Melting Pot — Restaurant in Portland

My 1st experience here & I was so excited. Unfortunately was extremely disappointed. Their seats at the booths are so warm down, the table was just below our chins. We did move to the booth behind us, which was a little better. Not as it should be though. The cheese fondue is okay, hard to keep it on the correct temperature to keep the consistency smooth, it had a strong flour taste. The bread was good. The salad was good. The main course was not good at all. The steak has been down graded from filet mignon to top sirloin. Although that was not on the menu or told to us until later when the manager came out to share this. The duck had the texture of heart, I cooked it with a lil pink inside or longer. I tried both ways hoping for a better taste. I couldn't finish eating it due to the texture. The shrimp tasted old. The 2 broths we had to cook our food in did not give any flavor to the meat, unfortunately. Then, it over flavored the vegetables & potatoes, which we were not able to eat, as it was so strong. I asked for salt to help give the meat flavor, which I just added after it was cooked. The steak was tough & grisly, one bite was tender. I cooked it med & med rare. The chocolate pot was good, however, they were out of some items & just gave us extra of the rice crispy treats. That was okay, I would have preferred to have been asked what we would have liked, when out of an item. Our waiter should not be in customer service. He seemed bothered by any questions, put out & irritated the entire time. He also started sweeping under the table behind us as we were eating. The debris were floating up in the air around us. Then before I could finish eating, here comes the bill in my face. Feeling rushed, I went to ask if I can hold the card reader as I pay my bill. He said, no. I needed my glasses to see, however, I again was feeling rushed to pay. So, I accidentally hit a high 19% tip, when that was not what I wanted to do. The experience, customer service & food was extremely poor for this apparently high rated restaurant. We were also seated in the back by the kitchen. Super distracting as all the waiters going in & out. Don't sit back there.

My family has had 2 better experiences there, prior to this one (I wasn't there). I was hoping to resolve this bad experience with a call, for either a partial refund for our table or a voucher for a 3 course to come back in hopes of a better experience. Unfortunately, after several calls to the restaurant, I was finally able to talk to one manager & explained all this to him, he said he would have the corporate manager call me back for this. We were there on the 13th. I have yet to receive a call back, I've been told 3 times now I would receive a call back & haven't. Then today, after several calls again, I was hung up on 3 times. It wasn't a mistake, I could hear the phone being slammed down in my ear.

I wish I would have spoke up when I was there at the restaurant, I was enjoying my time with my family & didn't want to add unwanted feelings to our time though. I was in shock as well. I thought, is this really happening? Horrible experience. Felt like a bad Denny's or Sharie's experience with a gold budget.

Two of us also had painful stomach symptoms afterwards, mine lasted all through the night.

I'm still asking to get a 50% refund for our entire table. There is no excuse for any of this, specially paying out the amount of money we did.

Maybe now, I'll get that call back.

Thank you for your response. However, I still have no reply from the restaurant & how to get this resolved. In your response below, you provide no contact info, name or number. There is no link to click on either. Please provide a name & phone number.

I need someone to call me back, asap. This is beyond ridiculous! I've never experienced such disrespect.

I'm responding back to you, today, on...

My wife and I recently dined at The Melting Pot, an enchanting and somewhat concealed restaurant located underground. We opted for the "4 Course Forever Fondue" package, and our experience was nothing short of remarkable.

Cheese Fondue

We began our meal with the Classic Alpine Cheese Fondue. This delightful concoction featured a blend of Gruyère, Raclette, and Fontina cheeses, combined with white wine, garlic, and nutmeg. The rich, savory flavors were perfectly complemented by an assortment of artisan breads, along with seasonal fruits and vegetables, providing a balanced and delicious start to our evening.

Salad Course

Both my wife and I selected the Caesar Salad, a classic choice executed to perfection. The salad was composed of fresh Romaine lettuce, Parmesan cheese, and crunchy croutons, all elegantly tossed in Caesar dressing. The inclusion of Parmesan-dusted pine nuts added a delightful textural contrast and a subtle nutty flavor, elevating the dish.

