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wayabvpar
10-05-2005, 05:01 PM
Apologies for length. I tend to ramble.

Went to The Melting Pot in Bellevue last night for a friend's birthday. 28 people in a curtained off section of the restaurant. We were given 2 choices for the cheese course, 2 choices for the meat couise, and 3 choices for dessert (people at a 2 burner table could get 2 different options for their table, which we did).

The choices-
Beer-based Cheddar Cheese and spices fondue
White Wine/Cherry brandy based Swiss Cheese and spices fondue

Coq Au Vin cooking oil (red wine, mushrooms, spices)
Caribbean style cooking oil (tons of herbs and spices)

Milk, Dark, and white chocolate for dessert.

We had both cheese courses, both meat oils, and only Dark chocolate for dessert (since it is easily the best form of chocolate).

The cheese course was decent, with bread, apples, and assorted vegetables to be dipped into fondues. I preferred the Swiss to to Cheddar (except on the apples). If I was ordering ala carte I would probably skip the cheese- it was pretty boring, overall.

The meat course was great- 2 kinds of beef (teriyaki and plain tenderloin), chicken, salmon, and prawns. They gave instructions on how long to cook everything, so we managed to avoid salmonella (so far!). The 2 cooking oils gave very different flavors, and they were accompanied by 5 or 6 different types of dipping sauces (from chipotle to cocktail sauce). Very tasty, but kind of annoying to have to cook each bite of food before you eat it.

Dessert was tasty as well. Bananas, strawberries, marshmellows, pineapple, and 2 kinds of cake to dip into the chocolate, and a piece of cheesecake in the center to drizzle chocolate over.

The food was pretty decent over all. My major complaints come from the time factor (it took over 3 hours to eat), the limited menu selection (due to our large party, I am guessing), and the price- My wife had 1 $10 martini, I drank water, and our bill was $117.73 (18% gratuity included). Luckily we had a gift card from my in laws for $50 to lessen the blow, but I still felt it was pretty steep for the quality and quantity of food. I could spend about the same (maybe a few bucks more) and go to any number of good steakhouses in Seattle for a fantastic meal that would leave me stuffed to the gills.

It was an interesting experience. I had fun chatting with my tablemates (my wife and another couple who are old friends), and the food was good. The price and time investment were a little more than I would have hoped, so I doubt I would do it again. Perhaps just for dessert sometime...

nolanfan34
10-05-2005, 05:17 PM
Yeah, it's a good place, but I think it's ridiculously overpriced.

astroglide
10-05-2005, 05:31 PM
it's horrendously overpriced and takes forever (not in a 'this is fun because we're sitting around and having a conversation with a bunch of empty glasses at the table' way, but rather a 'i can't focus entirely on this conversation because i have to make sure that my lobster isn't raw or overcooked' way). i will grudgingly go once in a blue moon, but there's no way i could tolerate the place on even an annual basis.

asofel
10-05-2005, 05:39 PM
I've heard its expensive....how much we talkin here?

stabn
10-05-2005, 05:51 PM
[ QUOTE ]
I've heard its expensive....how much we talkin here?

[/ QUOTE ]

Just a guess:

117.73

wayabvpar
10-05-2005, 05:55 PM
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I've heard its expensive....how much we talkin here?

[/ QUOTE ]

Just a guess:

117.73

[/ QUOTE ]

Kreskin-like powers!

That was for the $40 per person 'Banquet', with a $10 cocktail and an 18% gratuity. You can also order stuff off the menu ala carte, I am guessing.

NLSoldier
10-05-2005, 05:57 PM
Meh, its expensive but I really liked it. I went there as a date this summer and we got the dinner for 2 thing which came to like $100 i think. the cheeze and dessert courses were spectacular. the meat was good as well but I dont think i experimented with enough of the various sauces.

i didnt mind the time factor because the conversation was good and everything, but it probably woulndt be a good idea to go there as a first date cuz you are stuck there for a while if things go bad from the start. I think it would also be fun to go with a big group and get to experiment with even more stuff.

the only annoying part was having to wait like 2 minutes for a small piece of meat and then have to repeat the process over and over again. towards the end we were just sorta chucking a bunch of stuff into the pot and then digging it out with the spoon /images/graemlins/smile.gif

The Dude
10-05-2005, 05:58 PM
It's a great restaurant to take a date on, since it's interesting, fun, and fairly original. The price tag is a little high, but I appreciate restaurants that let you take your time, and the Melting Pot is good at that.

My girlfriend and I will occaisionally stop by for dessert, since that is easily the best part of the meal there.

Overall, I like it quite a bit. But I'm more of steak guy, so when I feel like eating a very good, slow-paced meal in a nice restaurant, I go to El Gaucho's, which is right next door to the Tacoma Melting Pot. Mmmmmm.

miajag81
10-05-2005, 05:59 PM
It's indeed overpriced but most girls will wet themselves if you take them there, so that has to be factored into the EV calculation.

The Dude
10-05-2005, 05:59 PM
[ QUOTE ]
Meh, its expensive but I really liked it.

