Jim and Nancy do not disclose the fact that they will review a restaurant before they attend, ensuring their reviews are unbiased and uninfluenced by their position with the Sun Day.
You watched all of those football games this winter. Now, doesn’t your sweetie deserve a night out at a romantic restaurant for Valentine’s Day? And, no, you’re not too old for romance. An ideal spot is the Melting Pot Restaurant in Schaumburg.
The Melting Pot is a trendy, upscale fondue restaurant located at the corner of a strip mall. It has that modern Chicago loft feel, where you would expect waiters to sport ponytails. From the lighted shadow boxes on the walls to the hardwood flooring and subdued lighting, this place wins the Barry White seal of approval for romance.
Jim and I both opted for the Four-Course Experience, which consisted of your choice of a cheese fondue, salad, entree, and chocolate fondue. We both agreed on the cheddar cheese fondue and the Melting Pot house salad. We chose the land & sea entree ($33.99 per person) in the āBourguignonneā (canola oil) cooking style ($1.99 per pot), which comes with two batters: tempura and sesame. For the chocolate fondue, we chose the flaming turtle.
The cheese fondue is a Cheddar and Emmenthaler Swiss mixture that comes with bread (French, rosemary, or dark rye), veggies (cauliflower, broccoli, and carrots), and fruit (granny Smith and braeburn apples) for dipping. Our salad consisted of shredded cheese, croutons, and hard boiled eggs with a delicious sweet and tangy house dressing.
Our entree included shrimp, herb-crusted chicken, and teriyaki steak, which we substituted for the filet. This comes with six dipping sauces (curry, green goddess, teriyaki, gorgonzola port, and ginger plum) and a bowl of veggies (red potatoes, broccoli, and mushroom caps).
Enter the Flaming Turtle, which is a chocolate caramel fondue with candied pecans dramatically flambƩed tableside (oooh, aaaah) served with a platter of fruit (strawberries and bananas) and sweets (cheesecake, brownies, red velvet cake, marshmallows and Rice Krispie treats) for dipping.
How’s that for romance?
Your evening is spent (approximately two hours) cooking your food leisurely, talking, and gazing lovingly into each other’s eyes (okay you can stop laughing now…). Jim’s favorite trick is to fill a mushroom cap with the Green Goddess and dip that into the tempura batter and deep-fry it in the ācholesterol freeā canola oil. He thinks this is eating healthy!
Nancy convincingly talked the waiter into putting the entire dish of garlic in the cheese fondue and, at the end, taking the last of the bread and wiping the pot clean. She really adores the broccoli dipped in the sesame batter and fried. She always asks for more broccoli, since she figures it’s a veggie and it doesn’t count.
Cupid’s bill for our love-in was $85.44. Considering the amount of food we ate and the time we spent, it was well worth it.
He said/she said:
Jim’s take: Guys put away your āMan Card.ā The food is delicious, the quantity and selection is more than enough. Chicken wings are not on the menu and there is no big screen TV, but remember, āhappy wife, happy life.ā
Nancy’s take: I love this place and cooking with Cupid’s little arrows (fondue forks) is so much fun! This is the perfect place for a winter’s night. And remember, if I’m not happy, no one is!
ā¢ Have comments or restaurant suggestions for the Dining Duo? Send them an email at thediningduo@gmail.com.
The Melting Pot
255 W. Golf Road
Schaumburg, IL 60195
(847)843-8970
www.meltingpot.com
Directions: Take I-90 East
to Rte. 59 North to Higgins
East to Golf Road East
Estimated Travel Time: 32 minutes
