The Melting Pot

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.