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The Melting Pot
Category: Restaurants Fondue Fondue [Edit]
117-2920 Calgary Trl NWEdmonton, AB T6J 2G8
(780) 465-4347
- Hours:
Mon-Thu 4:30 pm - 10 pm
Fri-Sat 11 am - 11 pm
Sun 11 am - 10 pm
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$$
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- No
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Romantic, Classy, Trendy, Intimate
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Caters:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
24 reviews for The Melting Pot
Review Highlights
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"Loaded Baked Potato Cheese Fondue." In 1 review -
"I ordered a Blackberry sage lemonade - my usual - and as..." In 2 reviews
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"Their theme for the "Big Night Out" was France." In 2 reviews
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24 reviews in English
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Review from Alouise D.
Edmonton, AB
Updated - 1/31/2012
Oh Melting Pot, how I both love and loathe you all at the same time.
I went for dinner with a few girlfriends on their Girl's Night Out (I'm abbreviating it to GNO from now on). It happens on the last Monday of the month. January's theme was a pyjamas party theme, and the fun part was you were encouraged to wear your pyjamas. And hells yeah, wearing pyjamas while eating fondue is a brilliant idea. They also offered some fun spa services, like massage, and psychic readings, which were free for those attending the GNO.
This GNO event comes with a fixed price of $40/person which included a set menu with a cheese fondue, salad, main fondue and desert fondue. There were four of us, but we were seated at a table with two burners, so our waiter told us that we could easily do two different fondues for each course (with no extra charge). The queso was the standard cheese fondue on the GNO menu. My friends had it before and wanted to spice it up, but even with the jalepnos it wasn't too spicy. We also got a regular cheese fondue, the cheddar and beer one. I chose the California salad, which I always like, although I didn't really taste any raspberry vinaigrette dressing. The main course we did two fondues, and paid the extra for the mojo cooking style in the one. The other fondue was the court bouillon. We noticed that the GNO main fondue doesn't have as much dipping food as some of the other fondue menus, like the Big Night Out. But that's not to say there wasn't plenty of food, because there was.
For dessert we went with the banana's foster and the chocolate fondue that's features on the current Big Night Out menu. It was supposed to have chocolate, peanut butter and berry puree. We took out the peanut butter, and it was chocolatey and berry deliciousness. The waiter also made the great mistakes of making the fondue portion for 6 instead of for 4, so we had more chocolate fondue and dessert dippers than we knew what to do with.
But still fondue is super rich, and I know it's not something I can eat all the time. The four courses filled me up pretty quickly. It's not very often I say this but I regret eating all the salad, when I should've saved room for more dessert fondue. Our reservation was at 6:30 and we left at 9:30. Even thought we ate slowly for 2.5 to 3 hours I felt uncomfortably full by the end. I could tell myself next time I won't get the cheese fondue, or I'll leave out dessert, but that would be a lie.
The food was yummy, but so rich. Our server was very friendly and helpful. While the Melting Pot can be pricy the GNO menu is a great way to get a four-course meal for a reasonable price. I'll definitely try another GNO at the Melting Pot in the future.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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5/31/2011
I've been here a couple times and I'm a little torn. One one hand The Melting Pot offers a unique… Read more »
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Review from Caitlin B.
Sherwood Park, AB
5/20/2012
This place is great if you're prepared for a long dinner. I'd never done fondue before but the waiters were great at explaining everything to you when at times it seemed a bit overwhelming. The food was fantastic and the atmosphere lends itself very well to loud boisterous groups. The best part was hands down the dessert! And I'm not a dessert person at all. This is great for birthdays or other special events,
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Review from Jay T.
Edmonton, AB
5/16/2012
Went for a family dinner and there were 4 of us...probably a good size for this kind of eating. We hadn't ever been there before and I didn't find the server super helpful in explaining how the whole thing went.
My mom and I weren't super hungry, so we went for the bread, salad and chocolate and we couldn't even eat all of that. My brother had steak and shrimp, which he loved and daughter had the vegetarian platter.
