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Mon-Thu. 5:00 p.m. - 10:30 p.m.
Fri. 5:00 p.m. - 12:00 a.m.
Sat. 4:00 p.m. - 12:00 a.m.
Sun. 4:00 p.m. - 10:30 p.m.
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I took my lovely date on "Lover's Lane". Room for just two at the table with the hint of intimacy with a curtain hanging to our table's side and nestled into a corner. We enjoyed the warm atmosphere in this historic brick kiln. The bar was great service. The dining room service was awesome and informative. It was our first time doing fondue and it took us maybe 2 1/2 hours. The experience was great fun. The atmosphere was very intimate. We will do it again.
I like to give my 5 stars few-and-far between. You see, I can be a 4 star fan of anything, but very few businesses are 'As good as it gets!' in my book. I'm giving The Melting Pot in Larkspur 5 very big stars based upon my overall experience here. I loved it.
Upon arriving at The Melting Pot, you feel like you're back in late 1800's getting ready to go to work at the brick kiln. A huge brick building with an enormous smokestack- dark windows and a tunnel driveway. When you enter, you feel like you've just stumbled into Batman's secret lair. Long dark corridors on either side, dimly lit lights and a folk rock music playing. The ambiance is very unique- 5 stars.
After being seated, you'll quickly your teacher- scratch that, I mean waiter. Your waiter will help you, guide you, hold your hand through any cheese, salad, chocolate or wine questions you may have. When I ate at the Melting Pot my waiters name was Max, and he did an unbelievably exceptional job with any and all questions we had. He was talking about 'pairing' and 'mixing'- what tastes good with what- the freshness of certain things. He was like a Melting Pot encyclopedia- and to top it off showed amazing customer service skills. Bravo, 5 stars.
The 4 course 'Big Night Out' meal is outstanding. It's fondue, so you already know it's gonna be fun, but it also has to be done right. Well, they do it right at Melting Pot. They start you with a cheese (which can be substituted for another cheese). It comes out with chips, bread, apples and veggies. We went with the Spinach Artichoke cheese which mixes Fontina and Butterkase together- so delicious! 5 Stars! Your second course is you salad. I ordered the California Salad(which I highly recommend) Raspberry Walnut vinaigrette over tiny cut Roma Tomatoes and Gorgonzola cheese. So awesome! 5 Stars!
After the first two courses comes your main course- and this is where it gets crazy. It includes items such as Lobster Tail, Filet Mignon, NY Strip, Bratwurst, Shrimp, and Chicken... Not to mention all the veggies you want. They boil a broth right in front of you and you cook these items at your table. For flavor, they bring out an insane assortment of dips- different mustards and terriyakis, 'spicys' and 'smooths'... Total fun.
Lastly, the chocolate. As they say in Brooklyn, "Forget about it!" By this time you'll be stuffed from the rest of the food and be ready to go to bed! But no, you NEED to eat this chocolate fondue. We went with the Caramel Chocolate which was so delicious. Mixed with marshmallows, pound cakes, strawberries and more- it just doesn't get any better.
Now to be totally honest, I'm a little split in the Price Vs. Quality Vs. Quantity. The 'Big Night Out' meals will run you about $100 per couple- plus when you include drinks and a nice tip, it adds up. On paper the Big Night Out looks like a lot of food, but the main course is a little small in my opinion, and the other courses are really just cheese and chocolate. However, i'm looking past that. I could give it 4 stars, but this place really is better than that. This meal takes close to two hours to finish, also. The Melting Pot staff does extra special things for the customers, too- such as bringing out cards and special plates for anniversaries or birthdays, but on a much classier scale then your local Applebees.
They have alot of great deals- too. Check their website for upcoming promotions and discount days & times. Also, they usually have coupons on http://watchhalfoff.com and http://bayareahalfoff.com
For the overall experience of The Melting Pot, I give it 5 stars. The unique location, the awesome wait staff and customer service, and for the fun meal overall.
Gross.
First fail: While waiting for our table, went up to the bar to get a bev and pass the time. The twenty something stoner bartender with greasy hair and pervo pencil mustache stares sullenly at me and says: "You need something?" No asshole, I regularly stand in front of a bar looking at the bartender for my health. I get halfway through "Tanqueray and tonic and a glass of zin" when he turns away and starts talking to a busboy. Are you fucking kidding me? Lucky for him, another bartender steps in and gets our drinks. The only thing keeping me from going back and talking shit is that my T&T is a double, and poured with a heavy hand. She must have seen this little entrez play out with here coworker before.
We get our table, and order the prix fixe menu, which is app, salad, entree and dessert for $36 pp. So far so good, except for the shite barkeep.
First course comes: second fail. The cheese dip smells and tastes like an old sock. Now I know that Raclette and fontina have an odeur d'sock about them, but there is a difference between good sock and nasty. This wasn't good sock. The dippers provided include stale bread, mediocre supermarket apples, and some low grade summer sausage and pickles.
Second course comes: third fail. The broth provided for cooking is clearly water and bullion cubes; you cannot hide that taste. The stuff intended to be cooked therein is as follows: dogfood grade steak, mushy farmed shrimp, over garlicked chicken, unidentified raviolis, and some uninspired vegetable selection. After this course we went to the bar for a shot of tequila to wash out the taste.
