All it's crocked up to be
For someone who has never dined at "The Melting Pot" I would highly suggest it. The atmosphere, food, and service all add up to be quite an experience. Once you walk through the doors located next to sears in the Poughkeepsie Galleria, you are faced with not only an astonishing amount of wine bottles, which i suggest you get a bottle like we did, but also friendly servers ready to seat you. We went on a Friday evening and were surprised that the restaurant was not too loud, too crowded and the servers were still very attentive. The amount of time and money put into decorating this place is something that can simply not be over looked. Each table has its own induction burner which is an asset I was not expecting at all.
In order to get the full experience we decided to do the "big night out" meal. This meal changes but for now the theme is "France". This includes a cheese fondue to start, a salad, your choice of 3 main courses (with 4 or so choices of sauces in which to cook your food) and a dessert. The fondue, salad, and dessert are all options that can be exchanged for others on the menu. This provides variety for those who are looking for it but if picking and choosing isn't really your thing, then you can just stick with the options given. As far as I'm concerned, this is really the best way to go.
The fondue we started with had several kinds of french cheeses melted in a white wine and truffle and bacon butter. It was served with rosemary baguette , green apples and vegetables. It was made right in front of us and disappeared quickly.
Salad course was filled with beets, tomatoes, eggs and green beans on a bed of fresh lettuce and tossed in a vinaigrette. This was also accompanied by "The Melting Pot"'s special seasoning which was not necessary but still quite enjoyable.
The beauty of the main courses at the melting pot is that they bring out raw meat. Meat that has literally never seen a flame, boiling water, or a fryer. You actually get to enjoy the conversation while you cook your own food at the table. After skewering the piece of lobster, duck, chicken, steak OR shrimp (we got the lobster plate that included all of that and two lobsters) you then cook it in one of four sauces. The broth we chose was a seasoned vegetable broth which added the least flavor to the entree and allowed us to enjoy the flavor of the meat and the integrity of the meal was not altered. It was also served with seven sauces. The sauces included curry, a port Gorgonzola, a "green goddess" which is a cream cheese and herb spread just to name a few.
The dessert originally offered with the "Big Night Out" meal was a creme brulee fondue. We chose to opt out and instead enjoy the Smores fondue. The melted chocolate came already in a crock and was placed on the heating element. The server then mixed in the marshmallows until fully melted and added Graham crackers. The items that were offered to dip into our chocolate and marshmallow concoction were oreo coated marshmallows, graham cracker coated marshmallows, strawberries, bananas, rice crispy treats, brownies and pound cake. This was a dessert lover's dream.
We left feeling entirely satisfied both with paying the amount the meal cost and as far as our stomachs were concerned. Without a doubt in my mind I would suggest going to The Melting Pot. This meal was fantastic. You will be missing out on an amazing experience if you do not dine here.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Sunday, October 17, 2010
CREW
The New and "I'mproved" CREW
As many people in the Hudson Valley know, CREW ran into a little bit of an issue with the owner not feeling that taxes were necessary and avoiding them for a little while. Once big brother figured out they were missing a few hundred thousand dollars, CREW got shut down and is now under new ownership. Assumingly, the new owner is more willing to hand over 8+ % on every dollar gained in order to stay in business.
Now that CREW is under new ownership, it can be assumed that a new menu will accompany that. The menu that joined the reopening was almost as disappointing as realizing uncle Sam would like his back owed money.
A "fusion" of Japanese, American, and Italian has caused more destruction to a once good-quality menu than a tornado on a trailer park. When it comes down to it not everything needs soy sauce, every dish cannot be "Tuscan" and no one is impressed with Angus beef now that McDonalds has it.
The food and service was quite good once you were finally able to settle on a menu item (emphasis on "settle"). I enjoyed the Rib eye Steak (Grilled 14oz Rib eye steak with potato puree, seasonal vegetables & a brandy - peppercorn cream sauce$23.50). The vegetables were like the vegetables you would expect from your basic family dining restaurant. They were far from seasonal but cooked perfectly. The steak was the medium I had ordered it to be and very tender. For 23.50 I was able to be entirely full and even have a meal for the next day.
Dessert, which is my favorite part of any meal, was not ordered due to the dessert menu lacking anything original or worth the price. Seasonal berry crisp being served in a month that berries are not in season is something that would only perturb someone who knows something about food. More creative options would have greatly improved the dessert menu. Some of the options, such as a brownie sundae is something you would see on a diner menu and shouldn't be included on a fine dining menu. In this area, I was hardly impressed.
The close proximity of the tables made our conversation also our neighbor’s conversation. The many tables in such a small area paired with the open kitchen makes for a quite loud dining experience. The opportunity for nice dinner conversation was only possible through screaming or sign language.
Once the bill had been paid and I was on the way home a feeling of dissatisfaction overwhelmed me. The amount paid for the meal, service, and ambiance was what I would expect to pay for a much better experience. The experience was no better than a TGI Fridays for a price that was comparable to The Melting Pot. This will not be a destination I will return to. It might be new , but "improved" is a hell of a stretch.
As many people in the Hudson Valley know, CREW ran into a little bit of an issue with the owner not feeling that taxes were necessary and avoiding them for a little while. Once big brother figured out they were missing a few hundred thousand dollars, CREW got shut down and is now under new ownership. Assumingly, the new owner is more willing to hand over 8+ % on every dollar gained in order to stay in business.
Now that CREW is under new ownership, it can be assumed that a new menu will accompany that. The menu that joined the reopening was almost as disappointing as realizing uncle Sam would like his back owed money.
A "fusion" of Japanese, American, and Italian has caused more destruction to a once good-quality menu than a tornado on a trailer park. When it comes down to it not everything needs soy sauce, every dish cannot be "Tuscan" and no one is impressed with Angus beef now that McDonalds has it.
The food and service was quite good once you were finally able to settle on a menu item (emphasis on "settle"). I enjoyed the Rib eye Steak (Grilled 14oz Rib eye steak with potato puree, seasonal vegetables & a brandy - peppercorn cream sauce$23.50). The vegetables were like the vegetables you would expect from your basic family dining restaurant. They were far from seasonal but cooked perfectly. The steak was the medium I had ordered it to be and very tender. For 23.50 I was able to be entirely full and even have a meal for the next day.
Dessert, which is my favorite part of any meal, was not ordered due to the dessert menu lacking anything original or worth the price. Seasonal berry crisp being served in a month that berries are not in season is something that would only perturb someone who knows something about food. More creative options would have greatly improved the dessert menu. Some of the options, such as a brownie sundae is something you would see on a diner menu and shouldn't be included on a fine dining menu. In this area, I was hardly impressed.
The close proximity of the tables made our conversation also our neighbor’s conversation. The many tables in such a small area paired with the open kitchen makes for a quite loud dining experience. The opportunity for nice dinner conversation was only possible through screaming or sign language.
Once the bill had been paid and I was on the way home a feeling of dissatisfaction overwhelmed me. The amount paid for the meal, service, and ambiance was what I would expect to pay for a much better experience. The experience was no better than a TGI Fridays for a price that was comparable to The Melting Pot. This will not be a destination I will return to. It might be new , but "improved" is a hell of a stretch.
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