Melting Pot — Restaurant in Swatara Township

I regret to express my profound disappointment regarding my recent visit to this esteemed establishment, which has been my preferred dining destination on multiple occasions. While it has always been a unique and enjoyable experience, this particular visit proved to be far from satisfactory, leaving me with a sense of vexation and disbelief.

To commence, I had the foresight to call the restaurant well in advance to secure a reservation at 7:30 PM for a momentous occasion – my husband and I were celebrating our fourth wedding anniversary. Unfortunately, upon our arrival, it became evident that the staff had neglected to record our reservation, causing an unnecessary delay of approximately ten minutes. Although I understand that mistakes can occur, this oversight, given the significance of the event, is utterly inexcusable.

Anticipating an extraordinary evening, we were hopeful for a touch of distinction to commemorate our anniversary. Regrettably, our expectations were shattered as the lack of coordination led to a complete absence of any special arrangements, leaving us disenchanted. It is disheartening to witness such a disregard for customer experience, as the host's negligence ultimately deprived us of an elevated dining experience.

However, amidst this disappointment, I must commend the culinary prowess displayed by the kitchen staff, as the quality of the food remained exceptional. The ambiance also continued to exude a delightful atmosphere, which further exacerbated our frustration, knowing that our evening could have been exceptional had it not been for the unfortunate circumstances surrounding our reservation.

I must take a moment to acknowledge the commendable service provided by our server, Jess, who exhibited professionalism, attentiveness, and an amiable demeanor throughout the duration of our meal. Her commitment to ensuring our satisfaction stood in stark contrast to the overall lackluster experience we encountered.

Unfortunately, any semblance of redemption was swiftly overshadowed by an incident involving an employee named Carl, whose deplorable conduct struck a nerve and tainted our evening. Carl, uninvited and inappropriate, approached our table under the guise of introducing himself. Astonishingly, he proceeded to regale us with a tasteless tale of his misfortunes on dating applications, divulging details of his experiences on Grinder and Bumble. This intrusive conversation, coupled with his subsequent attempts to promote an 18-year-old bartender to us, bordered on unprofessionalism and disregard for boundaries.

Adding insult to injury, Carl recklessly broached the topic of Hitler, audaciously mentioning a bartender's last name allegedly linked to the infamous historical figure. Such conversation is entirely unsuitable for any establishment, and to be subjected to this abhorrent dialogue is both distressing and deeply offensive. I cannot fathom how any conscientious employee would consider this appropriate or remotely acceptable.

In light of these reprehensible actions, it is incumbent upon the management to address the issue promptly and decisively. Carl's outrageous behavior, which not only infringed upon our personal space but also appeared to target us based on our sexual orientation, merits serious consequences. Had it not been for our resolve and benevolence, this incident could have culminated in legal action for harassment.

In conclusion, my recent experience at this esteemed establishment was marred by a series of egregious missteps and an unsettling encounter with a staff member unfit for the hospitality industry. I implore the management to take immediate action by thoroughly investigating the incident, taking appropriate disciplinary measures, and instilling a culture of professionalism and respect within the establishment. It is my hope that future patrons will not have to endure the distress we experienced, and that this establishment can regain its former reputation as a beacon of culinary excellence and refined...

Reservations on 8/11 at 6:15p for 2. Arrived just after 6 and seated at 6:15p. We were placed just around the corner at a smaller table that was rather private. For a place that just opened at 5 it was disgusting. Cobwebs hung from the lamp to the wall. Men’s trash can in the bathroom was overflowing which means nothing was cleaned or taken out from the previous night. Wife stated that there was urine on the floor of the women’s bathroom.

Waiter seemed attentive and knowledgeable as he was training another individual. We ordered the bigger night out for 2 and started with a bottle of wine.

First course was the Wisconsin cheddar which was served with bread, pretzel bread, a few grapes, baby carrots, and a few slices of sweet peppers. The accompaniments were decent but the Wisconsin cheddar was stomach turning. Beer was first placed in the pot then about a 1/4 cup of jarred garlic. They added handfuls of cheese while it melted. A few shakes of ground mustard and worcestershire sauce were added. It was finished with a couple turns of cracked pepper. It was barely edible as there was nothing you could taste but ungodly amounts of raw off’ flavor garlic.

