The Melting Pot

Take it from someone who travels and eats out often. I would NOT reccommend this facility. It was our first time there and were totally misguided. We were never told that our main meal would arrive raw/uncooked!! The idea of raw meats,poultry and seafood touching each other was upsetting in itself . Then the waitress was going into this speech about don't cross contaminate any of your foods. Keeping in mind we were never told our main dish would arrive in this manner. My husband and I had to leave and did not proceed with our dinner. The idea that for $80.00 I had to risk my meal being cooked properly (boiled at that) was sick. To take each piece and wait until it was cooked didn't sound like a good meal to me. Who eats a bite at a time? The thought of boiled filet didn't appeal to us,etc. Then management comes over and offered to go in back and deep fry our meal if we wanted. HMM sure for 80.00 please go deep fry this stuff...Could you imagine that?? What a dissapointment. Not worth the money or time. If someone would have warned us that we would be boiling our dinner we would had never gone there. Please be aware of this situation.

Pros: Concept of fondue

Cons: EVERYTHING

Posted 12/19/09

We had a great time and had PLENTY of food! Had so many different foods to select and taste it was incredible. The servers were great and we had such a wonderful time! Very special....thank you

Posted 08/02/09

My company hosted our sales dinner at this restaurant, and what a wonderful decision it was! After being promptly seated, we were greated by our very energetic and cheerful server, who had us smiling and laughing the whole night. We split three of the featured "Big Night Out" dinner plans. The one I had included carribean seasoned steak and chicken, along with shrimp and pork. We had the spinach and artichoke cheese fondue, which was amazing. The spinach and the artichoke added a nice soft flavor to the cheese, and went well with the bread and apple dippers we had. I had the spinach and mushroom salad, which is served with a warm vingerette dressing. I wasn't sure if I'd like the warm dressing, but it was absolutely one of the best salads I have ever had. We chose the Coq au Vin cooking style for the meats. the seasoning in the broth was wonderful. I particularly like the seasoned steaks we had, they were encrusted in carribean-jerk seasonings and were spicy and delicious. For desert, we had the Yin and Yang chocolate fondue, which is dark and white chocolate swirled side by side to look like a yin yang. My favorite part of that was the poundcake that we got to drizzle the chocolate on, and our server even brought us extra dippers when we ran out!
I've had fondue before, and have even made it at home, but this was by far the best. Their cheese and dessert fondues were the most flavorful and unique that I have ever seen at a fondue restaurant. We also had a vegetarian in the group, and her entree was served on a seperate dish, and she had her own cooking broth to cook her veggies in! I will definitely be returning to dine here again!

Pros: The selection and flavor of the food, the service, the atmosphere, complimentary valet parking

Cons: Reservations are almost a must to get in

Posted 08/09/08

Everything lived up to its standards from the service to the atmosphere and the food! my friends and I went after hearing such great reviews from everyone we knew even though we had no clue what fondue was. The server told us everything that we needed to know (and then some), we were a little hesitant at first but our server assured us it was easy and worth the experience. The menu had many different choices to choose from, like seafood, veggetarian plate and anything between. The cheese course i guess like the appetizer was so good we ate every bite we could! The entree that we learned we cook ourselves was so easy despite our hesitance in the beginning. It came out perfect everytime and all the sauces were more than amazing on everything. And the options to choose from the dessert were the hardest part of the evening but worth the struggle. The chocolate came with cheesecake (my favorite) and fruit and some other desserts that were all delicious without the chocolate even. I cant wait to go again!

Pros: helpful service and exquisite food

Cons: Not knowing about fondue beforehand

Posted 04/16/08

I MUST compliment the entire staff at the Troy location af The MeltingPot, from the host, to our server, and even the managers. My wife and I agree that our dining experience was the best we've ever had! We recommend this magnificent restaurant to ANY and ALL who want to Dip into Something Different!!

Pros: Great wine list!

Cons: None!

Posted 04/08/08

I loved the atmosphere and the service. I thought the fondue was delicious ( almost addicting), and the side selections were varied. Lots of broccoli and we ate it up. We order a bottle of Chardonnay that had a good flavor with the fondue. This was our first time there, and liked the fun of it. We would definetely go back.

Posted 04/07/08

This was definitely a great restaurant to celebrate my 1 year anniversary! I have been hearing about it for a while from coworkers and friends and decided to celebrate there. When I called to make a reservation, I was able to have roses sitting on the table when we arrived. I am hard to impress, but that gave me some major points when we were sat! My girlfriend is allergic to nuts, but that was not a problem. The waitress assured me that everything is made from scratch and made modifications as needed. We started off with the spinach and artichoke cheese and it was amazing! We then had salads, which were great! If you like mushrooms, get the spinach mushroom salad. When it came time to getting our entree, our waitress gave me the sauces that my girlfriend could not have and had a napkin labeled "contains nuts". We did have to cook everything ourselves, which was a little weird at first. After a few items, we got the hang of it. It was nice to have steak that wasn't overcooked like most other restaurants we go to. The variety was great with the big night out selection we chose. We started to get full and wanted to save room for dessert, so our server suggested we cook the rest up and take it home with a variety of sauces. Then came the dessert, which we chose the special banana foster one. There were definitely a lot of items on the plate, but we got through it! When we first got the dessert, the hostess came over to us and took our picture. We got a frame with it while we were clearing off the dessert plate. I would have to say overall it was the best experience I have ever received at a restaurant! The only problem was that there were a lot of choices to make at the beginning, but it will be fun going back to try them all! Karlee was definitely a fun and great waitress who helped make our experience even better! I never imagined an experience could be romantic and fun at the same time! This will definitely be our place to go for every anniversary now!

