The Melting Pot
14 Grove Street, Darien • 203-656-4774
 

Dip Into Something Decadent
 

Yes, I am one of those who tend to prematurely discount a restaurant that has a chain or franchise affiliation, unless I’m in pursuit of a sandwich or a burger on the run. Shame on me. There are, in fact, a few good restaurant conglomerates out there that offer a quality dining experience. Take Morton’s Steakhouse for example. They have 68 restaurants to date in just about every major city throughout the world and are known as The Masters of Steak. They must be doing something right (that’s a review for a different issue). Bennigans in Stamford has even found its audience in the downtown area offering casual fare at reasonable prices. They too must be doing something right.

Perhaps my ignorance stems from my immediate surroundings in Fairfield County, where for many years chain restaurants did not exist. Darien was about the only town to house such commercial restaurants as Red Lobster and Chi-Chis. Bertuccis’ and The Cookhouse are now in those locations. The Cookhouse is a CT based company that is poised to grow its brand outside of the state in the near future. According to Robert Ryder, the owner of The Cookhouse, “Franchising is something I may consider in the future. Right now my goal is to build The Cookhouse brand in the CT/NY area and keep it private as long as possible. Once I have an "iron clad" operating system and excellent brand recognition I may consider franchising to someone I know can produce what I am looking for.”

Recently, to my surprise, Darien expanded its restaurant circle by acquiring the popular fondue restaurant The Melting Pot (TMP). With over 85 corporately owned and franchised locations all over the country, this cheesy (my attempt at a pun) fun restaurant not only uses its concept to promote the food, but also develops the whole idea of interactive dining. William Layfield, the owner of the Darien location, along with his wife Carol and son James, explains how the entire experience, depending on the size of your party, can easily take 2-3 hours from start to finish. This is one of the reasons TMP is typically dubbed a “special occasion” destination. 

The occasion the night of my visit was to catch up with my friends Tom and Ed. Tom, who is in the radio business, had begun working with William on a series of radio ads. William’s elegant English accent on the radio made even this skeptical food writer want to check out the place. The location, its exterior, and the interior are, in itself, worth the trip. Situated on a tiny side street off of Darien’s Post Road bustle, a newly constructed retail and residential square is beautifully manicured with stone walkways, a trickling fountain, high end boutiques, and even 2nd floor apartments. The interior décor of the restaurant is stately, slightly British in feel, yet cozy and inviting. Dark wood paneling, burgundy and earth tone flooring and banquettes, an impressive wine room, as well as an array of colorful avant-garde paintings from the artist Yuri Tremler, give the space character, something not often found in a franchise restaurant. I am told that, unlike most franchises, TMP restaurants are encouraged to take on their own visual personalities according to their geographic location. That’s a smart move, especially for our neck of the woods.

Let’s talk fondue! To begin with, the staff plays a major role in your dining experience. There is no chef, per se, but rather a team of waiters and tableside cooks to prepare and bring guests their various courses. Dinners are designed for parties of two or more , and comprise an all-inclusive 4 course meal - cheese, salad, entrée, and dessert ($60-$80 for 2 people). Laura was with us on this night to steer us in the right direction. We began with the traditional Swiss cheese fondue, which was prepared tableside. Starting with white wine and garlic, the cheese is added in small batches, finishing with lemon juice, nutmeg, and Kirschwasser liqueur. This was served with bread cubes, crisp tart apple wedges, and blanched vegetables.

The heating unit in the middle of the table is quite fascinating. Of European design, it’s called an induction burner, and uses an electromagnetic field to heat only the stainless steel pot. The heating unit itself will not feel hot to the human touch, but rather concentrates the heat only on the pot. Very cool – no, I mean very hot! Other cheese fondues include a cheddar cheese fondue made with lager beer, a Wisconsin  trio with Fontina, Butterkase, and buttermilk bleu cheeses along with white wine and sherry, and a fiesta cheese fondue (think “con queso”) with cheddar cheese, jalapenos and Mexican spices, served with tortilla chips.

Second course is a light salad. Choices are a fresh mushroom salad with iceberg lettuce and parmesan vinaigrette, a California salad of baby salad greens, tomatoes, walnuts, gorgonzola cheese with raspberry walnut dressing, and a chef salad with lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, sliced eggs, smoked ham and Emmenthaler cheese with a sweet and tangy house dressing. While these are not show-stoppers, they are certainly a light and refreshing intermezzo-like course between fondues. 

It was time for the true fondue experience, the cooking of the meat, fish, and vegetables. Cooking style selections are: Coq au Vin, a pot of Burgundy wine, fresh herbs, garlic and mushrooms; court bouillon, a seasoned vegetable broth; Bourguignonne, canola oil with various fondue batters; and mojo, Caribbean seasoned bouillon with garlic and citrus. We went with the simple court bouillon and TMP’s signature selection entrée of beef tenderloin, teriyaki sirloin, shrimp and chicken, as well as a surf and turf entrée with more tenderloin, lobster tail, tuna, shrimp and scallops. Entrees come with red potatoes, zucchini, mushrooms, and broccoli florets. TMP staff is quick to inform diners that the raw meat and fish should not touch the dinner plates.  Dinner plates are for cooked food only. (It only took me 2 minutes to forget, as I placed a raw shrimp on Tom’s plate, but Laura was quick with a new plate in front of him.)

The idea is simple: Using your appropriately color-tipped fondue forks you need only submerge your food into the boiling liquid for the desired amount of time. We decided to throw in the vegetables in small batches, then retrieve them with our slotted spoon all at once. It was our “system” for the night.

Lots of yummy dipping sauces only added to the fun. Gorgonzola port, Louisiana hot sauce, barbeque, teriyaki glaze, spicy red cocktail, creamy curry, garlic Dijon butter, and green goddess sauces can be mixed and matched with all the wonderful cooked ingredients.

The moment you’ve all been waiting for – chocolate fondue!! We enjoyed a sinful flaming turtle fondue of milk chocolate, caramel, and pecans. The table next to us was diving into a pot of milk chocolate swirled with crunchy peanut butter. Wait, it gets better. There’s also the Amaretto meltdown with white chocolate and almond liqueur. Just when you think TMP can’t get any more decadent, there’s a cookies ‘n cream marshmallow dream that has dark chocolate, marshmallow cream and crushed Oreo cookies. Never fear, there’s also “pure chocolate”, milk, dark, or white, simply melted silky smooth. Accompaniments include fresh strawberries, bananas, pineapple, cheesecake, marshmallows, pound cake and fudge brownies. Now this is what’s known as a happy ending!

TMP’s wine list is impressive, as are the wine by the glass selections. Ask the staff about special offerings as William is quite passionate about wine and likes to showcase his personal favorites. I highly recommend the Banfi Rosa Regale sparkling wine with the chocolate fondue. It’s a match made in heaven.

All I can say is relax and indulge because, remember, this is (truly) a special occasion restaurant that once experienced will be an anticipated event for future visits.