There seemed to be some weirdness about not encouraging us to share what we ordered. She kept referring to the bread as "this is for you ladies", and I think we got the eye of shame when we all ended up eating from everything.
There was so much food...I have no idea how people make it through the four course menu if everyone orders the entire menu.
Other than the strange vibe with the service, the food was tasty. I would think about going again just because it was a different eating experience. -
Review from David W.
Edmonton, AB
4/5/2012 2 photos
I love this place. I was taken on my birthday by two of my best friends. It started with their signature Cesar and(salad and drink) and then dinner. We di a compromise on the menu and agreed on the best cheese fondue, the best meat and seafood menu item and bananas foster. |i took another friend for Christmas and had the same mostly and we sat in \lover's lane. I went out within work mates and it got better. The service if great, and attentive. I am not taking my mother and sister and close friends when my Mom visits. No one will be disappointed. Thanks for the service each time, friendly, fun, helpful and I love the Assistant manager with the Bat Man Belt buckle. |It is on the south side where the Japanese Village is but go the the fondue. It is an experience you will miss.
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Review from Jeanette H.
Calgary, AB
10/5/2011 1 Check-in Here
Fun Interactive dining at length!
We brought our children here with another family member. We enjoyed 2-4 course meals which provided more than enough food for everyone. The evening lasted approximately 3-1/2 hours so ensure you are with enjoyable company.
Our family had a blast - our children loved the experience as there were plenty of meats and sauces to sample. The cheese fondues were very savory - just go slow and don't be a glutton, as there are still three more courses to follow.
Our server was very informative and friendly all the while preparing everything in front of us from scratch. Even with the bottle of wine our bill was fairly reasonable. Can't wait til the Calgary location opens up! -
Review from Alley M.
Edmonton, AB
1/28/2012
Fun place to dine! I went with a group of 6, but think 2-4 people would be better because we'd have to reach across each other to get to the fondue pots and there would be too many sticks in the pots making the food fall off. The wine pairings were perfect! Excellent service.
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Review from Christina C.
Edmonton, AB
5/11/2011 1 Check-in Here
I *love* the Melting Pot. I support this statement by had going there 3 times in the period of a week during Christmas and New Years last year. I couldn't wait to bring friends to check the place out.
As suggested by the name, they specialize in fondue dishes. They offer 3 different ones: cheese, meats and melted chocolate (dessert). When I go with one other person, we usually order a cheese and meat fondue. If we still have room, we order a dessert one.
The cheese fondues are about $18, while the meats are between $25 to $30. The dessert ones are about $15, but if you sign up for their Club Fondue online (by providing an email address), you get a coupon for a free dessert fondue! Make sure you have access to a printer and you print off the coupon right away though, because once you click on the email link, you only have one chance to print it off before they say the link is no longer valid.
The servers are very knowledgeable of the menu and the ingredients in each of the dishes.
For the cheese fondues, the server will prepare it in front of you and bring you a variety of different "dippers." You can keep on asking for unlimited dippers (breads, apples, vegetables) until you've finished your cheese.
Same goes for the meat fondues. The server will explain all the ingredients and prepare the broth where you'll be cooking your meats. Depending on your dish, you'll be cooking chicken, shrimp, beef, lobster etc. and a combination of those. For the meat fondues, they bring out 10 different sauces, ranging from cocktail sauce, plum sauce to my personal favourite the blue cheese one. You can keep on asking for refills on the sauces until you've finished your meats.
The dessert fondues are made with either white or dark chocolate. My favourite is the Banana Foster. It's white chocolate, with alcohol. The server will light the alcohol on fire, pour it over the chocolate and shake cinnamon over top creating a mini bonfire right at your table! The dessert tippers are usually strawberries, bananas, pineapples, sponge cakes, marshmallows, and a mini piece of cheesecake. Unfortunately there's no refills on dessert!
The restaurant also has "private" tables for two. You're surrounded by 3 walls and it feels like your own private dining room. I love them! Typically when you go as a couple, you will probably get these tables anyway, but if you're really interested, when making reservations on their website, you can make special requests, including asking for one of these tables. Otherwise they also have a large dining room that I heard fits up to 40 people and there's the main dining area with booths.
