The Melting Pot Texas: Makes Do-It-Yourself Exciting

January 2011 Update: The Melting Pot in Southlake, Texas, is no longer open for business.

Normally, you pay restaurants for the privilege of not having to cook your own food. But at the Melting Pot Texas in Southlake, do-it-yourself is the whole idea.

This romantic restaurant gives its diners the whole fondue experience from top to bottom. The tables – most of them secluded booths -- are equipped with burners, and each course is served with long, tiny forks. Depending on the course, you use the forks to either dip your food into cheese or chocolate, or to submerge uncooked meats and vegetables into hot oil or broth to cook and infuse with flavor.

The appetizer list at the Melting Pot is short -- you start with a cheese fondue ($14, $7 additional for every person after 2), assembled at your table. Choose from spinach and artichoke, fiesta cheese (cheddar with herbs, spices, jalepenos and salsa), cheddar, Wisconsin trio, and swiss. Served with your cheese are veggies like baby carrots and cauliflower, cubes of firm bread, chunks of apple, and sometimes, special dippers. A recent featured cheese fondue came with tiny sweet pickles.

Then you can move onto a big, fresh salad ($6) – choose from a house salad, spinach-mushroom, Caesar, or California. Don’t eat too much, however. The lion’s share of this huge meal is still to come.

Entrees ($19 to $25) are served uncooked and include steaks, seafood, chicken, and vegetables. When you order, you choose a cooking style along with your meal. Coq au Vin ($6) combines wine and mushrooms. Bourguignonne style (included with entree) means cooking your meal European-style, in hot canola oil. And Court Bouillon (included with entree) is a big pot of vegetable broth.

You can order each meal component a la carte, or in a package. The Melting Pot features an ever-changing special called “Big Night Out” with a special flavor of cheese, cooking style, entrees and dessert. 

Let's not kid ourselves -- dessert is the part that we’re all really here for. In fact, plenty of people visit the Melting Pot just for dessert, which consists of a pot of warm chocolate and a tray full of delicious dippers. Cheesecake, brownies, marshmallows, strawberries, bananas, and other desserts – quite sweet on their own – are dipped into warm melted chocolate or drizzled with a spoon. Choices include milk chocolate with crunchy peanut butter, cookies and cream with marshmallow, flaming turtle (milk chocolate, pecans, and caramel), bananas foster (white chocolate, bananas, brown sugar, and cinnamon), or create your own out of milk chocolate, dark chocolate, white chocolate and liquors.

The Melting Pot also features an extensive wine list and full bar.

HelloFortWorth tip: The Southlake location, reviewed here, also offers cooking classes and special deals. Check the Web site for information. Other Dallas-area locations are in Addison and Arlington.

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