Melting Pot Trip Report

wayabvpar · #1 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 · #2 10-05-2005, 05:17 PM

Yeah, it's a good place, but I think it's ridiculously overpriced.

astroglide · #3 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 · #4 10-05-2005, 05:39 PM

I've heard its expensive....how much we talkin here?

stabn · #5 10-05-2005, 05:51 PM

[ QUOTE ]
I've heard its expensive....how much we talkin here?

[/ QUOTE ]

Just a guess:

117.73

wayabvpar · #6 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 · #7 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 [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

The Dude · #8 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 · #9 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 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!