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?