Second course we both had house salads which luckily were the highlights of the night.

Third course we chose the coq au vin. It started with the basic vegetable broth that came to a rapid boil. Burgundy wine and vegetables were then added awhile later. The bigger night out came with a decent selections of meats and vegetables. Biggest issue was inconsistency with size of steak, chicken, salmon, and lobster which made it difficult for cook times. However, if you are into recreating boiled meats of the 1800s and early 1900s then this is for you. Sadly, it fell extremely short with taste, texture, and just about anything else you can think of from a culinary experience.

Towards the end of our third course it was now 8:10p and we only had half a lobster tail left. Some of our dishes were removed by our waiter. Now I read that the 4 course meal typically takes about 2 hours so it was fine for a birthday dinner. However, we were done by 8:15p and just sat there waiting. 8:30p and no sign of waiters to our table. 8:35p I go to the front desk/manager and ask if they could get our waiter as we had been waiting 20minutes for our last course and had yet to have anyone. Manager and training waitress come and remove remaining plates immediately. 8:45p no waiter or food yet so back to front I go. I asked for the check as we had other plans that now we had to cancel. Manager said she would comp dessert. Told her we didn’t get dessert and we just needed to leave at this point. Well within 5 min the manager had a check and boxed dessert which we didn’t even want at that point. 8:50p we leave with no waiter yet to our table and manager apologizing and stating for us to come back again.

We get home to look at the dessert and it was the wrong one from what was ordered. Hey, you tried. Unfortunately we won’t be back as the food was subpar, we didn’t get to experience dessert which was the main thing my wife was looking forward for. Just...

Whew, this place was a huge letdown. I’ve always wanted to try it and even from our first course my boyfriend and I were saying we’ll never come back. We were celebrating our anniversary and were excited to try something different.

We ordered The Complete Experience for Two and began with Wisconsin Cheddar cheese fondue. I’ve had many beer cheeses and this one was just… weird. The bread they serve it with is not “artisan” by any means. I guess that’s a fancy word they use for semi-stale almost moldy tasting bread. They served 2/3 bread with 4 cherry tomatoes, a few cauliflower, and for some reason grapes. Why would I be dipping grapes in cheese? We didn’t even finish it because it tasted weird.

Next, we both ordered caesar salads. It was tasty and the pine nuts gave it an elevated feel. They were the perfect combo with the salad. The size and quality of the salad was again, subpar. It’s not a full salad by any means, it was a small flat layer of romaine lettuce with a little bit of cheese, croutons, nuts, and dressing. Less than child sized.

For our entree’s we got Steak Lovers and The Classic to share with Coq Au Vin style. The steaks were good but the pork, chicken, and shrimp were extremely weird tasting as you’re using one pot to cook a bunch of steak and then adding in a whole different type of food. Our pot kept overflowing and it got all over our table despite us sitting there having to blow on it do try and simmer it. This left us with not having enough liquid in our pot to cook the last couple meat items left of our entree as well as the potatoes. We told our waitress and she laughed it off saying she doesn’t care about the mess because she’s not the one who cleans it. Not anything about us losing 1/3 of the liquid in the pot.

Lastly, we ordered the Wild Berry Crunch chocolate fondue. This was delicious and by far the best part of the entire meal. I have no complaints about it aside from them using strawberries that weren’t peak ripeness so they weren’t very sweet. But the chocolate mostly overpowers that.

All in all we paid $170 incl tip and the $25 my boyfriend paid for roses. The food was so underwhelming and mediocre it’s just frustrating. We were there for two and half hours and our waitress checked on us only 2 or 3 times. We would have been there for significantly less time if our waitress was more attentive. My boyfriend asked for a refill and it took 15 minutes. I can only recommend maybe going for the desert. The tables are semi-private but also are extremely cramped and uncomfortable. You can’t fit more than one course on the table and even then it’s still pretty full. It’s just… small. When a business tries to maximize space in order to fit more tables to make the most money they don’t care that it’s at the expense of the customer. When he paid our waitress didn’t give back his credit card and we had to go find her to ask for it back, and apparently the manager took it. Don’t...