Pros: A great, fun, romantic place to go!

Cons: Too many choices, but I guess that could be considered a pro too!

Posted 04/07/08

I had the time of my life when i went to the MeltingPot!!!! Everything was phenominal. It was my 15th anniversary and I wanted to go somewhere different so I looked up great restaurants on the internet and decided to go to the MeltingPot. It was so much fun. It was my first time so I was excited yet nervous that I wouldn't like it but I had the best time. It seemed like the entire staff knew it was our anniversary and came to congratulate us. I had the spinach artichoke cheese that was the best i ever tasted and then we had salads that were also great. The entree consisted of different meats and seafood but i don't like seafood so the server let me substitute and get whatever I wanted. Then came the chocolate!! Oh it was delectable! I highly recommend the cookies and cream marshmallow dream! Anyway, I can't believe other people had a bad experience because everything was spectacular and I will become a regular!!!!

Pros: everything

Cons: wouldn't change a thing

Posted 04/05/08

I went to The Meltingpot in Troy on a date.... a night I'll never forget. We were sat in a timely matter at a very romantic booth. Our server was amazing! It seemed like we were his only table even though it was a busy Friday night. The food was amazing-- the four courses of the dinner were very satisfying, and the experience of the night was different from any other restaurant that I've been to. The manager came over to our table and was very friendly... I felt that he was genuinely interested in us and our time in the restaurant! I can't wait to go back!

I would recommend this restaurant for ANYONE I talk to... you can't go wrong!

Pros: EVERYTHING: Food, service, hospitality, setting, etc.

Cons: Nothing at all

Posted 04/04/08

I had an amazing experience at the meltingpot of troy. the service was outstanding and the food was exceptional. i walked out feeling very satisfied and completely full. There was a great wine selection and the concept of fondue was very entertaining. i would recommend this restaraunt for someone who wanted to enjoy a nice, quiet evening or some friends who were looking for a night of fun.

Posted 04/01/08

I have never felt so special in my life! The entire staff made me and my girl friend fell like royalty. From the moment we walked in the door, the attention to detail was like nothing I had ever seen. We have both decided to spend all of our specail events there. Our server explained everything and made us understand the fondue concept as if we were professionals! The manager got us a bottle of wine that complimented our meal perfectly, the list just goes on and on about how perfect this place is! GO THERE!!

Pros: Free valet

Cons: hard to find

Posted 03/30/08

Saturday was my wife and I's 25th anniversary, and I wanted to take her somewhere that would be memorable. They did just that... from the time my reservation was taken until the time I walked out the door, I felt as if I and my wife were the only people that mattered to that restaurant.

The food is outstanding. All four courses were delicious, and we were so full by the time we left! Service was amazing... never before have I REMEMBERED my server's name until my experience at this restaurant. The management is excellent... one of the managers even took a good amount of time out of his night to come and talk with us at the end of our meal, and came to our table with champagne to congratulate us on our anniversary.

I would recommend this restaurant to anyone who is looking for an amazing, unique dining experience. This, by far, surpasses any other dining experience that I have ever had!

Pros: Everything!

Cons: Not one...

Posted 01/11/08

Please take the advice of all the other reviews, as I wish I had done! This restaurant is TERRIBLE! The service was the worst I have ever experienced, from the hostess, to the server, the busser, and even the manager.

Posted 12/11/07

We went during "lunch" to try the restaurant and the fondue experience...sadly it was a HUGE waste of $100!! The hostess upon seeing us from the kitchen loudly announced "[insert explicative]I've got people at the door" and proceeded to stop carrying out food to customers to wait on us instead...The cheese fondue and smores dessert fondue were good - the meal itself was gross. The meal consisted of a plate of raw food and veggies that you cooked yourself - yes we understood food was to be cooked at the table, but the cross-contamination was so high with the food - if you are a vegetarian - good luck because the seafood/chicken/meat/pasta all touch...yuck! This place would only be good if you wanted dessert or an appetizer, but honestly it's not worth the money - save yourself the money and buy a fondue kit and do this at home...the service was nothing great either.

Cons: The whole experience.

