The Melting Pot

[MarketStEl]

The second Melting Pot in the city is now open on the 1200 block of Filbert, wedged in between the 7-Eleven and Chili's.

(Its opening marks a milestone of sorts: the first business block in Center City comprised entirely of chain establishments. What's more, the block is bracketed by two chains owned by the same company, Brinker International.)

In case you haven't heard, fondue is back. You remember fondue, right? It was all the rage in the 1970s, when it seemed that suddenly, right around the time of Watergate, everyone had a fondue pot, in which they merrily dunked chunks of beef in oil, or chunks of bread in cheese.

Then, around the time Jimmy Carter was elected, everyone just as suddenly put their fondue pots in storage, where they sit and rust to this day.

It was just before that time--1975, to be specific--that the first Melting Pot restaurant opened in Maitland, Florida. Now, 30 years later, there are 70 of them all across the country.

Even though fondue is by its nature a communal experience, the Center City Melting Pot is cleverly designed to allow diners a great deal of privacy: the space is divided into a series of small rooms, with many intimate nooks perfect for a romantic meal. For those who do want a '70s-style communal feast, there is one large room up front by the entrance. The rooms are softly lit and decorated in a modernist style that's far classier than anything that existed in the '70s, the Four Seasons excepted.

There's also much more to dip here than chunks of bread and meat: Items passed around at the opening party I attended yesterday included lobster, shrimp, stuffed mushrooms and asparagus. These can be dunked in a variety of sauces, including gorgonzola, seafood cocktail, curry, teriyaki, and--speaking of the '70s--Green Goddess.

Consider these an extension of the place's reason for being. Each table has a fondue pot on an electric cooktop for every two diners, and these are used to heat several different varieties of cheese sauce, oil, boullion, and any of a number of chocolate dessert sauces. (If you go, try the "Franklin Mint" chocolate sauce for that minty fresh feeling.)

Prices are moderate, and there's one real bargain on the menu: a four-course special-occasion dinner for $42 per person that they call the "Big Night Out."

If the Filbert Street location is any guide, The Melting Pot has managed to take a '70s craze and turn it into a perfectly respectable meal for our time.

[Mummer]

Another opportunity for the conventioneers to eat chain food.

Good for them!

[Buckethead]

As chains go, the Melting Pot is pretty good. I've always had good experiences at their Wilmington location.

[munchymom]

The one time we went there, the fondue pot got so hot that when my husband brushed a finger against it by mistake, he ended up with a burn the scar of which is still visible 7 years later. The place just seems like a total safety hazard. Open pots of hot oil on every table? Being served to people who are also drinking wine? Their insurance rates must be astronomical.

[brsaideman]

The second Melting Pot in the city is now open on the 1200 block of Filbert, wedged in between the 7-Eleven and Chili's.

(Its opening marks a milestone of sorts: the first business block in Center City comprised entirely of chain establishments.  What's more, the block is bracketed by two chains owned by the same company, Brinker International.)

In case you haven't heard, fondue is back.  You remember fondue, right?  It was all the rage in the 1970s, when it seemed that suddenly, right around the time of Watergate, everyone had a fondue pot, in which they merrily dunked chunks of beef in oil, or chunks of bread in cheese.

Then, around the time Jimmy Carter was elected, everyone just as suddenly put their fondue pots in storage, where they sit and rust to this day.

It was just before that time--1975, to be specific--that the first Melting Pot restaurant opened in Maitland, Florida.  Now, 30 years later, there are 70 of them all across the country.

Even though fondue is by its nature a communal experience, the Center City Melting Pot is cleverly designed to allow diners a great deal of privacy: the space is divided into a series of small rooms, with many intimate nooks perfect for a romantic meal.  For those who do want a '70s-style communal feast, there is one large room up front by the entrance. The rooms are softly lit and decorated in a modernist style that's far classier than anything that existed in the '70s, the Four Seasons excepted.

There's also much more to dip here than chunks of bread and meat: Items passed around at the opening party I attended yesterday included lobster, shrimp, stuffed mushrooms and asparagus.  These can be dunked in a variety of sauces, including gorgonzola, seafood cocktail, curry, teriyaki, and--speaking of the '70s--Green Goddess.

Consider these an extension of the place's reason for being.  Each table has a fondue pot on an electric cooktop for every two diners, and these are used to heat several different varieties of cheese sauce, oil, boullion, and any of a number of chocolate dessert sauces.  (If you go, try the "Franklin Mint" chocolate sauce for that minty fresh feeling.)