[/ QUOTE ]
WTF? Less than a year ago you wouldn't go to Outback because you hated paying $15 for a meal!

wayabvpar
10-05-2005, 05:59 PM
[ QUOTE ]
i didnt mind the time factor because the conversation was good and everything, but it probably woulndt be a good idea to go there as a first date cuz you are stuck there for a while if things go bad from the start.

[/ QUOTE ]

Heh. We were joking last night what a nightmare it would be on a first date. "Let's see...I have made 50 skewer jokes now....what next?"

stabn
10-05-2005, 06:01 PM
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I've heard its expensive....how much we talkin here?

[/ QUOTE ]

Just a guess:

117.73

[/ QUOTE ]

Kreskin-like powers!

That was for the $40 per person 'Banquet', with a $10 cocktail and an 18% gratuity. You can also order stuff off the menu ala carte, I am guessing.

[/ QUOTE ]

I went to the one in Seattle about a year ago feel the same way about it as you/astro. If i really want fondue i'd rather go to the rheinlander (http://www.rheinlander.com/) in portland and have the swiss cheese fondue and finish with a great dinner. The melting pot just isn't a good value.

The Dude
10-05-2005, 06:03 PM
[ QUOTE ]
Heh. We were joking last night what a nightmare it would be on a first date.

[/ QUOTE ]
Well, that depends on how good you are at conversation and how well you two hit it off. I took a girl on a first date there, and it went great. She was blown away by how nice the restaurant was, and was impressed with how the date went.

I think if you're really interested in a girl and don't need a "feel it out" date, it's a GREAT choice for a first date.

NLSoldier
10-05-2005, 06:04 PM
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Meh, its expensive but I really liked it.

[/ QUOTE ]
WTF? Less than a year ago you wouldn't go to Outback because you hated paying $15 for a meal!

[/ QUOTE ]

then i started winning at poker /images/graemlins/grin.gif

The Dude
10-05-2005, 06:05 PM
[ QUOTE ]
then i started winning at poker/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[/ QUOTE ]
Congrats, man! When did that happen?

astroglide
10-05-2005, 06:24 PM
i don't get bothered by price as much as the value-to-price ratio. applebee's and olive garden are horrendous in this regard, for example, because i can pay less money for WAY better stuff like fajitas somewhere else or pay like 10% more for one of the best local italian places in town. melting pot costs a lot and doesn't pay off in taste, it's "the experience" (which gets really old by your second trip) that you're buying. the same money can buy way better food at some other nice restaurant.

Spota
10-05-2005, 06:26 PM
The Cheese and desserts are great, but I'm just not a fan of boiled meat.

Matt Flynn
10-05-2005, 06:36 PM
if i'm paying that much for dinner, i damn well am not cooking it myself.

peachy
10-05-2005, 07:24 PM
jeez people its not THAT expensive...u can take someone out to eat there reasonably and its a neat resturant with decent food and a unique experience...of course its not gonna cost what mcdonalds does...but then agian lets hope u dont take people u care about on dates there


expensive is when it starts getting to like 200+ a person...maybe my view is skewed...

Smarty
10-05-2005, 09:00 PM
The Fiesta Cheese fondue is the hidden trasure there. You can get extra chips, bread, etc... too when you get this if you ask.

10-06-2005, 04:28 AM
[ QUOTE ]
expensive is when it starts getting to like 200+ a person...maybe my view is skewed...

[/ QUOTE ]

Your view is skewed. When a meal for two costs as much as a car payment on a fairly nice car, that's beyond expensive; that's wrong.

Ulysses
10-06-2005, 05:26 AM
[ QUOTE ]
expensive is when it starts getting to like 200+ a person...maybe my view is skewed...

[/ QUOTE ]

I wish I knew how rich exactly your family is. Then I could figure out how hot you probbly are based on this statement.

Ulysses
10-06-2005, 05:27 AM
[ QUOTE ]
i don't get bothered by price as much as the value-to-price ratio. applebee's and olive garden are horrendous in this regard

[/ QUOTE ]

Are you taking the "never-ending salad bowl" into account?

daryn
10-06-2005, 05:35 AM
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
i don't get bothered by price as much as the value-to-price ratio. applebee's and olive garden are horrendous in this regard

[/ QUOTE ]

Are you taking the "never-ending salad bowl" into account?

[/ QUOTE ]

if that doesn't inflate the value:price ratio enough, remember you also get unlimited breadsticks!

ChipWrecked
10-06-2005, 06:12 AM
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Heh. We were joking last night what a nightmare it would be on a first date.

[/ QUOTE ]
Well, that depends on how good you are at conversation and how well you two hit it off. I took a girl on a first date there, and it went great. She was blown away by how nice the restaurant was, and was impressed with how the date went.

I think if you're really interested in a girl and don't need a "feel it out" date, it's a GREAT choice for a first date.

[/ QUOTE ]

It used to be my standard Valentine's Day date place.

Now I'm married.

http://www.notsocommoncents.com/admin/imagefolder/notso/Mcdonalds_golden_arches_sign.jpg

jakethebake
10-06-2005, 08:29 AM
[ QUOTE ]
Yeah, it's a good place, but I think it's ridiculously overpriced.

[/ QUOTE ]

Exactly what I thought.