Third course comes: passing, but barely. This is the chocolate part, and it's pretty hard to fuck up strawberries in melted chocolate. They tried, however, by including slices of the worst cheesecake we've ever had, the worst rice krispy treats we've ever had, and the worst poundcake we've ever had.
The only reason I would consider giving them 2 stars is that they have a really cool spot in an old brick manufactory. But then again, it could be an Applebees in there and the ambience would be the same. Plus the food would be edible and my bill wouldn't have been $190. 1 star. Dont go there.
Price vs Quality
Guess who won???
They both lost, I was not impressed at all.
Went there for my last anniversary with my ex wife and the only thing they did well was preparing the table with champagne as soon as we arrived.
A friendly gentlemen takes us to our table and explains a bit about the place, the food, the experience blah blah.
So far everything was great until he left, and then came Ms. Attitude I'm so much better than you.
We went with the lobster indulgence and I was not impressed at all I've had better fondue in other places that didn't cost a third of what they charge you there.
When you order the top item on the menu you expect quality to match the price. (scroll up read line #3 again)
I will try this place again... who knows when.
Another tip, if you are going to serve lobster tail please make sure it didn't belong to a toddler lobster.
If I had sneezed that lobster tail would've flown off my plate.
Oh yeah, Champagne was good.
[M]ona: 4 Stars
[W]ayne: 5 Stars
Average: 4.5 Stars
+ Excellent Service
+ Filling
+ Good for special occasions or casual girls night outs
+ Recommend "the big night out" for couples
+ Ask for "lovers lane" for intimate romantic setting
[W] I recommend coming here for any special occasion. When me and Mona came here for our 4 month anniversary, I asked for LOVER'S LANE. I would say its an intimate part of the restaurant in the back. It just looked like a little alley with small booths for smaller groups or couples.
We ordered the BIG NIGHT OUT. That was like the king of kings on the menu. First course was salads of a selected choice. I had the CAESAR SALAD ("Crisp romaine lettuce, Caesar dressing, shredded
Parmesan cheese, crispy croutons and an added touch of Parmesan encrusted pine nuts") while my girlfriend had the CALIFORNIA SALAD (Mixed baby salad greens, Roma tomatoes, walnuts and Gorgonzola cheese, with Raspberry Black Walnut Vinaigrette Dressing).
Second course was the CHEDDAR CHEESE FONDUE ("Aged, medium-sharp Cheddar and Emmenthaler Swiss cheeses, lager beer, garlic and seasonings") with different types of breads as well as vegetables.
Main entree was the FONDUE FUSION ("Lobster Tail, Filet Mignon, Sauerbraten NY Strip, Nueske's Applewood Smoked Bratwurst, Hefeweizen Marinated Shrimp, Roasted Garlic Crusted Chicken, Sun Dried Tomato Ravioli and Fresh Vegetables") served MOJO STYLE ("Caribbean-seasoned bouillon with distinctive flavors of fresh garlic with a citrus flair").
The Final Entree was the BANANAS FOSTER ("Silky, white chocolate swirled with bananas, brown sugar and a dash of cinnamon, flambéed table side") as well as marshmallows, rice krispies, brownies, strawberries, bananas, pound cake, and cheese cake on the side.
I had to say everything was delicious and we would definitely go again. I do not recommend larger groups because the fondue pots are too small to share with 4+ people. They also had a bar which was nice because you can have a couple of drinks if you arrive earlier than your reservation. I had my Long Island Ice Tea as usual and it wasn't bad at all.
The restaurant is built like a kiln which is pretty unique. I have never been in a restaurant that looked like an oven before. Overall, we had a wonderful experience at The Melting Pot. : )
A job promotion, anniversary, bachelorette party -- our awesome waitress Autumn told us nearly every table was here to celebrate something different and special. I came to celebrate my birthday.
I immediately felt like a hobbit in a cave when I walked into this place. Cute, cozy, but at same time huge restaurant. Lover's Lane is an intimate area in the back with V-shaped booths that add privacy for those who want it. We were here for 3 hours and decided on the Big Night Out. You get to pick your cheese, salad, broth, and chocolate.
FIRST COURSE - Cheese Fondue (Spinach Artichoke)
Raw vegetables, bread, and apples
SECOND COURSE - Salad (Caprese)
THIRD COURSE - Entree (Court Bouillon)
Lobster tail, Filet Minon, NY Strip, Shrimp, Spicy Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken, Ravioli, vegetables, and dipping sauces
FOURTH COURSE - Chocolate (S'mores)
Cheesecake, marshmellows, strawberries, brownies, rice krispies, pound cake, and bananas
Good thing I was wearing a long top so no one noticed that I had unbuttoned my top pant button because I stuffed my face so much. With all the food that was brought, it could have easily fed 3 people. The chocolate fondue should be on everyone's Bucket List.
My bf and I were craving some good food after a hard long session at the gym. Okay, so maybe so I didn't work out that hard, but I was still craving fondue! We got changed real quick and headed out to the famous Melting Pot!
I have been to several locations before, but this was my first time in the San Rafael location. We got there pretty late, around 10:15 and they still seated us for a complete dinner.
After an extensive reading on the menu, we decided to order the Spinach and Artichoke Cheese fondue. It was really good and they gave us an unlimited amount of bread, apples, and vegetables to dip into the cheese fondue. We noticed that their bread were a little stale.