My advice when going on a Friday or Saturday night would definitely be to make a reservation. Apparently the reservation list fills up up to two weeks in advance for those nights.
I took one star off because of the price. As well, with any other place where you have to cook your own food, it does take more time. I would budget about two hours for a table of two. I will definitely be back for special occasions. -
Review from Luke H.
Edmonton, AB
1/3/2012
We have been here before with 2 people and enjoyed it, large groups however is a nightmare, you need to sign a contract just to eat there, they called us twice everyday until our booking, and they make you buy drink tickets which even they are not sure about!
Comment from Laura B. of The Melting Pot 1/4/2012
Hi Luke, Thank you for taking the time to post in regards… More » -
Review from Scott T.
Sherwood Park, AB
1/15/2012
I have to say I was impressed with the dinner experience here. The food and choices were fantastic. It does take a good 2 plus hours to finish dinner which makes for a great way to catch up with friends, it eliminates the eat and leave feeling you get from alot of todays restaurants.
It does require a reservation but I do question them here, we had to wait 45 minutes after our reservation time for a table. All in all, rather minor as everything else was excellent. -
Review from Kristin K.
Edmonton, AB
Just came home from the pleasure of another meal out to the Melting Pot!
Today's occasion was Father's Day and we won a free Father's Day Lunch meal at the Melting Pot from an entry on their facebook page receiving the most votes for a story and picture of our daughter with Daddy in batman masks because he's her Super Hero Daddy!
Our reservation was for 345PM and we were at a table by 350PM. We were fortunate to be seated again in Lover's Lane - a really intimate part of the restaurant with tables for two and private alcoves. the glass on the walls surrounding us had rose petals in it and a previous server told us it was imported from Italy for the ambiance.
The meal was PHENOMENAL again! I uploaded pictures of all the courses - here is what we had:
FIRST COURSE
Loaded Baked Potato Cheese Fondue
Cheddar and Swiss cheese blend, potatoes, bacon, scallions, Garlic & Wine seasoning and Green Goddess cooked in a vegetable bouillon base
*Absolutely delicious - My husband said this was his favorite Cheese fondue we've had to date at the Melting Pot - definitely manly! It came with an unlimited assortment of bread, granny smith apples, and veggies. My favorite was the granny smith apples in the cheese - yummy! Pictures posted!
My husband had the cheese fondue paired with the recommended Extra Carona with Lime - and he agreed it went well with the manly fondue!
I ordered a Blackberry sage lemonade - my usual - and as amazing as ever! Made with fresh sage and real blackberry puree! LOVE it! They also do a version with alcohol.
SECOND COURSE
Melting Pot house salad
Romaine and iceberg lettuce, cheddar cheese, tomatoes, croutons and sliced egg with sweet and tangy House Dressing
*This is my husband's and my favorite Melting Pot Salad - they had other options to choose from but we really like their house salad! Again - I posted a pic!
THIRD COURSE
Dad's day dip*
A lunch-sized selection of Filet Mignon, French Quarter Breast of Chicken, Teriyaki Sirloin, Citrus-Marinated Pork Tenderloin, White Shrimp and Fire-Roasted-Corn-Salsa Ravioli
*Phenomenal cuts of meat - really couldn't have better quality! My favorite was the White Shrimp and my husband's favorite was the Teriyaki Sirloin. The best part of the entrees are the AMAZING sauces they serve on the side - I posted pics of the sauces and entrees. Also comes with unlimited veggies to cook - potatoes, broccoli, and mushrooms!
I LOVE to cook the mushrooms and then put the Port Gorgonzola sauce inside the mushroom cap - delish! We cooked our entrees in Court Bouillon - a traditional vegetable fondue broth.
The sauces today were a seafood cocktail, mild yellow yogurt curry, plum sauce with peppers, teriyaki sauce, green goddess (cream cheese, sour cream, parsley, and ???), and port gorgonzola.
