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reviewed on: February 15, 2008

If you lived through the 60’s, chances are good that hidden away somewhere in the dark recesses of your basement, there is a fondue pot. It was the rage—the thing we all did to entertain ourselves and others. And, like all rages, it passed. Today, fondue is such a novelty that an evening spent spearing and cooking bits of meat and veggies in hot oil is now considered special. So this week, we stepped back into the past for a few hours at The Melting Pot in downtown Littleton.

Through the years, there have been many restaurants in this historic building that once was the Littleton library and, later on, the jail. But, of all the restaurants that have tried to make it there, only The Melting Pot succeeded. Somehow the weathered building with its brick partitioning inside is the perfect setting for a retro dinner. There are larger rooms where the buzz of conversation adds energy to the surroundings, and there are cozy little niches for smaller, more intimate evenings.

Selections at The Melting Pot include cheese fondues, salads, entrées, and desserts mixed and matched in various ways that can be a bit confusing for the first-timer. The best and easiest way to get the most out of your evening is to order one of the multi-course dinners for two and, even then, you’ll be faced with a number of decisions.

First up is your choice of one of five salads including a traditional garden salad, classic Caesar, and a tasty spinach-mushroom salad with baby portabellas, bacon and tomatoes, the whole dressed with a Burgundy-shallot vinaigrette.

Next is the cheese fondue course with a choice of different cheese mixes and dipping ingredients that include apple slices, vegetables and, of course, big chunks of bread to be speared and dipped into the hot, bubbling cheese.

The biggest decision you’re going to have to make is what to have for an entrée. Most are mixes of chicken, beef and shrimp, but there’s also lobster tail and mahi mahi, and straight vegetables for those who shun meat. And the meats are marinated and seasoned in different ways from Cajun to Asian. Then you’ll have to decide whether you want to cook your meal in hot oil or in a flavored broth.

Once you’ve worked your way through all the selections, the bite-sized bits of food arrive on giant platters, ready to be speared and cooked in the fondue pot, then enjoyed with a variety of flavored sauces for dipping.

In this age of dine-and-dash, it’s interesting when you’re forced to slow down to eat supper. But there’s simply no way to speed up this meal. When every morsel has to be cooked on its own, it’s guaranteed you’ll spend a couple of hours at the table, so don’t even think about catching a movie afterward.

The Melting Pot, 2707 Main Street, Littleton 303-794-5666
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