Monday, August 22, 2011

Melting Good Times

Fondue is such a fun experience, and the Melting Pot is our favorite go to restaurant for celebrations.  We usually go once a year and this year we celebrated Chris' birthday there.


We're always excited to see what's on their limited time "Big Night Out" menu, and this time we enjoyed a delicious tour of Latin America!  Along with the four courses we also sampled the wine pairings and Ying Yang specialty drink (vodka, liquor and ice cream? heck yes!) 


Here's a quick rundown of our four course meal and wine pairings:

First Course: Queso Fundido - Combination of Fontina, Gruyére and Gran Queso cheeses, crumbled Chorizo and a hint of fresh lime (we opted out of the fresh  jalapeños).  This was paired with Portillo Malbec from Argentina.  Dipping items included three types of bread, Granny Smith apples, carrots, broccoli and cauliflower.


Second Course: We both decided to try the special Shrimp Ceviche salad - Citrus-marinated shrimp atop avocado purée and tortilla chips served with tropical fruit pico de gallo and a side of mixed greens tossed with a lime vinaigrette.  The salad was paired with a new favorite wine, New Age White Blend from Argentina.



Third Course: Fondue Fusion cooked in the Mojo Caribbean style.  The entrees included Cold-Water Lobster Tail, Filet Mignon, Chimichurri Sirloin, Garlic Piri Piri Shrimp, Mole-Marinated Chicken Breast, Citrus-Marinated Pork Tenderloin, and Fire Roasted Corn Salsa Ravioli.  The wine pairing for this course was Santa Rita 120 Carménère from Chile.

Meats & Seafood before cooking

Fourth Course: The final course was a Dark and Dulce Chocolate fondue, but we switched it out for the Bananas Foster.  This was paired with Los Vascos Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon from Chile.

I love that they added a birthday candle for Chris

 

This is definitely a splurge for us, but something that we look forward to whenever we're able to celebrate something special.

Have you ever tried fondue?  Do you have any favorite restaurants for special occasions?

7 comments:

  1. I went to the Melting Pot once for a friend's birthday - we just did the regular cheese & chocolate fondues, but it was a lot of fun! This looks delicious!

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  2. I adore fondue in theory, but have gotten violently ill every time I have ever eaten it. It hurts me to know this about myself because nothing looks or sounds better than the meal you just described. Damn you cheese.

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  3. So fun, I love the big night out. We went to the melting pot to celebrate when we both got our first jobs post-college. It's such a fun place for celebrations. :)

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  4. Mmmm, I love the Melting Pot! We went for the first time a couple months ago. The cheese fondue was my favorite though, I could have just eaten that all night!

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  5. Melting Pot is my favorite restaurant! And I LOVE the Big Night Out they have going on right now - that salad is to DIE for!

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  6. Oh no! That sucks!

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  7. I was so impressed because Chris hates guac and avocado and he ate all of that salad!

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