Entrée

For the main course, my wife chose the Classic entrée, which included a diverse selection of proteins: shrimp, Memphis-style dry rub pork, teriyaki-marinated steak, garlic pepper steak, and herb-crusted chicken breast. I opted for the Steak Lovers entrée, featuring brown sugar bourbon rub steak, teriyaki-marinated steak, and garlic pepper steak. We cooked our selections in the Coq au Vin broth, a rich and aromatic base made from Burgundy wine, mushrooms, scallions, and garlic. The broth enhanced the natural flavors of the meats, making each bite a delightful experience.

The Melting Pot also offers a special QR code to help diners time how long each type of meat needs to be cooked. This thoughtful addition ensures that every piece is cooked to perfection, enhancing the overall dining experience.

Dessert

To conclude our meal, we indulged in the Ying and Yang dessert fondue. This artistic blend of dark and white chocolate fondue was both visually appealing and decadent. It was served with an assortment of sweet treats and fresh fruits, perfect for dipping. The combination of buttery dark chocolate and smooth white chocolate was a fitting end to our exquisite meal.

Ambiance and Service

The ambiance of The Melting Pot is cozy and intimate, making it an ideal spot for a romantic dinner or a special celebration. The staff were attentive, knowledgeable, and prompt, ensuring that our dining experience was seamless from start to finish.

Practical Information

As for parking, being in Portland, you will need to find a spot on the side streets or use nearby parking garages. Despite this minor inconvenience, the exceptional dining experience at The Melting Pot makes it well worth the effort.

In summary, The Melting Pot offers a unique and memorable dining experience with its delicious fondue options, attentive service, and charming atmosphere. We highly recommend it for anyone looking to enjoy a special meal...

It was not a great experience. There was a 20 minute wait after our reservation time but the host was polite and remembered my request for only non-alcoholic menus (THIS WAS AMAZING AND APPRECIATED). The real problem here was our server. Our reservation was at 8:30, we weren't sat til 8:50, and we didn't even get to order our drinks until 9:20, 30 minutes later. While there was only 2 of us, we really wanted to splurge and had different ideas so we asked to be moved to a table with 2 burners and we're told by our server those were only for bigger tables who would spend more. Insulting and presumptuous. We made it clear that my BF and I wanted our own cheeses, entrees, and chocolates. Didn't matter. We placed our food order at 9:30. During which my boyfriend asked to change his salad and we're were told to "not change our minds again" as the server would have to re-enter everything. Cheese was delivered at 9:45. We didn't see our Waiter again til 10:09, where we ordered a second round of drinks. Salads were delivered at 10:20 and my boyfriend's salad was made wrong. The server did offer to fix it but blamed it on the kitchen being short staffed and that it was already lightly dressed because they were out of the Caesar dressing. Our Coq Au Vin was dropped at 10:30, but was light on mushrooms because the kitchen was out (offer a different cooking style?) And the server then asked us if we wanted a second round. We reminded him we already ordered one, 20 minutes previously. A bus boy(?) Heard this and went and got our drinks and then took an amazing picture of us (APPRECIATE HIM TOO). The entree's was also missing 2 sauces cause the kitchen was out of that too (dude tell us the kitchen is out of stuff when we're ordering!). Ordered a third round at 11:05 and we just never got it. At 11:30 our dessert was dropped off. We ordered the original and he brought us the turtle. At this point we just didn't care. We had been there for 3 hours and had work the next day. He brought the bill and we paid to get out. Got home and realized we were charged 15 dollars for an add on lobster, suppose to be 12. Not the biggest deal on a 200 dollar dinner but holy cow, not one thing went smoothly and we paid a lot of money. I still tipped because I'm industry and that's what we do, but this was ridiculous. First visit and probably the last. The food and support staff were great, but I'm really really disheartened by the service we received celebrating our Valentine's day and spending that much money. We Were the last ones out despite not being the last table sat or ordered. And the lights to the stairs were off. Fun fact, I got to see an empty 2 burner table multiple times during my meal sit unused which me and my boyfriend's could have used for a better experience, spent a lot more money, and hopefully would have had a...