Second course we got the Caesar Salad. It was decent, typical caesar salad you can get or make. Nothing exciting about it.
Third course were our Signature Selection which includes Filet Mignon, Shrimp, Teriyaki Sirloin (which was the tastiest out of all), cedar plank salmon, and chicken breast. We got the Coq Au Vin for the sauce to dip in which has herbs, mushrooms, garlic spices, and burgundy wine. To be honest with you, I wasn't impressed with the entree, not ever really impressed in any of the fondue places that I've been. I must add, they put a little too much wine in the pot so our meat left with red pigments. It's such a lot of work, too since you have to wait for it to cook. Good think I was already full from the cheese!
Our last but not least entree was our Chocolate SMORES fondue. They served strawberries, graham crackers (they were stale), pound cake, regular and chocolate marshmallows, and more! I always feel like the best part of a fondue restaurant is the beginning and ending. Our server also mentioned they have happy hour and Ladies Night, too!
I'd only come back here for the cheese and chocolate fondue.
Service was mediocre. He was a little rude to my bf, but he was warm towards the end. I also noticed that my fork was dirty, and he quickly exchanged it for a new one.
Ambiance was dark, I guess romantic, felt like a brick castle. My bf and I were falling asleep in there because it was so dark and we were the last customers to stay! LOL
In my opinion, I would save your $ and skip the complete dinner. :-) The bill was $130, could have been $50 or less with just the cheese and chocolate fondue!
Granted, when I enter dark and dreary places, I am already thinking on how to get out.
We were directed to sit at the bar, and it is a Monday night with no one really in the place-strike
Hmmmmm, service is sacharine and the robotic-strike
Endured cheese, and then boiling food, which was just not that great-strike
Corporate vibe and it just isn't be, so for those who dig it, great, for me/us, we are out and never to be back
Beautiful space, friendly service, delicious cheese/salad/chocolate, and well-mixed drinks. The tastiness of your entree fondue (cooked in broth or oil) really depends on your own fondue cooking skill, but the raw materials are good. The dim lighting of the restaurant contrasts with the focused lighting of your booth, making this a great date option. The 3- or 4- course dinners for 2 are actually a very good deal, though you'd better be fairly hungry.
Our server agreed with my assessment that the best option (if you can find a seat) is to hit the bar during happy hour (4-6:30) for half-price drinks, a half-price cheese fondue, then a half-price chocolate fondue. Perfect dinner quantity and price!
The youthful side of my family decided that we should go out to a big family dinner with siblings and cousins that were in town. I took the responsibility of making the reservation at Melting Pot. Although the only enjoyable part of our meal was the cheese fondue (appetizer) and the chocolate dessert, it was still fun to go in a big group.
The best part of the entire situation was that I got a phone call from the general manager thanking me for bringing a big party in to the restaurant and he sent me a gift certificate for $50! You never know what can happen to you!
Any place that serves melted chocolate with pound cake to dip in it has my vote of approval.
I could do without the cheese fondue but had untold amounts of fun dipping the lobster, filet mignon, and other yummy meats in broth. The best deal is to do one of the dinners for two, for about $89 you get a cheese course, salads, a main course and of course the chocolate fondue. Every course comes with plenty of dippers.
So many in fact that by the time we got to the dessert we were so full, my husband barely tried the chocolate. Not I though, I'll freaking die by chocolate.
Next time I'll just go for the chocolate fondue. The staff is great and very accommodating. We had the Ying Yang but asked them substitute the dark for the milk chocolate and it worked out great.
As good as it gets is for sure! My boy Jerade, the girls, and myself hit The Melting Pot this last Sunday. Now, this my first time being here or any fondue restaurant, so I was juiced about it.
I had heard it was an old brick kiln I figured it would be interesting. Man the atmosphere was nice. Very dark, romantic, calm & relaxing.
Started off with some cocktails. I had the Side Cart I believe. I usually don't get girlie drinks, but this was good. It wasn't too sweet.
Now for dinner, we ordered The Feast which started of with a cheese fondue, with some sourdough bread and veggies. It was a three cheese blend which was really well, cheesy. LOL.
The salad was next, which was a tomato mozzarella with mixed greens and balsamic vinaigrette. Really good the tomato was crisp the way I like tomato.
For the main course it was a big platter of meat. You had Prawns, Chicken, Pork, and two different cuts of Steak (that's a lot of meat). So then you cook it in a broth that was good. The dipping sauces were good especially the Gorgonzola sauce & the plum sauce. I didn't dig the curry sauce to much.
Desert consisted of a milk & dark chocolate mix in the the form of yin yang in the pot. You had your cheesecake, pound cake, marshmallows, strawberries, & even rice crispiest. What can I say but DELICIOUS! my fave was the strawberries and marshmallows.
The bill did run up a little high, but oh well. Like Jerede & Amanda said it's great food & also the experience. I totally agree!
So save your pennies up and take that special person in your life out here. You won't regret it.
This is my favorite Melting Pot, hands down. It's the most unique place - inside an old brick kiln and right near the San Quentin State Prison, which excites a true crime geek like me.
We ate here in the regular restaurant area several times and never had anything but excellent and friendly service. The food speaks for itself. This is a great place for a fun night with friends or a date night with someone special.