Prices are moderate, and there's one real bargain on the menu: a four-course special-occasion dinner for $42 per person that they call the "Big Night Out."

If the Filbert Street location is any guide, The Melting Pot has managed to take a '70s craze and turn it into a perfectly respectable meal for our time.

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We ate at Maggiano's last Friday night -- 15 people including 6 children from 3 1/2 to 12! For the purpose, it was a good choice. It was an easy walk from our hotel (we joined all our children in a Center City hotel for a family wedding on Saturday night) and we didn't want to get our cars out or look for cabs during a transit strike. The food was relatively good and ample and the kids were welcomed and got the food they like. Vetri's it isn't -- but I wouldn't take the 6 kids to Vetri's, even if they are my grandchildren!

[KatieLoeb]

Oh come on. Fondue is FUN! It's hip and retro and a fun place for a group or a romantic date feeding each other chocolate covered strawberries. It's easy food and it's hard to screw up. That's a recipe for success I think, and not just with conventioneers. I suspect a well established chain like Melting Pot wouldn't waste the cash on Center City rent had they not investigated their target market first. Time will tell if I'm right or wrong.

As far as their liability insurance goes, it can't be any higher than Chinese restaurants serving flaming pupu platters or sizzling Wor Ba platters or Korean restaurants with burners in the center of each table, or Chili's that serve hundreds of sizzling platters of fajitas every day or restaurants that serve Flaming Cafe Brulee. Haven't we all had the server say "Be careful, the plate is very hot"? When the waiter needs asbestos gloves to bring my plate to me I think those dishes have been just as dangerous.

[Daniel]

"Careful, plates hot, hot plate coming through" This was a skit on Saturday Night Live and will get a laugh out of me from my girl for the rest of my life..

In terms of the Melting Pot. I went there on a date in college.. One thing I remembered was hating the oil smell that soaked into my sweater.. Another was the price.. It was a really expensive meal for me at the time.. Which I was not expecting from a Fondu Place.. It was below average..

[KatieLoeb]

"Careful, plates hot, hot plate coming through"  This was a skit on Saturday Night Live and will get a laugh out of me from my girl for the rest of my life..

In terms of the Melting Pot. I went there on a date in college.. One thing I remembered was hating the oil smell that soaked into my sweater.. Another was the price.. It was a really expensive meal for me at the time..  Which I was not expecting from a Fondu Place.. It was below average..

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Hey, I'm not saying it's Le Bec Fin, I'm just saying it's fun and novel and will undoubtedly be full just like the other chains are every night. And fondue is hard to screw up - minimal ingredients and basically crudite or meat or cut up fruit on the side. I have a lot more respect for attempting a small, easy menu that can be done well than trying to do the regional tour of Italy like Bucca di Beppo (which qualifies as the most atrocious of chains to me) does and make ALL mediocre food. If the oil in the pots never gets changed or the cheese fondue is nasty, then yeah - IT SUCKS. But I haven't heard anyone say that yet and I'll reserve judgement until I have a chance to go myself.

[herbacidal]

As far as their liability insurance goes, it can't be any higher than Chinese restaurants serving flaming pupu platters or sizzling Wor Ba platters or Korean restaurants with burners in the center of each table, or Chili's that serve hundreds of sizzling platters of fajitas every day or restaurants that serve Flaming Cafe Brulee.  Haven't we all had the server say "Be careful, the plate is very hot"?  When the waiter needs asbestos gloves to bring my plate to me I think those dishes have been just as dangerous.

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The liability insurance is one thing. The expensive part of the Korean BBQs and teppanyaki type places is of course the multiple stoves that have to be installed, but then also the individual exhaust fan above each stove.

So not only can you cram less people into the space (less covers=less revenue unless you make it up with increased check average) because a 6-8 top takes as much space as tables for about 12-16 people before, you also have to install 10-15 stoves and 10-15 exhaust fans instead of 1-2 of each.

