging out in a bar, especially a bar with a tasty martini menu.

Jay ordered something called Like it Dirty. A classic martini with a spicy twist, this drink was made with Pepper Vodka, Dry Vermouth, olive juice, and horseradish & blue cheese stuffed olives. I opted for a Pomegranate Cosmo which was made with PAMA Pomegranate Liqueur, SKYY Citrus Vodka, and cranberry juice.

That's Bond ... Pedro Bond.

I love to match my drink with my dress!

We ordered the Big Night Out which included cheese fondue, salad, entree with cooking broth, and decadent chocolate fondue to finish the night. The meal began with a Caribbean Cheese Fondue - Gouda and Gran Queso cheeses blended with fresh garlic and sweet and spicy Peppadew peppers topped off with scallions and a zest of fresh lime. For dippage we were given a bowl of bread, a bowl of cut up Granny Smith apples, and a bowl of raw veggies - carrots, broccoli, and cauliflower.

Jay and I both thought this was a very good cheese fondue choice - it was a little on the sweet side because of the peppadews but hints of garlic and spice popped out every now and then. The fondue was tasty with the bread but it was terrific with the apple - the sourness of the Grannies meshed really well with the sweetness of the cheese mixture and ended up being the surprise winner of our cheesy fondue course.

What's a peppadew, anyway?


Dippin' stuff...


Although I don't usually eat a lot of salad since the Crohn goblin doesn't like it, I did go ahead and order one since it came with the meal. The Melting Pot's House Salad includes crisp greens, Roma tomatoes, cucumbers, eggs, and Emmenthaler Swiss cheese. I requested the dressing on the side. They only offer one dressing and that's a house dressing which is a sweet / tangy thang that I didn't care for too much, but I'm not a fan of dressings and sauces for the most part anyway. I picked at this and then had our server box it up so Jay could eat it for lunch the following day.

A heaping, healthy plate of intestinal distress ...


Jay chose the Tropical Salad - crisp romaine and field greens, fresh tomatoes, mangos, and hearts of palm with a light creamy citrus dressing and a touch of coconut encrusted cashews. The hubba said that this was very good and he thought the mangos added a nice hint of sweetness.

A tropical delight in Stinktown...


This might be a good time to mention that we each ordered a glass of wine with dinner. Excessive? Perhaps, but why stop drinking now? I ordered one of my all time favorite white wines: Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio. This is a medium bodied wine with a clean aroma and a slight aftertaste of golden delicious apples, which probably explains why I like this wine so much - I loves me some golden delicious apples! My lovey ordered a glass of Nobilo Sauvignon Blanc (New Zealand) and pronounced it very tasty indeed. He said that there were a lot of citrus overtones to this wine and it had a very clean taste.

For our cooking broth we chose Mojo Jojo Style - Caribbean-seasoned bouillon with distinctive flavors of fresh garlic with a citrus flair. It sounded really good and it was tasty but at the end of the day it was too strong for my taste and it seemed like it really warred with some of the items on our entree plate. Jay enjoyed this one more than I did, but he agreed that it seemed at odds with some of the meats that were part of our entree. At the end of the evening I was glad we tried something different but in retrospect I wished we'd chosen the Coq au Vin cooking method, which includes a burgundy wine base with fresh herbs, garlic, spices and even the dreaded mushroom.

Stewing the Mojo ...


For the entree to cook in the broth we chose the Fondue Fusion - Lobster Tail, Filet Mignon Medallion, Jerk Seasoned Sirloin, Vanilla Rum Chicken, Marinated Pork Tenderloin, Zesty Peppered Shrimp, Butternut Squash Ravioli, and Fresh Vegetables.

Plate of meat and some sauces and such ...


An aerial view of the entree ... lots of stuff to boil in the broth!


Now the Mojo has really got it going on!


Feel like being healthy? Boil a few veggies!


For dessert we chose the Yin & Yang - half dark chocolate and half white chocolate, artfully swirled for a perfect balance of flavors. But we were bold and substituted milk chocolate for the white ... oh it was so good!

Yummmmmmmmm ...


We were given a plate of dippers to soak up all that lovely chocolate that included fresh strawberries, bananas, cheesecake, brownies, marshmallows, and pound cake. My favorites were the cheesecake and the brownies. I'm not usually a big fan of marshmallows, but there's something about dipping one into a warm, double chocolate bath that makes it taste ever-so-scrumptious!

Just one plate?


And how on earth, given my recent addiction to the stuff, could we not order a glass of port to go along with our dessert? I chose a glass of Sandeman's 20-year Tawny Port, and despite the picture below, I did share with Jason. This port receives a 91-point rating from Wine Spectator (I looked it up just for you!) and is a well-aged tawny with tastes of honey, nuts, and orange. It's sweet and smooth and delightful!

If I give you the port, what will you give me???


So, overall, what did we think of the Melting Pot? We liked it just fine although it is a bit pricey - it's a fun place to go if you're celebrating something and it's a great date night because there's always something going on at the table. Jay and I like to fence with the food skewers that you're supposed to use to cook your food in the fondue pot, but if you prefer to behave in a more mature manner that's OK, too. We received wonderful service and had a ton of fun with our meal; after all, who doesn't like to play with their food?