Happy Hour: During my first year of law school we lived close by and became regular fixtures at the bar during happy hour. You could get the full meal at half off eating in the bar at that time...maybe that has changed with the economic downturn since then, but regardless this place is still great.
I think this place would be good for a date or a light appetizer/dessert kind of night, but for a big group eating a full dinner this was the PITS!
I planned a big dinner here (about 12 people) for my bf's birthday last month. Several of us left actually feeling sick to out stomachs from the thick greasy air. The ambiance is beautiful, but the low ceilings and extremely limited ventilation make it feel stuffy. Then add the frying grease on every other table and all the warm bodies and I was feeling down right claustrophobic and sick.
The waiter was friendly, but he didn't explain the options to us well at all and almost everyone ended up with something much more expensive than they thought they ordered. They also called me several times before we came in for our reservation asking me to pre-order all the food, which I didn't want to do because I wanted everyone to choose their own food, but they were pretty insistent. A little too much I thought. But they explained to me that this would make the dinner go faster, which was a great tip, because it took FOREVER. I guess next time I will pre-order all the food and just make people eat it whether they like it or not.
The food... eh. It's ok. I'm a vegetarian so I wasn't happy with anything but the cheese really. I was feeling too sick at the end to eat the chocolate, but I have had it before at other locations and loved it.
My recommendation: go here on a date with 2 people max, get the 4 course meal, and sit near a window if you can find one. Problems solved!
Housed in a great building; the cheese and dessert fondue are fun & tasty.
Entrees are mindblowingly expensive and decidedly mediocre; dipping raw meat in oil is not nearly as fun as dipping stuff in melted cheese or chocolate.
Our dinner for 6 adults & 2 kids came to over $350 (including $15 for 3 balloons & a box of chocolates for their birthday). And that's with only ordering 4 entrees & 2 extra salads and with only a few drinks.
Kid-friendly but I'd skip the entree entirely, let the kids play with their food with the melted cheese and chocolate, and go get a steak someplace else if you're still hungry.
Oh yeah, while the service was friendly, our waiter disappeared for long periods of time making the promise of "bottomless" bowls of things to dip rather hollow. Getting the check seemed to take forever too.
Basically nothing was really bad about this place except the apocalyptic total on the check - which is enough to sink it.
Interesting atmosphere. Cordial staff. Cheese fondue pretty tasteless. The real meal extremely tasteless. Maybe the chocolate fondue is OK; didn't try it. BTW, if Tuesday is any indication of Wednesday (Ladies Night); you might think twice about hanging around the bar having an appetizer with your wife. A loud, disgusting, foul-mouthed, self-absorbed, selfish, spoiled, & narcissistic B.A.B. (Bay Area *itch) wanted our seats where we were eating for her party of 5; even though there were 5 seats on the other side of us. Just another B.A.B. raised without parents. Oink! Oink! Oink! The food here is just an over-priced gimmick. My friends & I made tastier fondue with stew meat when we were just teenagers.
My friend and I decided to venture over to The Melting Pot's "Girl's Night Out" last Wednesday. For $30 per person you are presented a four-course meal beginning with cheese fondue, followed by a salad of your choice, entree and dessert. I had been to The Melting Pot once before for a work-related event and had really enjoyed it! This experience was nearly as seamless as the first.
Pros:
1. You won't leave hungry. There is so much food we weren't able to eat everything which (caloric repercussions aside) we soooo wanted to do.
2. The ambiance is romantic (albeit a bit noisy). The building is steeped in history and our waiter was able to ramble off all of the significant details related to the original use as a kiln. The inside is beautiful, cavernous, and reminiscent of a wine cellar.
3. You have choices. I love that you can pick from a number of different fondue options (oil or broth), you can choose your salad and dressing and you can decide what kind of meat/veggie you like to dip. Generally on fixed menus you're fairly limited but this was an exception to that rule. Nice!
Cons:
1. There is so much food! I did leave there feeling a bit weighted down. I know I didn't *have* to eat everything that was put in front of me, but it's so good it's difficult to resist. Just sayin: I'll fast all day long the next time I head over there.
2. It really does get loud in there. Due to the cavernous nature of the interior, sound really travels. You'll find yourself straining to hear your dinner partners which can get old after a while. If you're there with a S.O., I'd go so far as to suggest sitting side by side to hear each other better.
3. Our waiter (despite having worked at TMP for two and a half years) seemed a bit frazzled and not always on top of our food or drink order. It may have simply been a matter of knowing the details of this relatively new GNO event, but he had to come back several times to correct earlier omissions on his part. Also, the table wasn't always cleared in a timely manner which lead to a backup when he tried to bring our next courses.
4. Be prepared to sit a while. The four courses take several hours to get through so be prepared to be there a while. Not necessarily a con but something to be cognizant of prior to getting there.
All in all it was a really fun outing. The food was delish (but fattening - I'd go with a broth-based fondue next time instead of the canola oil), the drinks were affordable and fun and the restaurant is a departure from most you'll visit so vive la différence!
This was my first time here. I was able to make reservations online easily which was very convenient. I came with a friend for her birthday and there was a cute little card at the table wishing her happy birthday signed by all the servers! Cute. We had the "Big Night Out" . . . so much food. The cheese fondue was delicious, the salad was decent, the entree was okay, and the chocolate fondue was awesome! All in all a little expensive, but the experience was worth it. Next time I'll stick with just the cheese and chocolate - having raw meat brought to your table and letting it bubble there in front of you was a little weird for me.