[KatieLoeb]

Feeling inspired and jonesing for cheese fondue after reading this thread all day, I called philadining and convinced him (with minimal effort) to go scope out the new Melting Pot this evening. It was definitely brand spanking new as the overstaffing and hovering gaggle of hostesses and multiple managers at the door would indicate. As we walked in we were immediately pounced upon and asked for our name. After sheepishly revealing we hadn't called for a reservation we were escorted to what we were promised was the "most romantic" table in the restaurant which also made us giggle. A small booth for two in the back of the restaurant was lovely, although rather tiny in terms of useable table space once the burner was taken into account. We ordered a nice bottle of Trimbach Pinot Blanc (a bargain at $37 and great with the entire meal) and set about deciding which combination of things suited our fancy this evening. The hard sell was on for the "Big Night Out" all-inclusive meal, but we decided to have one of the Fondues for 2. Started off with the Swiss fondue, the classic swiss cheese, white wine and kirschwasser combo. It arrived with bread cubes of rye, white and pumpernickel, crudite and Granny Smith apple cubes. The fondue was delicious, and our waiter was very sweet, if also a bit hovering. It seems that every single employee in the place is supposed to stop by your table and ask "Is everything OK?" or "May I take that from you?" at carefully timed and coreographed 3 minute intervals. That does get a bit tiresome. Next we each had a salad - mine was a California Salad with gorgonzola and Raspberry-Walnut vinaigrette and was delicious. I didn't try philadining's salad but it also looked pretty good. For our main dish we chose the Pacific Rim selection which consisted of Teriyaki marinated choice sirloin, shrimp, peppered pork tenderloin, marinated breast of duck, boneless breast of chicken, and potstickers. We chose to have it in the Court Boullion style, to fool ourselves into thinking this was "healthier". The broth was quite flavorful and actually everything was pretty tasty. I particularly enjoyed the Green Goddess, Chipotle BBQ and the Blue cheese sauces on the side.

It was a very large meal. Plenty enough food for two but our server kept reminding us we could have refills of whatever we wanted. Was it expensive? I didn't think so. The check was about $108 with tax but before the tip. It wasn't cheap but it could have been all-I-could-woof if I were feeling so inclined. Was it horrible chain food? Defintely not. I enjoyed it, and although I don't think I'll be back real soon, I could certainly see going again some other time. We didn't have room for the chocolate fondue (and sadly were foiled in our late attempt to get Capogiro afterward) but I'd certainly go back for that on another occasion. The layout of the location was quite nice and other than the opening week jitters and incessant hovering (which I suspect was part of the opening overstaffing), our service was quite pleasant and well informed. This could be a very fun place to bring kids that are old enough to be careful around the hot pots. Who doesn't like dunking stuff in cheese or chocolate??

[serpentine]

Echoing some other comments, what I really don't get about the Melting Pot is how much they charge. Admittedly, this is because fondue is such an easy and fun way to feed people that it's something we've always done for parties at my house. I admit that certainly there's plenty of food for which I'm happy to pay restaurant prices even if I can make it perfectly well at home, but fondue crosses a line for me -- I feel like it's a lot of money to pay for someone to procure and cut up the ingredients and compose a simple (though tasty) sauce.

[Daniel]

Me either.. Its just expensive and average to me..

Edited November 11, 2005 by Daniel (log)

[Daniel]

Hey, I'm not saying it's Le Bec Fin,

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Me either.. Its just expensive and average to me..

[KatieLoeb]

Well for one thing I don't own a fondue pot. And I hardly think my George Foreman would be of much use in attempting to make fondue. I really don't want to be cleaning melted cheese off my kitchen floor. By the time I bought the groceries for the various types of cheeses, three loaves of bread and the kirschwasser (which I don't happen to have lying about my house) for the cheese fondue, 5 various proteins, 6 or 7 different types of vegetables, salad ingredients, and six different side sauces, this meal would have cost me a heck of a lot more than it did and left me with a bunch of odds and ends leftovers that I wouldn't be able to use before they spoiled. I live alone. I have a well stocked fridge to be sure, but definitely not along the order that would allow me to enjoy what I had this evening for the same price point. And I like soneone else to do labor intensive prep work for me. I get enough of that when I'm making my specialties.

I just don't feel the need to condemn this place simply because it's a <cue basso minor key chords> dreaded chain restaurant. It was good. I enjoyed myself and my meal. It wasn't the best meal I've ever eaten but I've had far worse experiences at other chains and independent restaurants alike. Fancier places too. It was definitely some of the best fondue I've had. And that's exactly what I expected. They do the specialty of the house quite well. What more could I ask for? Do I actually have to defend myself for this?

[philadining]

It's true enough that melting cheese in a pot ain't rocket science, I've made a pretty great cheese fondue plenty of times, and if you use good cheese and decent booze it's hard to screw it up (not impossible...) But you know, I hate trying to scrub the caked-on cheese off of that fondue pot (a 1970's-vintage avacado-green model procured at a yard sale, thank you very much...) And I don't have a second pot to do a meat fondue right after the cheesey one. It's not hard to cook a steak, or whip-up a stir-fry either, but sometimes it's enjoyable to go to a nice setting and let somebody else make it for you. And clean up.

