Melting Pot

He said:

As I was only a child during the 1970s, I never attended any fondue parties. Some of my friends had fondue kits in their homes and spoke with fondness of the times their families used them, but I never got to experience it. As a result, I didn’t really understand fondue. So, what is it?

Fondue is a Swiss culinary tradition that centers around a pot of cheese, melted with seasonings and wine. Diners share this communal experience by dipping pieces of bread, fruit, and vegetables with the help of long-stemmed forks. Besides cheese fondue, people enjoy chocolate fondue and “fondue bourguignonne,” in which pieces of meat are dipped and cooked in hot oil or broth. Our dinner at the Melting Pot included all three fondue types.

In the United States, fondue reached a peak of popularity in the 1960s and 1970s, beginning with its American introduction at the 1964 New York World’s Fair. The Swiss Cheese Union, backed by the Swiss government, aggressively promoted this fad that coincided with America’s renaissance of at-home dinner parties. Although fondue is still enjoyed occasionally today, the mania surrounding it has largely gone the way of pet rocks, mood rings, leisure suits, and other 1970s cultural phenomena. Some attribute its demise to growing desires for lighter, healthier foods. Some people didn’t like the impracticality of maintaining the equipment, including the fondue pot and long forks. Others had concerns about “double dipping” and the communal nature of the cheese pot. Some people even suggest that the cartel-like corruption that led to the collapse of the Swiss Cheese Union helped end the fondue era.

We decided to celebrate our upcoming anniversary—31 years—at the Melting Pot. We just missed National Cheese Fondue Day—April 11—though our waiter didn’t seem to know anything about that, so maybe we didn’t miss much, after all. We made reservations ahead of time, which ensured a quick table after our arrival, but it did nothing to help our parking situation. Parking in the area is scarce, and plenty of nearby construction has removed many of the streetside spaces.

Inside the restaurant, we found several distinct dining areas. We got to sit in what I called the “couples’ section,” an area that contained L-shaped booths suitable for seating only two people. I noticed another dining area featuring 4-person booths, and another with 6-person booths. The restaurant also had a bar area. Each booth had walls tall enough to seclude each seated group, but they did make the booths feel a bit cramped. Our booth sat in front of the window to Main Street, providing a continuous scene of downtown city life. I enjoyed watching the various social strata all mingle together in a common space.

The menu had a lot to take in. We selected the Big Night Out Dinner for Two, but that still left us with several choices to make. What kind of Cheese Fondue did we want? That’s tough; I’m no cheese expert. We narrowed our choices to two: Wisconsin Cheddar or Wisconsin Trio. We settled on the Trio: Butterkäse, Fontina, Gorgonzola, White Wine, Sherry, Shallots, and Scallions. Kathy would later say she might have preferred the Cheddar, but I liked the Trio. Its mild base allowed me to detect the rustic notes of the Gorgonzola, and I enjoyed the slight tang of the sherry.

The table had a burner in the corner, on which the waiter placed a stainless steel, double-boiler kettle. He tossed in the ingredients, stirred them together, and began our fondue experience. Our small table quickly became crowded. We made room for the small Charcuterie board we added to our dinner. Another board held a selection of cubed apples, carrots, broccoli, and cauliflower, with an abundance of soft, baguette cubes. Reaching over everything to dip our morsels felt a bit awkward, but by the end of our dinner, I appreciated that the heat was not any closer to us.

We each received three long-stemmed forks to spear and dip our food. I warned Kathy to be careful, as the punishment for losing one’s food in the cheese pot is to run around the block naked. She rolled her eyes, assuming that I had simply made this up, but I hadn’t. It’s one of several traditional penances, though I did replace “through the snowy forest” with “around the block.”¹

We each got to choose a salad. I chose the Caesar. It appeared as I expected, except for the addition of pine nuts. The pine nuts had been dusted with Parmesan cheese, which gave them a delightful, almost candied, taste.

Our Big Night Out option had preselected our entrée choices: Center-Cut Filet, Teriyaki-Marinated Steak, Herb-Crusted Chicken Breast, Shrimp, Atlantic Salmon, and Wild Mushroom Ravioli. However, we did need to choose a cooking style. Once again, we didn’t really know what to make of our choices. We settled on the Mojo, which meant our cooking pot would contain a vegetable-stock broth with Caribbean spices, garlic, cilantro, and orange and lime juices, which our waiter squeezed into the mix. The menu listed the suggested cooking times for each of our entrée items. The Mojo had interesting flavors, but I think I would have preferred the Cast-Iron Grill, which would have let me watch the food cook and I would have had a better sense of when it was ready to eat.