This melting pot location completely beat out the other ones I have been too in the past.
Service was great; we were attended to the whole time, and they were very friendly as well :)
The Food was great as always. The Traditional Swiss is so good, and the Dark chocolate is literally to die for.... no joke.
The restaurant itself was beautiful. The brick building outside, Cavern feeling, and romantic lighting inside set the atmosphere for a great night!
Can't wait until I can go back again!
And if you don't like cooking the food, just go with the cheese and chocolate. Tastes great, Fills you up, and is also a lot cheaper than the Big Night Out. :)
I'm dying... but totally in a good way. Ate way too much food. Took dad here to celebrate his special day today. Traditional cheese fondue. Yummy Caesar salad. Coq au vin cooking style. Pure dark chocolate to finish it off.
Way too much food - but oh so worth the moaning and groaning about how stuffed our tummies are. Never a bad meal here. Love the atmosphere. Love the service. Very friendly and accommodating.
Can't wait to lose 10 pounds and then indulge again. :)
Quick update for the Melting Pot in Larkspur. Thank you John M. for actually reading the reviews on… Read more »
Melting Pot is one of those restaurants that everyone should come at least once. For me personally though, once is good enough. We came here for my friend Sandy's birthday. She choose this particular melting pot over other ones around us because she had read that it was the nicest one; and it really was. The inside of the restaurant was tunnel built and dimly lit; a very romantic setting.
The birthday girl already choose a set menu for all of us so all we had to do was sit down and wait for our food. For drinks, I ordered the yin yang drink. It was delicious and looks cool! Chocolate powder for the yin side and dark chocolate/white chocolate for the dots of the yin yang. For the first course it was two different types of cheese fondue served with apples and bread. Im not that big of a cheese fan, especially the ones served here because it was soo thick and a little too salty for me. We also got to choose from two types of salad. I choose the caprese salad. I had only had it once before and I really liked it. This one did not disappoint. The mozerella cheese was very soft and fresh and the tomato was crisp and sweet. The balsamic vinegar dressing was light, not too overbearing.
The main course came in serving for two. Each couple got a lobster tail, couple pieces of steak, chicken, shrimp, and pork. We were also given many different sauces which the waitor explained what each one was, that I quickly forgot. All the meats were really tender but I'm not a big fan of cooking my meat in stew, except for the lobster which was plump and yummy! I think meats should stay to grilling.
Dessert was the best part of the meal. We had two different types of chocolate fondue, a tirimisu one and a turtle (carmel and chocolate) one. There is nothing better than chocolate covered strawberries. There were also rice krispee treats, marshmellows, and cake, but they were good itself.
Overall, it was a very nice place to celebrate my friend's birthday. It would also make a perfect date place. But its pretty pricey and you dont get a great amount of food and I'm not a big fan of fondue so the experience was just A-Ok.
We went for our anniversary which I shared when making my reservation. Well they treated us so well on our special day!
We spent 3 hours!! enjoying each course. We did the Big Night out menu and really enjoyed it. You get so many options, more food than you could possibly eat and then the most delicious dessert!!
We had the Turtle Chocolate fondue for dessert WOW everything taste great with choc,caramel and nuts!!!
Truly a romantic and special venue. We asked fot the Lovers Lane booth as I read about and it definately added to the romantic aspect!
An experience we wont forget!
I had wanted to go here forever, so my friend and I decided to make an early birthday celebration and go.
The location of this place is really cool, within a huge brick building that was some sort of mill at one time, very unique. We decided to do "The big night out" special, witch is most poplular.Its a 4 course dinner witch includes your choice of Cheese dipping sauce with vegetables, salad, dinner entree and dessert.
The food is all heated and cooked right there on your table witch is all part of the experience (and let me say this place is all about experience) The first cheese sauce we ordered was some kind of Swiss cheese, that had absolutely no flavor whatsoever, so we ordered a different one, with some kind of garlic seasoning and flavors that turned out to be extremely good. I was slightly disappointed though with the amount of vegetables that they served along with it, (I mean come on there vegetables) I had to ask for more which isn't good.
The salad was very good witch saved the lacking of the cheese and veggie course, it was a sweet, flavorful vinaigrette salad. We ordered the seafood and lobster entree witch come to find out you cook it your self (different) they had different little sauces to dip your entree in.
But finally it was Dessert time witch was probably my most favorite part of the whole experience. You were given a nice selection of different dipping sauces to choose from. This was really hard for me to make my decision, I seriously wanted to try them all, but we finally landed on the Smores sauce. Now this was incredible!! You were served little plates filled with little slices of cheesecake, brownies, poundcake and strawberries to dip in the sauce and like I said this was the highlight of my night.
Like I said this place is all about the experience, the food is not spectacular, but it's satisfying. It's definitely great for large groups of people and special occasion's. I would go here again with a larger group. Or maybe just for dessert...Lol
Since moving to the area last year, The Melting Pot has been our spot. I've eaten at several Melting Pot locations including one in Colorado and the location in San Mateo (don't bother).
