The Melting Pot sticks in my mind as one of my favorite places to eat in Portland (Oregon, of course! If you want my favorite in Portland, Maine, I'll have to tell you all about the Portland Lobster Company, but it is the only place I've eaten there). This time, we went here for a friend that was moving away. My opinion changed a bit compared to what I remember. This may be due to Tim being there (he has a way of making me question my thoughts on everything, being more critical of my memories). We spent $211.08 before tip. The tip was added at 18% automatically since there were more than 8 of us. My complaints about this practice abound, but I realize it's an industry-wide thing so there isn't much I can say about any one place in particular. I will say, however, that it means the waitstaff gets an 18% tip. I usually tip 20-25%, so they're really just hurting themselves. I never go over the presumptuous 18% and I will complain if the service doesn't deserve it. The staff here, however, has never not deserved it. They are well trained and what you expect from a fine dining establishment. I will also add that we had drinks galore and paid for part of our friend's dinner and the card/balloons (more on this later).
So, two complaints. First, the price. The food really is very good, but it's overpriced. You're buying the experience, but you can get the food at other places for less money. There aren't many fondue restaurants in Portland though. It's something that you don't do often. To give a more realistic view of the price, the decent dinner including dessert is around $100 for two people. If I may make a recommendation, I would suggest that you skip the salad and don't go with the around $100 "Big Night Out". Just get the rest ala carte. If you're going to be eating cheese fondue with bread and vegetables then cooking lobster and several other tasty meats in a well flavored broth (don't get the oil) and then finishing it off with chocolate fondue, why bother with a salad? This isn't what the Melting Pot does, they do fondue. If it doesn't come with something that gets heated in that bowl in the middle of your table, don't do it. This complaint wasn't much of one, was it?
Second complaint. This one will truly be a complaint. My grandfather went here and asked for the card and flowers that they'll have ready for you on the table beforehand for my grandmother. Of course you get charged for this. He wasn't very happy when the card said "from the Melting Pot". When you pay for a greeting card from Hallmark, it doesn't say "from Hallmark" does it? I hope not. My father wanted to do the same for my mom on her birthday, but he was aware of this and asked what the card would say. He was told that this should not have happened to my grandfather and it wouldn't happen to him. Of course since they were called out on it, it didn't happen to him. Go figure, it happened to our friend. Her going away balloons had a card that was signed "from the Melting Pot". This couldn't be more wrong.
Overall, a very good night. I was very happy, but that may have been the 5 or 6 drinks I had. Some places just make them too easy to drink! I'll go back, but it won't be until I want to sacrifice a car payment for one meal.
Here are the specifics:
Price: Covered above. $$$$$ (out of 5)
Cuisine: Fondue/Fine Dining
Reservations: Absolutely required unless you want to eat at 10:45pm
Pets: No
Cuisine: Fondue/Fine Dining
Reservations: Absolutely required unless you want to eat at 10:45pm
Pets: No
Parking: Street parking or validation for 1/2 of parking garage
Address: SW 6th & Main - Portland, OR 97204 (I can't find an actual address)
Nearest town: Portland, Oregon (Downtown)
Nearest town: Portland, Oregon (Downtown)
Nearest 10,000+ city: Portland, Oregon
County: Multnomah, Oregon
My rating (out of 6): 5 for service, 5 for food, 5 for decor, 0 for view - average 4.5
My Current Location: Home, Portland, Oregon
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