I enjoyed the entrée course. I don’t typically get excited about Filet Mignon, but this cooked well in the kettle, remaining quite tender. The entrée course came with five dipping sauces, all tasty and interesting, though my favorites were the Ginger-Plum sauce and the Teriyaki sauce.

The Chocolate Fondue rounded out our four-course meal. The menu offered several chocolate fondues, various mixtures of dark, milk, and white chocolates, caramel, and/or peanut butter, with various other additions. We upgraded to the Chocolate Explosion, which included a white chocolate fondue, dry ice, a small Confetti Bundt cake, cotton candy, and a fountain firework that shot at least three feet into the air. A tray of dippable desserts contained rice crispy treats, chocolate-covered marshmallows, Belgium waffle pieces, Angel Food cake, a brownie, a blondie, strawberries, pineapple, and bananas. Another tray included some chocolate-covered strawberries with a happy-anniversary greeting piped out in confectioner’s glaze.

In all, our meal was fun, if not . . . (dare I say it) . . . a bit cheesy, but I think that was the point. The Melting Pot may not be our usual choice for a normal night out, but it worked well for a special occasion. The food was good, but the novelty of dipping morsels of food into the pot turned it into an engaging and amusing event.

She said:

So, we’d been planning on going to the Melting Pot for a while because the novelty of it sounds intriguing. A fondue place? Sure, let’s go for it! We decided it would be a fun way to celebrate our anniversary.

First of all, Brian and I drove around the block a couple of times, looking for a place to park, but we couldn’t find a space for our car. Finally, Brian drove to the front of the restaurant so that I could hop out while he scoped the area for parking. He did this because, as things were, I was wearing high heels and couldn’t slug around the streets and sidewalks while teetering precariously on impractical footwear.

Anyway, I entered the restaurant and presented myself to the hostess standing behind the small credenza. She confirmed our reservation and informed me that we’d be seated “when the rest of your party arrives.” So, I waited.

And waited.

Tick, tock.

Where was Brian? Did he have to go to Timbuktu to find a parking stall? After about 15 minutes, he finally joined me, and the smiling hostess took us to our booth and handed us some menus.

My first impression was one of feeling like a sardine. Our small booth faced the large steel-framed windows that looked out onto the street, but even all that light coming in didn’t do much to dispel the feeling of being cramped instead of the cozy ambience I think the restaurant aimed for. The black, industrial ceiling, the dark-stained, wood-plank accent wall, and the deep walnut-colored booths with their burgundy upholstery merely contributed to the closeted feeling.

Our table was too small for comfort, filled with all our dishes and fondue accoutrements, but we made do. The fondue pot makes dinner a much more interactive experience, which was enjoyable. Even bread cubes and crudités become glamourous and chic when dipped into a melted cheese. As Brian mentioned, I think I would have preferred the Wisconsin Cheddar fondue. The Trio was delicate, but I would have preferred the robustness that the Cheddar might have offered.

By the time the dessert course arrived, I wasn’t sure I had room for any more. The collection of dessert morsels was pretty, though, and I did sample a few of them. My favorites were the Angel Food cake cubes and the chocolate brownie bites. Yum! The dry ice in the kettle blanketed our table with an ethereal fog before the waiter lit our dessert on fire. A fountain of sparks rose into the air, capturing our attention and eliciting comments for neighboring tables.

All in all, the Melting Pot was fun. Cooking our own food in the kettle in front of us allowed us to chat and enjoy each other’s company while beef, chicken, shrimp, salmon, mushrooms, etc. simmered. The food was surprisingly plentiful, and because I was satiated even before dessert arrived, I was able to eventually ignore the awkwardness of the tight squeeze of the booth in which we sat. I was able to enjoy myself and I no longer minded feeling a bit claustrophobic. After all, the important thing was chatting, smiling, and laughing up close and personal with my main squeeze of 31 years. Plus, I got to enjoy our chocolate-covered strawberries at midnight when the munchies hit me. That was definitely a bonus. 😊

Conclusion:

With its unique concept, the Melting Pot offers a fun experience that is great for special occasions. Bell bottoms are optional.