Spring Break
Melting Pot burns patrons with high prices
by Caroline Hughes
Staff Writer
Arts | 3/17/09
Posted online at 11:57 PM EST on 3/16/09
/ Last updated at 2:35 AM EST on 3/16/09
The Melting Pot dining experience contains contradictions that begin with its very name. I, for one, have never witnessed the process that the name describes, yet the term sums up the culinary event that occurs at each table. As a chain of fondue restaurants all over the United States, the Melting Pot provides a strange palate- and mind-changing meal.
A band of myriad musicians played in the bar as I waited for my table. Their music was soothing after the hostess informed me I would have to wait for three other groups to be seated before me despite my reservation. I was finally seated 15 minutes after my originally ordained time. It was the first contradiction: I didn't like waiting, but the Elton John look-alike on the keyboards softened my initial negative impression.
The high tables and winding corridors provided a private and quiet atmosphere with each group situated in its own little nook. Each nook was equipped with a square table and a bench that circled around three corners of the table, leaving one side free for the server. The Melting Pot makes fondue interactive; the patrons are put in charge of manning their own fondue pots, and double boilers sit atop a black stove on each table. (Fondue, for those unacquainted with the word, means melted in French and usually consists of melted chocolate or cheese with various dippers like strawberries or bread, respectively. Because chocolate and cheese are so delicate, they require double boilers to ensure they do not burn).
Another contradiction lay inside the menu. It was one of the most confusing menus I have ever seen-the servers need to explain the process before customers can even begin the laborious process of deciding what to order. Most entrées come with a choice of fondue and salad and a choice of "preparation style." The fondue choices include Swiss cheese, cheddar cheese or spinach and artichoke dip with fontina cheese. The salads are nothing unusual, ranging from a house salad to Caesar salad, but the Melting Pot makes its own dressing to accompany the dish. Steak, lobster, shrimp, chicken or vegetables can be entrées, with coq au vin, mojo style with citrus and mint, Cajun or simple broth available as preparation styles. Our server was knowledgeable and as a chef herself, gave helpful suggestions on what to order. She brought over the ingredients for the cheese fondue and prepared the appetizer herself, mixing vegetable broth, spinach, garlic, artichokes and two kinds of cheeses for the spinach and artichoke dip in the double boiler on the table. The cheese fondue was served with a bowl of three kinds of bread, fresh, raw carrots, cauliflower, celery and Granny Smith apples to dip inside the pot. The bread was a tasty accompaniment to the thick, viscous cheese and the sweet and tart apples enhanced the salty flavor.
A band of myriad musicians played in the bar as I waited for my table. Their music was soothing after the hostess informed me I would have to wait for three other groups to be seated before me despite my reservation. I was finally seated 15 minutes after my originally ordained time. It was the first contradiction: I didn't like waiting, but the Elton John look-alike on the keyboards softened my initial negative impression.
The high tables and winding corridors provided a private and quiet atmosphere with each group situated in its own little nook. Each nook was equipped with a square table and a bench that circled around three corners of the table, leaving one side free for the server. The Melting Pot makes fondue interactive; the patrons are put in charge of manning their own fondue pots, and double boilers sit atop a black stove on each table. (Fondue, for those unacquainted with the word, means melted in French and usually consists of melted chocolate or cheese with various dippers like strawberries or bread, respectively. Because chocolate and cheese are so delicate, they require double boilers to ensure they do not burn).
Another contradiction lay inside the menu. It was one of the most confusing menus I have ever seen-the servers need to explain the process before customers can even begin the laborious process of deciding what to order. Most entrées come with a choice of fondue and salad and a choice of "preparation style." The fondue choices include Swiss cheese, cheddar cheese or spinach and artichoke dip with fontina cheese. The salads are nothing unusual, ranging from a house salad to Caesar salad, but the Melting Pot makes its own dressing to accompany the dish. Steak, lobster, shrimp, chicken or vegetables can be entrées, with coq au vin, mojo style with citrus and mint, Cajun or simple broth available as preparation styles. Our server was knowledgeable and as a chef herself, gave helpful suggestions on what to order. She brought over the ingredients for the cheese fondue and prepared the appetizer herself, mixing vegetable broth, spinach, garlic, artichokes and two kinds of cheeses for the spinach and artichoke dip in the double boiler on the table. The cheese fondue was served with a bowl of three kinds of bread, fresh, raw carrots, cauliflower, celery and Granny Smith apples to dip inside the pot. The bread was a tasty accompaniment to the thick, viscous cheese and the sweet and tart apples enhanced the salty flavor.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Hm
posted 3/17/09 @ 6:04 PM EST
Contradiction...you keep using that word. I don't think it means what you think it means.
Post a Comment