It's hard not to like to love the Larkspur Melting Pot! They provide consistent service every time. Their staff is helpful, friendly and sincere and the food is incredible. Their current future Italian style cheese is very flavorful with chunks of mozzarella and a distinct pasta sauce flavor. The feature Italian salad is refreshing and a welcome change from normal lettuce salads. The service at the Larkspur location is always very good and I've been so pleased by every experience I've had there that I now have them on speed dial in my phone and know most of the staff by name.
Last week we ordered the "Big Night Out, Lobster Indulgence." The service was wonderful, my drink came quickly and the waitress was attentive and personable. The food, as always, was amazing. The lobster was very fresh, the meat was tender and well seasoned and there was a wide variety of delicious dipping sauces (as is customary for the Melting Pot). The fondue pot was well tended by our server who made our night by suggesting we could dip the lobster shells in our fondue pot to watch them turn red. Although this was very childish, we enjoyed playing with our food and were appreciative of our server's playful attitude and sense of humor.
The Melting Pot will continue to be one of my favorite restaurants, and I highly recommend it to everyone.
I had a marvelous time here, I mean it's just a fun way to eat and good to boot. Fantastic for big groups of friends that like to share. I went with one such group to celebrate one of our friends getting published, and we forgot that one of the girls' boyfriends was actually French.
So our authentic Frenchman was the "true" test of the fondue, and throughout the night his face oscillated between amused and offended.
Despite the staff's best efforts (they are a little condescending about the cheese sometimes) our frenchman was not impressed.
Apparently this is no match for true fondue.
Whatever
I'll put it in its own branch by itself then.
The Melting Pot is fun, and it's something different.
I had a great time exploring the drink menu! Unfortunately this means I don't have any more details to remember/share...
I came back to the melting pot..FINALLY! I missed this place so much...me and the boyfriend came and we sat in lovers lane! =) Nice and quiet and private! We actually got the same waiter we got last time we were here! He was super nice and the food was super good as usual!
It is pretty pricey here but it's totally worth it! This is my number 1 restaurant!
This is my new favorite restaurant!! I came here with my boyfriend for our 2 year anniversary and… Read more »
Any chance to go to the melting pot and i'm there! I think this restaurant is so fun. I've only been twice but both times was great. The first time just my boyfriend and I and the 2nd time with 7 people. Both times the service was great. Their servers really know what their talking about.
I think the food is really tasty (yes, you cook some of it yourself, but that's the fun). The melting pot is an experience. It's not somewhere you go if you're in a hurry. You can easily spend 3 hours here! Once you're seated they'll explain how to order and how everything works if you've never been there.
Great drinks, Great food, Great service, Great atmosphere, and a Great time.
Wow, that was a lot of "Great's" sorry about that. Just go and try it out, you'll have a lot of fun!
This is a fun place to hang out for happy hour and I have the impression that this is also a romantic date spot. Try this pick up line "why don't you and I get better aquatinted in a wine cave with fondue." Let me know how it goes.
We sat at the bar and had great service. Happy hour wine list was a nice little cross section of budget but badass wines and of course fondue was .... flaming good. I liked the variety of fondue sauces available and the spread of things to dip - especially for the chocolate. Cheesecake bits? Hell yeah.
I've been here twice, and each time I've liked it. The corporate, organized feel of this place irks me a little bit, but it's hard to complain about it when it's consistently good. The food is quite good, the fondue never disappoints but it does help to make use of the waiter's willingness to explain the flavor combinations, as some things do not go well with others. The dessert is epic.
My advice for having the best experience here: Buy smaller portions - you might think you're that hungry, but you're not, and you'll be sorry if you're too full to enjoy the sweets in choco-bath at the end of the meal.
Lastly, and what costs them a 4th star, avoid the mixed drinks at all costs. Each time I've been the mixed drinks (Mojito, manhattan, margarita, cosmo, etc) have all been badly executed and have hardly any alcohol in them. Order wine or a neat scotch, but be aware that the bartender is also a stingy bastard and will give you a pour that'll have you grumbling for a "shot line" on the glass like the pint lines in Britain.
I gave this place a shot on a double date. My first impression was wow, this is a good way to recycle on old historic brick factory! The place was dark and has track lighting everywhere. The acoustics allowed you to listen in on the most intimate gossip (too much information!) of adjacent tables.
Ok so the concept is easy.....a table and seats centered about a double convection burner. You get some cheese pots to dip veggies, bread etc into. this was ok.
Then they bring out the soups for you to cook the meats, seafood, etc in....this confirms that grilling is definitely the way to cook any meats. The portions.....eh...it was like eating a kid's fist full of popcorn.
I ended up asking for bread and a soup bowl with a ladle to taste the seasoned soup after boiling all of the cuts.....so I invented a course! The soup was even better than the main course! Wuahaha!!
Then came desert....dark chocolate and milk chocolate and pecan turtle....this was by far the best part.
The wine selections are great (this is a must). I opted for the Argentine Malbec, which paired nicely with the Steak Florentine cuts.
The staff was very helpful and friendly. The Ambiance was too noisy for my taste. Pricing was a bit on the high side.
Would I go back? Only if the wifey insisted on it.
I give this place a 4 stars for happy hour and 2 stars for dinner, thus the 3 stars.
4 stars for happy hour because it's a great deal for cheese and chocolate fondue and cheap drinks. I like the bar area because it's casual and the service is attentive.