Our favorite sauce (previously recommended by a server) is Curiyaki - yep, that's right! You haven't lived until you've mixed their Teriyaki sauce with their Curry sauce - UNBELIEVABLE! The Port Gorgonzola is AMAZING on the steak (neither my husband or myself like blue cheese... yet we LOVE this on the steak!)
FOURTH COURSE
SnickerdoodLe Milk ChoColate Fondue
Milk chocolate swirled with peanut butter and caramel topped with Baileys Irish Cream and butterscotch schnapps
*OMG AMAZING! Best dessert we've had yet at the Melting Pot! Served with the most amazing assortment of fruit (strawberries, pineapple, bananas), cheesecake, pound cake, brownies, and oreo and graham cracker encrusted marshmellows. And believe it or not -- the marshmellows are always the best part! They are amazing! The warm chocolate just warms them so perfectly that they are warm and gooey on the inside. I recommend drizzling chocolate over the cheesecake rather than dipping the cheesecake into the fondue as it melts and falls apart easily. --Again, I posted pics of course!
We complemented our desset with decaf coffee... and this might seem silly to some but I really appreciate a restaurant that doesn't gouge you on coffee with your dessert.
Coffee is only $2, lattes and mochas are $3, cappaccinos and mochaccinos are $4.
They ended the evening by taking our picture and putting it in a commemorative frame - a thoughtful touch!
Our meal time in total, was approximately 2 hours and 15 minutes.
...and as a side note ladies, the bathrooms are unbelievably gorgeous! I told my husband this and he giggled that I would notice such a thing!
A truly amazing meal! And what a treat that we won it for a Father's Day contest! I can't imagine a better way to treat my hubby!Listed in: Treats & Sweets!, All Star Food!, Romantic Meals...
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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6/3/2011
An excellent place for special occasions! The prices are high - but if you consider that a meal… Read more »
Comment from Laura B. of The Melting Pot 6/3/2011
Kristin, thanks for the great post! We look forward to… More » -
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Review from Christine O.
Sherwood Park, AB
2/2/2012
With your significant other your family or just a group of friends this is the place to be. Excellent service and amazing food. Takes about two to three hours for the full experience but you would never know it. It's a dining experience you won't soon forget.
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Review from Hilary D.
Edmonton, AB
4/14/2011
I've only heard good things about this place, and I had the opportunity to check it out last weekend. And I have to say it was nothing but a series of disappointments.
- Incredibly slow service. As in 4 hours of slow service. We were a party of 8, so I could understand a slower service. But this was absolutely ridiculous.
- In addition to the slow service, they were absolutely terrible with drinks. My boyfriend and I were the last to arrive, and no one asked us if we wanted a drink. We had to ask for drinks. When mine was finished, no one asked if I wanted another. I also have to ask twice for my water to be refilled. My parents also went yesterday and experienced the same problem with drinks. The wine meant for a certain part of the meal was being served after that portion of the meal had already been eaten and cleared from the table.
- Again, the service...we have easily 5 different servers bringing us our food or clearing the table. With that many servers revolving, no one was actually giving us proper attention (like say to our empty drink glass, for example)
- The price is absolutely ridiculous and not worth it. I've had better meals that I didn't have to cook myself for less money.
The food itself was mostly enjoyable, which is why it gets 2 starts, but I think you can tell by my review that I will not only never go back but I will actively discourage others from going. For more than $100 per person, I have had better meals and more attentive service, and left sooner than 4 hours after starting my meal. -
Review from Aditya R.
2/25/2011
The Melting pot is a pretty popular American chain that's leaving footprints in Canada as well. The main attraction, as the name might suggest, is the fondue aspect of this place.
Group eating is a weird tradition but is gaining urban popularity, especially since melted cheese is such a divine creation! Of course, for dessert melted chocolate with fruit, small little cookies, marsh mellow and the like is no less divine! I haven't had the opportunity to share an entire entrée, you know, like $90 for two people kinda entrée, simply because I've not yet gotten accustomed to the fact that this place is a $150 a couple kinda place. It's definitely not a cheap place. Also, it is worth mentioning that they have a good list of wines and a full bar with nice cocktails.
