Melting Pot. All we knew was that it was a fondue restaurant. Somehow that conveyed to us the idea of informality, which couldn't have been more wrong. It was fun, but overpriced (especially considering that you have to do all the cooking yourself). This turned out to be the type of place where people with big expense accounts entertain clients, not a spot for a quick meal before another event.
Ordering is impossibly complicated, leading young lawyer Dan to remark, "I'm pretty sure the LSAT was easier than this." I suspect that the idea is that you start with a leisurely drink or two, and the ordering is part of the entertainment. Unfortunately, we were pressed for time, so ordering just turned out to be a massive nuisance. First you have to decide whether you want the 4-course meal for two, the 3-course meal for two, the individual entree or some combination of the above to deal with odd numbers (including something the waitress kept referring to as "two-and-a-half," which turned out to mean 3 people sharing the dipping pots usually shared by two people). Then you choose which of several cheese combinations you want for the cheese course and which entree platter you want for the 2nd course (with enigmatic names like "Pacific Rim"). Then you have to pick the "cooking style" (which turned out to be the specific contents of the boiling pot that you dip the entrees into). Then, just when you think you're done, you have to pick a salad. Fortunately we decided on the 3-course meal so we didn't have to go through the same thing for the dessert course.
I must say that the service was excellent. Once the staff realized that we had strayed into the wrong place (we only had 1.5 hours to eat, which was clearly less than the full experience demanded) they all pitched in to help us through the ordering process and keep things moving along between courses, and we did make it to the theater on time.
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branchandroot
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Date: 2006-10-28 09:41 pm (UTC)Ordering is impossibly complicated, leading young lawyer Dan to remark, "I'm pretty sure the LSAT was easier than this." I suspect that the idea is that you start with a leisurely drink or two, and the ordering is part of the entertainment. Unfortunately, we were pressed for time, so ordering just turned out to be a massive nuisance. First you have to decide whether you want the 4-course meal for two, the 3-course meal for two, the individual entree or some combination of the above to deal with odd numbers (including something the waitress kept referring to as "two-and-a-half," which turned out to mean 3 people sharing the dipping pots usually shared by two people). Then you choose which of several cheese combinations you want for the cheese course and which entree platter you want for the 2nd course (with enigmatic names like "Pacific Rim"). Then you have to pick the "cooking style" (which turned out to be the specific contents of the boiling pot that you dip the entrees into). Then, just when you think you're done, you have to pick a salad. Fortunately we decided on the 3-course meal so we didn't have to go through the same thing for the dessert course.
I must say that the service was excellent. Once the staff realized that we had strayed into the wrong place (we only had 1.5 hours to eat, which was clearly less than the full experience demanded) they all pitched in to help us through the ordering process and keep things moving along between courses, and we did make it to the theater on time.