Sure, we ended up spending $50 a head, but we had a nice bottle of wine and TON of food, not just some melted cheese. The classic cheese fondue was made with good Gruyere and Emmenthaller, not exactly Whiz. We had decent salads, and the "pacific rim" platter of meats and veggies was quite generous, with lots of good quality duck, beef, pork, chicken, shrimp, and dumplings. We really were struggling to finish it.

And no, it wasn't anything culinarily transcendent, but it was enjoyable, and really fun to lazily cook and eat at our own pace, while playing the "who would play (insert your name here) in the eGullet movie?" And don't think we didn't come up with someone to play most of you, and laugh ourselves silly about it!!

(BTW Katie, the eager-to-please manager will be played by Debra Messing.....)

The ingredients were good, service was very friendly, if a bit odd, as Katie noted. Indeed, in what must have been a tag-team of waiters, bus-people and managers lined-up right around the corner from us, there seemed to be somebody constantly checking to see if everything was OK, or to see if they could PLEASE take something off the table, areyadonewiththat?!?! everythingOK?!?! areyadonewiththat?!?! Ummmm, dude, if my fork is actively traveling toward a piece of food on my plate, you can take that as a decent clue that I'm still eating....

Although oddly, the ONE interval where there was a long gap in attention was right when we needed some, as we reached the bottom of the cheese fondue, and the now-empty pot threatened to erupt in flames. We figured out where the burner control was an turned it off, saving that tragedy, or at least a lot of smoke. But there was still just enough of a gap before the salads arrived that we were reduced to trying to scrape the cheese crust off the inside of the pot. Sure, it's the best part, but a perilous quest...

Nonetheless, our waiter was very sincere and friendly, and overall did a good job. He had to struggle a bit with not having much room to work on the tiny tables as he assembled the cheese fondue, and had to wrestle with the Man in the Iron Mask-looking contraption that ensured safe transport of the hot fluids for the meat fondue, but that's not his fault.

As Katie said, I'm not rushing back, but I would return sometime, it's an attractive place, the food was decent, and sometimes nothing beats a big vat of bubbling cheese. A little expensive, sure, but not insanely so.

They need to chill a little with the security interrogation at the front door, it was a bit of a blur, but I'm pretty sure Katie had a retinal scan, and I think somebody fingerprinted me and swabbed me for DNA, as they entered us into the reservation system.

And it was indeed charming when they announced that they were seating us in the most romantic (read: claustrophobic) table in the place, but that's a risky conclusion to jump to. We should have told them we were getting a divorce, or were brother and sister, it could have been interesting to see them react....

I don't think either one of us is claiming that this is a major dining destination, but it has its place, we left quite happy and satisfied. And cheesey. And who else has Green Goddess dressing for you to dip stuff in?

Edited November 11, 2005 by philadining (log)

[Mummer]

Do I actually have to defend myself for this?

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No, but Jeff has to explain why he wasn't at StudioKitchen.

[mrbigjas]

Well for one thing I don't own a fondue pot.  And I hardly think my George Foreman would be of much use in attempting to make fondue. 

no, that would definitely end up as something closer to raclette, i think.

[mrbigjas]

The classic cheese fondue was made with good Gruyere and Emmenthaller, not exactly Whiz.

cheesesteak fondue! pot of whiz, slices of ribeye, bread, lightly fried onions...

PATENT PENDING

And no, it wasn't anything culinarily transcendent, but it was enjoyable, and really fun to lazily cook and eat at our own pace, while playing the "who would play (insert your name here) in the eGullet movie?" And don't think we didn't come up with someone to play most of you, and laugh ourselves silly about it!!

i don't think we even wanna know how this turned out...

We should have told them we were getting a divorce, or were brother and sister,

or both!

[SaxChik]

the melting pot in chestnut hill is a regular spot for our monthly "girls night out" at work. sometimes we do a full meal, sometimes it's just cheese and dessert. i'm partial to the cheddar and beer fondue, myself.

it's not gourmet, but it's a fun place (especially with a gaggle of women with sharp implements of death and hot liquids) to hang out and blow off some steam.

we had a nice hardys chiraz the last time i was there and the sommelier (they actual had one!) knew his stuff.

as far as chains go, this one's not bad.

