The Melting Pot: Scruffy Fondue (Chicago Area Restaurant Review 25)

We felt like fondue, but we also felt like a drive out of the downtown Chicago area, so we couldn't go to Geja's (our favorite). The only other realistic choice is The Melting Pot. We went to the restaurant's location in Oakbrook Terrace, although there are also locations in Chicago and a few other suburbs. We didn't know that this Melting Pot was about to close, though the difficulty in even finding the entrance and the burned out lighting should have tipped us off.

We started with a bottle of Australian Zinfandel called Tera d'Oro. The most interesting part of this wine was the decanter, which looked like a giant inverted Martini glass with a spigot at the bottom. Our waiter assured us it is the newest type of decanter and provides the most air. Unfortunately, the wine itself was as tasteless as our waiter's jokes (the first was something about getting someone's wife drunk).

The fondue was quite good. We ordered what The Melting Pot calls "The Big Night Out." It comes with cheese fondue, salad, and an entree course with eight or nine different items, including beef, pork, vegetables, chicken, and lobster. The waiter prepared the cheese fondue in front of us and it heated on the table. Steve absolutely loved the cheese -- which was served with carrots, celery, Granny Smith apples, and two breads -- and found it the highlight of the evening. Lisa was a bit less enthusiastic because she thought it was too strong. The house salad, which was like a Greek salad, was nothing memorable, but passable. The main course was excellent in spots. We particularly liked the lobster, beef, and shrimp. There were about six or seven sauces, which were good for the most part, though none particularly stood out.

For dessert, we had the traditional dark chocolate fondue course. Lisa was disappointed because the chocolate was not very dark, and it was served luke warm. Steve, not being a chocolate connoisseur, thought it was okay (but he doesn't know any better).

The bathrooms definitely reflected the imminent closing. Lisa found the Women's Room repugnant. The sink counters looked like faux granite and were fairly clean, but the floor tiles looked grubby throughout. One of the toilets needed flushing, and the other looked dirty. There were no seat covers left in the dispenser. The Men's Room was not much better, but merited a bit higher score from Steve, who didn't have to sit.

The total bill at The Melting Pot, with flavorless wine, was $165 and would have been about $140 with wine by the glass (once again proving Steve's theory, which Lisa generally disputes, about the correlation between good wine and costly wine).

All in all, while the fondue itself was pretty good, even taking into account that this Melting Pot was about to close, if one wants fondue in Chicagoland, we suggest Geja's, which we will rate soon.

Our rating for The Melting Pot, 17W633 Roosevelt Road Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois:

6 of 10 fondue forks and 1 of 3 bathroom brushes (.5 for Women's, 1.5 for Men's).