2 stars for dinner because I think the meat fondue is way over priced. The salads are meh and the only good part is the cheese and chocolate, so why not just have that at the bar.
Location wise, the atmosphere wherever you sit is very romantic though maybe a little claustrophobic.
In short, if you are with your date or with a close circle of friends, this place would provide a good entertainment value. If you are with business associates, it might make you wish that you were with a date :P.
In any case, the interior resembled a secretive cave, or a winery with caves. The only difference is that the actual cave has that distinctive aroma. I'm sure that'd interfere with the taste of fondue though. The visual effect would probably be positive if, again, you were with a date.
My group ordered three main courses of fondue: cheese, oil/broth, and chocolate. The cheese one was alright although the one with artichoke bits tasted much better. For some reason, dipping raw veggie into the melted cheese did not excite me as much as others. I get the combination of cool veggie and hot, melting cheese should work well, but I just didn't find it fancier than the usual veggie platter with ranch dressing in the middle as a dipping sauce.
Since there were two dozens of us, our table got oil in a fondue pot to cook meat. Basically you dip your favorite meat (fillet, pork, chicken, shrimp, and dumpling) into the oil with or without batter, and let it cook for specified time (1 minute for dumpling, 1-1/2 for shrimp, 2 for fillet, and 2-1/2 for pork and chicken... I think :P).
Me being a geeky engineer, I used my cell phone's stopwatch function to cook at an appropriate time with these ingredients. As a result, I was more like making sure that I'd not get food poisoning than enjoying these flavorful meats. Maybe they could've pre-cooked some meats so the cooking time for customers would be the same and not confusing. Having several sauces to try was a nice touch though.
Chocolate fondue pot at front of us had some white chocolate and some dark chocolate in ying-yang swirling. I ended up dipping my strawberry and banana into the dark chocolate portion. It was good, but nothing terribly memorable. Besides, I was pretty full by the time we got to this dessert fondue, and was not in a mood of dipping fruits one at a time.
All in all, again, this would be a place to go with a date or even with close friends to have some fun with food. Coming here with business associates may make the experience "eh." $40 per head for this whole course didn't help me either.
A++. This place was awesome.
Went with the hubby for our 5th anniversary. Easy to make reservations online, even specified that it was our anniversary. When we arrived, there was a table on 'lovers lane' ready right away. Also, there was a rose and a card for us from the staff. Tables on lovers lane are nice small, private booths.
We ordered the "Big Night Out", Lobster Indulgence. They were also very flexible and let us mix, match and swap some stuff from the other meals, we left out the beef and added extra shrimp and scallops.
But first, was the cheese fondue. We went with the basic cheddar....good stuff. Came with apples, bread, and veggies. I didn't think i would like it with the apples, but that was really good.
When the meal comes, you think just the platter of lobster tail and other meats is great, then they start piling all of the sauces and dips on the table....The curry, the miso and the sour cream/cream cheese dip were my faves....but all good.
The shrimp diablo were fab-u-lous. really good. My hubby really loved the scallops and the mushrooms, which he was able to stuff the dip into, cook in the fondue pot and make good stuffed mushrooms.
Then, the dessert...holy moly, was that good. We had the flaming turtle, which was milk chocolate, caramel and nuts....
Tip, keep some of the apples from the appetizer/cheese fondue set up, the apples in the chocolate----tasty. Also with the chocolate were bananas, strawberries, marshmallows, brownies, cake, cheesecake, and rice krispie treats.
They also brought us a special Happy 5th Anniversary plate with some strawberries and extra goodies.
We signed up to their club on their website ahead of time, so the chocolate fondue was free with the coupon. We walked out of there ordering the most expensive meal, had 2 drinks and a great experience for less than $100.
The atmosphere was great. (a little warm in the booths), the food was excellent, and overall experience totally worth it. We WILL be back!
I have to admit I was a little skeptical, since it is a chain, but I am always game, so we went with our friends, and was surprised in every sense. First, the place is super different, and very historic. It is worth just for that. Second, coming from city, where you go a restaurant and are always left wanting more because of the meager servings, the pig out was a welcome change. It was truly a feast, and everything was really tasty. The service is amazing. From when we arrived, when they explained the history of the place, to our very friendly waitress who laughed at all my friend's jokes. The kicker was that I thought I had left my cell phone there, and called them panicked a bunch of times, and you could tell that they were very concerned and doing their best to find it (floor of the car; too much to drink).
I will definitely make the trip again!
My son thought I forgot to review this restaurant so I wrote a whole new one. Then I discovered that I already did this back in December. So, this review is a combination of that visit and the one we had on 8/22/09.
I had been to fondue in Chicago many, many years ago. I remembered having a good time and enjoying the food so when we were trying to figure out a special holiday dinner, this place jumped in to my head. We had passed it many times on our way from here to there and always thought the building was magnificent so we decided to give it a try. The exterior looks like a giant brick oven and the interior makes you feel as if you are in a wine cellar in a French chateau. The atmosphere is warm, cozy and VERY romantic.
The reservation process was very easy, but that might be because we like to eat early. The two times I've been to this location I've noticed that it is PACKED by about 6:30PM.