The cheese and chocolate fondues are definitely worth a visit for. When it comes to choc. fondue, it's always confusing to decide whether to go for milk chocolate, white chocolate, dark chocolate or grand mixes of them. I'd recommend the milk + dark combo. Sort of comparable to a 60% cocoa dark chocolate (i.e. mild kind).
Location-wise, it's way south, hence really catering to a very specific part of town. I wish they'd have a location in the Jasper Ave area. That would do them a lot of good, for sure! Also, would then be a great place, in my opinion, to drop in for a couple of martinis and some cheese fondue.. yumm! -
Review from Karlie M.
1/23/2011
I've been to The Melting Pot once as part of a friends' stagette. I was a bridesmaid, however the maid of honour had all of the contact with the restaurant, so I'm not entirely sure what the process was as far as deciding on a menu. I do know that she pre-arranged it with them beforehand and there were no menus present when we were there. We had about 20 ladies and made the reservation a couple of weeks ahead of the date.
Our reservation was fairly late at 8:30pm on a Saturday night. We had a private room booked. We got to the restaurant about 5 or 10 minutes early and still ended up waiting for our room for over 30 minutes. I found this to be completely unacceptable, not to mention the fact that it was already 9pm, we hadn't even sat down and we were starving. We sat down and ordered our drinks (mostly wine, a couple of beers and a couple of cocktails), and had to wait for those for another 20-30 minutes. Again, completely unacceptable. I realize it was a Saturday night, but if the restaurant has rooms to accommodate large groups and looks at its reservation book, they should have the staff to be able to deal with those groups.
Aside from the extreme slowness, the servers themselves were very outgoing, talkative and informative while explaining the different dishes as they came out and telling us how long to cook the meats, which sauces went well together, chatting with us, etc. When we were first seated, they did apologize for the wait, and I made a half-joking comment about getting free drinks. They actually did bring us a round of shots on the house, so that was nice.
The food was pretty good, but I didn't find it outstanding. I do, however, find it odd to cook my own raw meat at the table in a pot of boiling oil, so maybe it's just me. We had a four course meal that consisted of salads, a cheese fondue with bread a veggies, a "petite entree" (beef, chicken and shrimp), and chocolate fondue for dessert. Everybody was raving about the dessert, and it was quite good. The pre-arranged price was $30 per person, not including tip or drinks.
To sum it all up, the food was good but not great, the wait for our reserved table was ridiculous, the servers were nice but the service was way too slow, and the location is in a weird spot by South Edmonton Common. -
Review from Ted B.
Edmonton, AB
11/6/2011
I took our family out to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary...we were looking for something a bit different. Overall it was great. Our server Michelle was knowledgable yet not at all overdone. It is a longer evening since you are cooking your food as you go - so if you are in a rush this wold to be the best choice.We enjoyed the relaxed pace. But they were some longer gaps waiting for main entree course and the desert course .this was really just poor serving planning. My family had a great time.
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Review from Janine E.
Edmonton, AB
1/24/2012 1 Check-in Here
I adore the melting pot. I have had nothing but great experiences. I love fondues and I love the ambiance that the melting pot provides you with. There is so much food so make sure you go with a guy that can eat his share + some. You start with a bread and cheese fondue (I recommend the spinach and Asiago) and then you move onto a salad, followed by the main course, where you choose the meats you want to cook and the broth you want to cook it in. The next part (dessert) is my favourite... make sure you ask for the Creme Brûlée fondue, it isn't on the list but they serve it and my goodness it is a treat! So delicious. The servers are always welcoming and extremely knowledgable, they have a great wine list and drink menu and they take reservations which is always a bonus! Be prepared to be at dinner for at least 2 hours, cooking your food takes longer than you think, but it is well worth it !
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Review from Brandy N.
Edmonton, AB
3/12/2011
The melting pot is a great place if you want to take your time with eating. The cheese and chocolate fondues are great. I also love that when you come as couple they put you at a private table, it feels so intimate. Great place to celebrate romance.
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Review from Rhea S.