[I_call_the_duck]

The Melting Pot stands out from the other chains in that it's different. The thing about chains is that they basically serve the same generic food. You can get a burger at a Chilis, TIFridays, and Applebees, or spaghetti and meatballs at Beppe de Bucco, Olive Garden, or Maggianos, but fondue is something that you'll find in few if any restaurants be it upscale or not. I haven't experienced fondue, but it sounds like fun. The Melting Pot may be a chain, but its a refreshing change from all the others that have inundated our society. If the food is as good as Katie and philadining say, then it may be worth a visit.

Expensive? Maybe. But then again, would you pay $7 for a garden salad when you can buy a head of lettuce for a buck and some change?

[KatieLoeb]

The funniest line of the night (other than doubling ourselves over laughing playing casting agents for the eGullet movie) was when philadining referred to the Mexican cheese fondue option on the menu as a "culinary hate crime". Needless to say that one didn't appeal to us.

[MarketStEl]

And don't think we didn't come up with someone to play most of you, and laugh ourselves silly about it!!

i don't think we even wanna know how this turned out...

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Speak for yourself, mrbigjas.

Of course, discussing this is OT for the board, so it'll probably have to be done via chain PMs...

[MarketStEl]

The funniest line of the night (other than doubling ourselves over laughing playing casting agents for the eGullet movie) was when philadining referred to the Mexican cheese fondue option on the menu as a "culinary hate crime". 

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That's a good one.

Not to mention that -- having seen them make it -- the Mexican cheese fondue is something I can whip up in a few minutes in my trusty microwave. Granted, it will congeal into a semi-solid about 15 minutes or so after I pull it out, but it's about as Mexican as Taco Bell fare. If they were devoted to truth in advertising, they'd call that one "Football-on-TV cheese fondue."

I hoped you tried the Wisconsin Trio cheese fondue. While the classic Gruyère-and-Emmentaler combo was good enough, I really liked this one, which combines Wisconsin blue, cheddar and provolone.

Sounds like they assemble the fondue at your table rather than bring out a pot of already-completed sauce. One of the other guests at the opening party referenced Benihana of Tokyo by way of comparison and expressed relief that the meals weren't going to be prepared in that cross between kabuki theater and family-style dining. But I see they work a little theatricality into the presentation. Do they grate the cheese on the spot or is that done backstage?

[philadining]

The cheese arrives at the table grated, but the ingredients are poured into the pot one at a time, and explained, and cheese added gradually and stirred, which, to be honest, resulted in a bit of cheese all over the table, and a just-long-enough process that it was getting tricky to continue to make appropriate small-talk with the waiter.

The one complaint that I had is that I was really getting dizzy trying to sort through all the decisions that have to be made: whether to just order individual things, or go with one of the combination dinners, and even within the combos there were always 4 choices and then more sub-choices. So we decide on a "Fondue for Two" but still have to pick what kind of cheese fondue, and then what kind of salad, and then which of 4 arrays of "entrees" (meaning the raw ingredients you'll cook in round two) and then which liquid medium you want to cook those in, a wine sauce, the court-bouillon we chose, or oil, and there was something else.... liquid nitrogen? (now THAT would be fun.)

No wonder they were really pushing the "Big Night Out" combo which was some mondo-package that, while not entirely free from options, had fewer. We rebelled just to be contrary, whenever a place tries to sell a special before we've even gotten to our table, I get suspicious.

It's good to have choices, but it was starting to be a little too complicated of a process just to dip bread in cheese, and boil meat on a fork. I think they should have some default way of doing each one, and allow you to change if you want. They should automatically do the meat platter in oil, the seafood one in bouillon, etc. but if you want it the other way around, fine...

[KatieLoeb]

Sounds like they assemble the fondue at your table rather than bring out a pot of already-completed sauce. One of the other guests at the opening party referenced Benihana of Tokyo by way of comparison and expressed relief that the meals weren't going to be prepared in that cross between kabuki theater and family-style dining. But I see they work a little theatricality into the presentation. Do they grate the cheese on the spot or is that done backstage

They do assemble the fondue tableside. Our waiter was very nice and very well informed on the procedure. The classic Swiss fondue we shared was white wine, a little garlic, a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, kirschwasser and a big bowl of already shredded Gruyere and Emmenthaler cheeses. A little shake of nutmeg comes at the end for flair.

We decided to go for the tried and true traditional for this first trip. The Wisconsin Cheese Trio fondue was the other one we were considering. I'm sure I'll try that one next time. There's also a Cheddar Cheese/beer combo fondue and the aforementioned "hate crime" Mexican Fiesta Cheese fondue served with tortilla chips.