02/03/09

Completely overpriced, bland and boring food

by germantexan86

I just got home from dinner here. I went in with high expectations, and I was totally disappointed. Although we did have a good waiter (unlike other reviewers) I was surprised at how unimpressive the food was. First course - we chose the cheddar cheese, which had zero flavor. I kept trying it with a different dipper every time, and it was still bland, just flavorless goo. Next course - salad. I chose the Caesar, which was okay, but I would skip it next time. I usually enjoy Caesar salads, but this one had an odd flavor to it. 3rd course - we got an assortment of meat and veggies, with a citrus/cilantro broth. The filet mignon and veggies were pretty good, but the rest of the meat was awful. The pork was dull, and the chicken (which was supposed to be honey mustard) had an almost sour flavor. I left about half of my entree on the plate because it tasted so off. 4th course - dessert. I was really excited about this part of the meal. Our waiter promised us a dark chocolate fondue with raspberry flavoring. Then, he brought out the tray of dippers, which looked like it had been sitting in a fridge with plastic wrap on it. And tasted like it too. The strawberries were mushy, the marshmellows tasted like cardboard. And the fancy raspberry-infused chocolate tasted like Hershey's syrup. I was completely disgusted with the whole meal. I would have been more disgusted if I'd had to pay for it, but luckily my boss was picking up the tab, which I'm sure was well over $200 for everyone. WAY overpriced, forgettable food. I will not be going back, nor will I recommend it.

• Pros: parking, ambience
• Cons: ridiculously overpriced, dull food

01/08/09

Overpriced!! Too slow!!!

by jstmyopnyun

We had some family visiting us and we all decided to go this place so that we could all have some family fun time. Our waiter was pretty grumpy to start with (never had that in Austin!) and the service was interminably slow. Dont get me wrong, we know that in a fondue place like this, an average meal will take about 1.5 hours but ours took us 2.5!!! The kids were almost asleep by the time we paid. To top it off, they had a pretty hazardous candle which burnt one person's hair and another's shirt at the table!! The waiter didnt even have the decency to apologize and move it away. Upon reaching home, 4 of us were sick. Sadly, we paid $200 for all of it! Ugh!! Never going back there.

• Pros: parking,highway access
• Cons: food, service, overpriced

09/14/08

I cant believe this is a chain

by sebastien07

I would love to meet the person that started this chain of restaurants. Make the people cook their own food and charge them a lot Brilliant!

The service was good cocktails were awful and I would stay a way from the hot oil fondue unless you want to feel you just drank tepid cooking oil.It was hard to keep the oil hot so the veg pretty much absorbed the oil.The cheese fondue was the best part of the meal although. The restaurant is not the one pictured on the website that looks warm and open, the interior is"modern" Black everything and starbucks dropped ceilings.

Once is definatly enough at this restaurant.

• Pros: good fresh food
• Cons: gimmicky

06/04/08

Fondue Restaurant - Perfect for Any Occasion

by devls24

I've been to the Melting (apparently the second part of this name is an inappropriate word!) up north a couple of times. I always receive great service, wonderful food, and the perfect experience. They have ladies night every Monday, which is perfect for an impromptu getogether. If you've got couples, they have great options for complete meals with different themes. I recommend going with a group of 4 or more - that way you get to try more than one type of each meal course. The waitstaff is always courteous and helpful. Their recommendations have always steered me to the right meal!

I recommend reservations, since walk-ins normally have to wait anywhere from 15min to 1 hour, given the day. Also, it's a little pricey, but completely worth it!

• Pros: Service, Wine List, Atmosphere, Menu Selection
• Cons: A Little Pricey

It's hip to dip at this cozy fondue-lover's paradise.

by Contributor

In Short
Booths equipped with tabletop fondue pots are clustered together inside the intimate dining room. Start with a cheese fondue, including an assortment of breads, veggies and fruits for dipping. Entrees include lobster, center-cut filet, fish, chicken and vegetarian selections served with a variety of dipping sauces. For dessert, try the flaming turtle, a mix of chocolate and caramel flambéed tableside, served with nut-covered marshmallows, fresh fruit, pound cake, brownies and cheesecake.

12/11/07

Fabulous Fondue! Friendly service.

by t_girl_dining

If you want to add a little fun into a dining experience, try fondue! It helps that my colleague had been to other franchises, knew the scoop, and had suggestions for ordering. It's a good menu selection; and while the portions aren't huge, the pacing of them, the fondue prep, the dipping, the cooking time, helps the diner moderate consumption - give yourself and your party time to enjoy; you will be satisfied by the end of dessert. We started with the traditional gruyere cheese fondue dipping bread and veggies, followed by the salad, then the main entree (choice meats cooked shabu-shabu style by boiling in broth), and finally the chocolate/marshmallow/oreo cookie fondue. All in all, a satisfying meal, with friendly, helpful service. The chocolate fondue was divine! They offer specials for larger groups. Try something different!

• Pros: Great food and service
• Cons: Need time to dine

12/10/07

Worst Service!!!!

by rayha12

We had our holiday party at the downtown location and made our reservation a month in advance. The hostesses seemed extremely disorganized and we waited an hour to be seated. Our table didn't even have enough room for all of us, so one member of our group had to stand for 5 minutes before having a chair pulled up to our booth.

After all of this, we had to wait 20 minutes just to get a glass of water! We finally spoke with a manager, who moved us to a different table. Our waiter was extremely slow and the whole ordeal took 4 hours! At the end of the night, we were still charged full price for our meal. Beware!

12/06/07

It's fondue in a strip mall, not fine dining.

by db2776

Nice atmosphere, friendly wait staff, surprisingly diverse wine list. However, for the cost the quality of the food is a complete let down. For two, expect to spend no less than $110.00 less tip, and this is for the less expensive entree and a couple of glasses of mid price wine. Sharing an entree is not an option due to portion size. Vegetables are not fresh, but frozen and our silverware was covered in dishwasher residue. Our fondue was to include shallots and fresh garlic, however, what the server brought was finely diced red onion and garlic that had neither scent nor flavor. The fondue itself tasted of the stale white wine that was mixed in with the cheese. Tableware is designed to set in a freezer, and the tables themselves are so small that one can barley fit a plate and drinking glasses. Simply put, this restaurant should be a fun and affordable place to visit with friends and family, its FONDUE in a strip mall, instead expect to pay the equivalent of an upscale downtown Austin restaurant less the quality. Perhaps I am exceptionally harsh in my judgment, yet when presented with a bill that is easily hundreds of dollars expect to be judged by the criteria set for establishments worthy of such high prices. Please rethink your business model.

06/25/07

Not only great food... a great experience.

by kevin88900

I love MeltingPot. The fondue here is excellent. Where else can you go to enjoy 2 hours plus and take your time to really enjoy the food you're eating. The ambience is terrific, and the waitstaff just super. It's a little pricey, but I usually go on special occasions to make it worthwhile. For a party of two, expect to spend $100+ not including tip.

Note: I had to write it as "MeltingPot" without a space because of the following disclaimer when I submitted this review ... Your Review: We have detected the following inappropriate words:pot LOL.

11/17/06

for the experience

by kpp58

the app and desert were fabulous the main part was okay. decent veggie selection, good seafood (although our scallops were odd). come here with a date, but not the first date bc its an obvious couples place. its also good for a "girl's night" bc its pretty indulgent and intimate. i'd say come here at least once to try it, and once more to relive it, after that you'll be disappointed.

• Pros: ambience, apps and DESSERT!
• Cons: a tad expensive, so-so entrees