Edmonton, AB
2/23/2011 6 photos
Great Ambience! Loved the cheese fondue , absolutely loved the California style salad , meat was good too but shouldve added more sides to go with it and chocolate fondue was the best part of the meal.service was really good too.overall it was an amazing experience and definitely one of my favorite restaurants now :)
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Review from Keith D.
Edmonton, AB
2/22/2011
My business (and marital) partner had the task of finding a venue for our annual Christmas party. After some searching, we were able to get a reservation at the Melting Pot. First of all, I really don't like fondu. To me, it was a 60's fad that should have gone the way of the hula hoop. At least the 60's fad was something you did at home. In a restaurant, I expect someone to cook my meal so I can eat it at my own speed, not the cooking time of whatever it is at the end of my fork. Not wanting to annoy my partner in either of her capacities, I went along with her selection.
The second annoyance of the evening was that we live on the north side of Edmonton so we were held up by a multi-car crash at the 34th Ave. intersection of Calgary Trail. We arrived 20 minutes late for our reservation and ended up waiting another 15 minutes for our table. Other reviewers have mentioned that the Melting Pot has a poor on-time record and our experience was no exception. Service was slow, which some may find objectionable but we had lots of time to discuss the other couple's recent trip overseas, the reason for making the Christmas reservation so late.
On the plus side, you can cook in either a broth or the hot oil that eventually doomed the 60's fondu. The menu is limited so that negotiations as to what to eat with your dinner partners are also limited. When negotiations come to a stalemate (for us, it was the unbridgeable white/dark chocolate divide at dessert) the restaurant will try and split orders. The ingredients for the meal are fresh, the staff is friendly and helpful and the restaurant layout is such that a private party can feel quite private indeed.
Our bill was $130 for two including drinks and tip. I thought it it was a bit pricey for a meal I had to cook myself but that's my prejudice. If you really, really, really like fondu, you may find it worth the price. -
Review from Jessica T.
Edmonton, AB
6/19/2011
The melting pot was a simply amazing experience!!
My boyfriend made reservations for a friday at 6:30, but he had to make them 2 weeks in advanced!! But it was worth the wait :)
Our server was a little quirky, making sarcastic jokes that didn't quite land with us haha but it was all good. He was fun. The biggest thing is the food anyway! Which definitely landed with us!
We were seated in a beautiful private booth in lovers lane which was wonderful! It was private and romantic just perfect!
We choose to make our own 4 course meal in opposed to choosing the pre-made seasonal menu they have.
We started with the fiesta cheese fondue which just amazing! I could have eaten 3 pots of that to myself! Our server made it at our table and we got a variety of dippers to go along with it, the bread, chips and broccoli were my fave!
Our second course was a beautiful ceasar salad which i picked at but i didn't want to get to full because I was really REALLY looking forward to the desert course and i didn't want to be to full but looking back i definitely could have eaten more salad.
For our main we both got the land and sea choice but I don't eat seafood and was surprised to to learn they would substitute out the shrimp for anything else except lobster tail (which was a-o-k with me :P) I choose more chicken. When our meats came I had a lot! Tons of chicken pieces and about 8 pieces of steak my boyfriend had about 8 pieces of chicken and steak and maybe 5 shrimps. He did end up helping me finish off my plate cause i was stuffed while he was left a little hungry.
We choose the coq au vin cooking broth which i don't think I would get again. Don't get me wrong it was good but a little to red wineish for my taste. I was also a little hesitant with cooking my meats in the broth I left mine in there for a long time worrying about it being cooked. The server does tell you to cook it for 2 minutes which is the right amount of time but I just had to leave mine in there for an extra minute or so just to make sure haha.
Finally the last course, the one I was sooo excited for, Chocolate fondue :D it was completely amazing! We choose the Yin and Yang chocolate fondue next time I think I will get a more complex one (a lot of people were getting the flaming turtle and it smelled fantastic) but all of them sound sooo good its hard to choose! But no matter what you choose the dippers are fantastic!! You get cheese cake, pound cake, brownies, a variety of fruit oooooh! Its just so amazing haha!