Posted 12/04/07

Recently went to the Troy location with my girlfriend for dinner and must say it was one of the most fun and delicious places to eat that I've been in a long time! Made reservations but in the future will ask for a table near the bar where there's more action for people viewing to add to the entertainment of the meal. We had the big feast with lobster & filet mignon and lots of other items included for 2 and it was extremely tasty. Our waitress was knowledgeable and personable. It's not the cheapest place I've ever eaten but for a fun and interesting place to dine with friends, this is definitely the place to be!

Pros: Cheese Fondue was awesome

Posted 09/14/07

I read some of the reviews at the end and went to this place with my friends. We all agree that the five star reviews were completely wrong. This place was terrible. The manage might have wrote those himself. None of us were full when we left the place. The service make the experience even bad. I DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS PLACE FOR A GOOD DINNER.

Pros: None

Cons: Everything

Posted 08/06/07

We can't tell you how good or bad this place is. Whenever we call to make reservations for dinner its either really early or really late. But from the looks of other reviews I will save my money and go somewhere else for a fun night.

Posted 04/25/07

If only I had read the review beforehand, my husband and I could have used our $150 more wisely. The atmosphere was great and the staff was extremely pleasant. What took us by surprise was the food. It was awful. We had expected the the cheese fondue and the dessert, but the MEAL too. When you are spending that kind of money you do not expect to make your own meal and if you make a mistake (overcook), you're out of luck (unlike a Mongolian BBQ). Everything had to share the same sauce (beef, chicken, shrimp and lobster). You had to wait between each serving and time it yourself (so as not to overcook it and it became tough). Totally unpleasant experience. NEVER AGAIN!

Posted 02/26/07

A really fun place where you can try different types of fondue. I really liked the vegetables and seafood, and my friends liked the steak, but we all agreed that the best part by far was dessert. I don't even usually like dessert that much, and I ate every bite. It's not good if you're impatient or mind having your food cooked in the same broth as everyone else. It's expensive but fun for a special occasion, and you get a lot of food. Get the chocolate with the oreo crumbs and bailey's. Yumma.

Posted 02/13/07

First of all this place is too expensive for what is offered. The concept while quite novel was the only interesting part of our night. We came in with high expectations and left with nothing but a bad taste in our mouth. Please, Please, Please... save your money and go to a REAL restaurant that has at least some class. My wife and I were also bestowed with the same opportunity to meet Mr Aaron Van de Mark, the owner ( I took one of his cards to remember his name so I could tell everyone what a horrible person he is). This guy is a piece of work. I honestly don't see how anyone could enjoy themselves here.

Pros: not a single thing

Cons: Staff, food, price vs. Value, service, cleanliness,etc.

Posted 12/09/06

Absolutlely dreadful! I would not recommend this restaurant to ANYONE! Service... what service? Good food... try horrible food. Management was terrible! Everyone in our party left very dissappointed. We even met the arrogant owner who should be running a fast food joint rather than a so-called classy establishment. Take my advice, DO NOT GO HERE!!

Pros: Nothing

Cons: Everything

Posted 09/22/06

How this place is getting good reviews amazes me. A group of us went here to celebrate a friend's birthday and we were all extremely unhappy with the food, the service and the entire experience. The cheese fondue appetizers were ok, but not anything special like you'd hope to find at a "Fondue" place. But the main course is definitely not for everyone. You must select from various plates mixing steak, chicken and veggies. There is only one choice if you don't eat red meat. Then, as you also select the sauce, you must agree with others at the table. This is especially bad if some people don't eat meat, as everybody dips their food in the same sauce bowls. Plus, the time we attended the only dish with fish also featured steak, so non-meat eaters had to choose the vegetarian even if they liked fish. None of the sauces were that great, and the concept of waiting 3-5 minutes until your next piece of food was cooked became rather annoying. Service was also very slow and unattentive. And then with the high bill, we all easily agreed we'd never go back. Not recommended.

Pros: Chocolate fondue was good

Cons: Everything else was terrible

Posted 07/01/06

I would highly recommend this restaurant to everyone! My friend and I were planning a fondue party and had never actually had fondue, so we decided to try The Melting Pot. We were just blown away by the experience. We had so much fun and the food was excellent! It was fun cooking your own food at the table and the waiter we had was very helpful for us first-timers. A little pricey, but well worth it. Martinis are good too....try the Yin Yang with your dessert...yum!

Pros: food, atmosphere, service

Posted 11/18/05

Great atmosphere, great food, great service. I've been raving to all my friends since I was there 6 months ago. It's a little expensive, but worth every penny. Don't forget the dessert!!

Pros: Excellent Food, VERY Romantic, Great atmosphere

Cons: Expensive

Posted 11/08/05

What a place to eat for just two, romantic style, or a group. I've done both and have had a great time. In fact the two other couple's my wife and I took still talk about it four months later. Plan to spend $90-$120 per couple, w/ drinks, + tip. Also plan on having an overall experience that will bring you back. Recommend reservations for groups. Everytime, we were seated promply w/i 10-15 min. despite number of guests.

Pros: Ambience, Free valet, food, fun & food

Cons: none

Posted 08/20/05