[wayabvpar]

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...