The meal took 2 hours and 45 minutes and cost $115.00 without tip. The great thing is you don't even notice how long the meal is taking because your always busy with something. Your rarely waiting for your food to come out most of the waiting is waiting for your food to cook or your fondues to heat up. The whole thing was great! The service is prompt, the food is excellent the decor is wonderful, the whole fondue restaurant experience was perfect! I would go again in a heart beat! -
Review from Andre D.
Edmonton, AB
10/18/2010
As a belated birthday present, Carolina decided to take me here, even though I suggested it. This is the first and only location of its kind in Canada. I had already been to this restaurant in Pasadena on Colorado Blvd. So I knew what the experience would be like.
Carolina made the reservation online ahead of time. It's a shame the restaurant is only open for 7 hours. I guess since it's still a market test, i can see why it would only be open for that long. Our reservation ended up being at 8:30. Pretty late for a normal dinner but I knew what we were in store for. We arrived about 10 minutes prior to the reservation time and still hate to wait another 15 to be seated at our table. Kind of reminded me of the same instance when I was in Pasadena. We were at a private dining area with our own booth in the back amongst the other private booths.
They paid attention to details as the reservation stated I has a seafood allergy. Their theme for the "Big Night Out" was France. It started out with a cheese fondue with bread, veggies and fruit. Then came a Nicoise salad. Interesting how "nicoise" was spelled out. There must be some real dumb Americans and Canadians out there when a menu item has to be dumbed down.
After that was the main course with was the basic Fondue Feast. The website http://www.meltingpot.... didn't display the French items but the only difference was the Duck a l'orange. We had substituted the shrimp with andouille sausage. The reduction was a Coq Au Vin. The waiter explained to us the cooking method for each of the items. Can't forget the mish mash of dipping sauces it came with. Only bad part was that he gave us the seafood sauce but we could have asked for a substitute. All of the meats were marinaded to perfection with the duck being my favourite. It wasn't too gamy and I think the marinade was masked that gaminess.
Finally came our dessert which was the creme brulee. It was partially made to order with the caramel bits and the flame afterwards. We had graham cracker crusted marshmallows, cheesecake, brownies, and fruit. I mean it didn't REALLY taste like creme brulee, but it was still delicious.
So the only knocks I had aside from the modified creme brulee was definitely the location of the place. What review can't be without coming from an urban planning perspective. It is located in the far reaches of the south side of Edmonton only accessible by car. If you don't slow down you would miss it. The one benefit of the Pasadena location was that it was on the very walkable Colorado Blvd. I mean it is a popular place, well suited for Downtown but I suppose cheaper rents was the deciding factor. If you live in the Northeast or Castle Downs you better make a night of it and expect a long drive home. I would definitely recommend the experience but its location kills it. -
Review from Vanessa Y.
Edmonton, AB
10/8/2010
I love melting pot! DELICIOUS!
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Review from Gabi V.
9/8/2010
the idea of this place is great, but it is overpriced. the setting is good for a romantic date, but when it's crowded, it's too loud to understand the person across from you. the food (which you prepare yourself) is good, but the portions could be bigger for that amount of money. the service was friendly, but we never got any water, which should be standard. all in all it gave me a couple of suggetsions to make fondue at home. i have the feeling it's sort of a hip place and a new idea and that makes it so pricey.
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Review from Dave G.
Edmonton, AB
4/28/2010
The melting pot is a very cool place on the southside of edmonton that does purely fondue meals. The menu is not very diverse and you will end up getting not enough of the stuff you love and too much of the stuff you don't, but with that said, there is an appetizer, salad, entree, and dessert so after several hours you should still be quite satisfied. The raw food is brought out and you skewer and fondue your own small meat portions. Not a good first date idea as it is a long affair, but if you go for a special occasion there will be lots of time to talk and the atmosphere is very intimate. I took my girlfriend there for her birthday and they arranged a card and roses for her which was nice, but the server was very rude and forgot about us and the oil boiled off and the pot burnt and the whole place smelled like smoke! If the service was better I would definitely go back. Price was ok, not a lot of food quantity-wise and just over $100 for the two of us.