Our server in December was Mo and our server this weekend was Leah. Both get top marks. Mo because he walked us through the whole process, made phenomenal recommendations and was very attentive, even after the restaurant started filling up. He also has a very cool accent! Leah because she was cute, friendly, bubbly, helpful and attentive. She didn't have to teach us as much as Mo did but she did help us when we accidentally over-ordered the chocolate fondue.
If the staff sounds great, wait until you try the food. You start by picking some sort of cheese fondue in which you dip bread, veggies and apples. The first time we had the traditional and this time we had Wisconsin cheddar. Both were so good that there wasn't a drop left at the end of the course. Booze, spice, veggies and cheese. Whomever thought of this combination was a blasted genius!
Our second course was a traditional Caesar salad with roasted pine nuts. The pine nuts were roasted in something sweet and the combo of the salty/tart dressing and the sweet nuts was knock out. I don't usually get Cesar salads when I think I might be able to taste the anchovies but this one worked!
Our third course was the MEAT course! You can go veggie but why bother? My son always orders the seafood combo (scallops, shrimp and salmon) and my husband and I always get a meat / seafood combo which consisted of spicy shrimp, seasoned filet mignon, very tender sirloin with a different seasoning, chicken with again another seasoning and pork with a sweet marinade. You get a big plate of veggies that you throw in liquid right away so they cook by the time you're done gobbling your meat. You get to choose your cooking broth, too. I think there are maybe six different choices, all looking better than the one prior. I can't remember which we chose but we try to pick different ones each time and so far, they're all VERY good. Let me stop and tell you that the seasonings on the meat were just outrageous. Fantastic. Mind blowing. It's hard to share, but you have to because by the time this food arrives, your tank is nearly full. I wish I knew the recipes!
The fourth and final course is the chocolate fondue. The reason why we all come here, right? There are any number of choices. White, milk or dark chocolate. Chocolate and peanut butter. Smores. White and dark swirls. With the chocolate you get a plate of heavenly little goodies to dip in -strawberries, three kinds of marshmallows, graham crackers, brownie bits, cheesecake and I don't know what else. It's heavenly bliss. Make sure you join their email club because you'll get a free fondue on your birthday. I forgot to bring my coupon this time, alas!
I've never ordered a mixed drink here as I'm saving my calories for the food but all of their fancy ones make my mouth water. Dark chocolate and white chocolate Godiva martini anyone? My husband had their version of a Long Island and gave it top marks and my son had a virgin pina colada and begged for seconds.
Expensive? Sure but for what you get for the money is completely worth it. My son recommends the Melting Pot for any guy who wants to propose to his lady. I recommend it for any special occasion whatsoever. Anniversary, birthday, holiday, new pair of shoes, whatever. I can't wait to go again!
The atmosphere was ab fab. Dark and romantic, the ambiance was as if we were having meal in an old… Read more »
Another great experience here!
If you wanna dine here Valentine's Day, make reservations in January. Like right when the clock strikes midnight. I called to make reservations the last week of January and I ended up with a spot on the waiting list at #30. Luckily, they called me a few weeks later saying they had an opening at 4:30pm and I took it even though it seemed early. The lady said she called #1-#29 on the waiting to offer the reservation, but no one answered except for me. Haha, suckers.
PS. Complimentary valet parking on Valentine's Day. Classy!
Listen to this song prior to reading this review: 'Set The Mood Prelude' - Justin Timberlake
This…
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Go for the experice.... It's different & fun... but the food isn't all that great. You smell like food after you leave... haha!
My first time trying a fondue restaurant and I must say I am addicted.
Give yourself a good three hours to devour your tasty meal.
My favorite cheese fondue and the most popular is the Wisconsin Cheese Trio. Cheesy goodness I must say.
The salad I ordered was not as tasty as my dates who ordered the spinach mushroom. Very good with the vinaigrette dressing on the side.
The main course was so good I could of had two plates. We ordered the filet mignon, sirloin steak, shrimp, salmon and chicken plate. It comes with unlimited veggies just in case your meat doesn't fill you up.
Lastly is my all time fave, dessert! We concocted a smore/turtle mixture that was to die for. I could not believe I managed to have room in my belly for the last course, but who could resist fondue dessert, right?
I am definitely coming back.
They made our wedding reception amazing.
From special touches on the table to crawling on the floor helping my new husband find his lost wedding ring the entire staff treated us like VIPS.
Thank you for making our wedding day beautiful!
There is something amazing about the brick kiln that this restaurant is built inside of. It has a… Read more »
Pro: you get to eat fondue in a really cool building.
Cons: HOW MUCH IS THAT LITTLE CUP OF APPLES?!??!?!?!
If I could do it all over again, I would say "please hold the nutmeg" to our waiter before he added it to our cheese fondue. Maybe I would have skipped everything except for the insanely good chocolate fondue. I'm sure there are better places for fondue in the city, but this place came to us on a whim after driving by, and was very accommodating for a birthday celebration.
The building, as others have noted, is the main attraction: it's like eating in a spooky but charming wine cellar, or at some place in Disney World with the name of "Cheese Grotto".
I liked that the wine case contained cigars. I'm not sure why...maybe it triggered something primordal in my man genes.
San Mateo, CA
Category: Fondue
Neighborhood: Marina/Cow Hollow
Category: Fondue
Greenbrae, CA
Category: Italian
Tiburon, CA
Category: Seafood
Ross, CA
Category: Italian
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