Elite Event: Melting Pot o’ Gold and New!

Cheese cheese cheese cheese cheese cheese cheese cheese cheese cheese cheese cheese cheese cheese cheese cheese cheese cheese cheese cheese cheese cheese cheese cheese… trying to quantify the different amounts of cheese, did I get it? The same goes for chocolate but that was less overwhelming because we were already so full and had seen the cheese courseS. Of course the middle course was great too, but I knew I had to save room for chocolate after I gorged on cheese.
Fantastic service. Fantastic drinks. Fantastic company. Delicious gifts.

I’ve always turned my nose a bit at restaurants like the Melting Pot — large chain restaurants had very little appeal, but I figured I’d give this place a go for our elite outing.
One of the first things we learned about the place was that it is family-​owned and family-​run, which automatically made the franchise feel more mom and pop, even though the surroundings feel very standard.
I really liked how they made the fondue in front of us, since normally a big bowl of melted cheese looks kind of iffy to me. Watching them melt down beer and cheddar, though, or wine with brie, made it feel more like unambiguous ingredients, and clearly high-​quality components. It was a meal where we took our time on our cheese course, took even more time on our grade-​A meat course (we especially had fun with the tempura batter and the oil pot), and just when we were certain we didn’t have any more room, we had to make room in our dessert stomachs for the abundance of dippable sweets.
I don’t really drive so I’m not sure when I’ll make it out this way next, but the Melting Pot will certainly be on my radar for future suburban adventures!

It was a long trip, but we were generously rewarded.
The meal was even more adventurous than the commute. Our hosts at the Melting Pot treated us to a real fondue feast with a first course with 4 different cheese dips, a main meat course with various broths, and dessert with 4 chocolate sauces. They also offered us two complimentary cocktails and other beverages throughout the evening.
The food was all very delicious and the service was commendable. I could tell that at this family-​owned local branch of the famous chain they really care about keeping you happy. Some standouts for me were the brie cheese dip and the mojo Caribbean style broth (perfect for shrimp!).
I am very very thankful to Damien and the rest of Boston Unilocal as well as our very generous hosts at the Melting Pot in Bedford. I had a lovely time and I look forward to coming back for a special occasion soon.

I hadn’t been to The Melting Pot before and while I have been around these parts, this Unilocal Elite event was much away from the terra firma of Cambridge and Boston. While I was expecting some good food, I was worried it was going to be a stingy affair that would require a trip to Chick-​fil-​a before or after.
The concerns were assuaged quite early. The first course was extensive enough, and there were going to be two more. The various fondues (4 cheese ones) had their particularities and made for some deliciousness cheesiness. I wouldn’t have minded them being more stronger in terms of cheese flavor and wine, but I can see that being off-​putting for some. Probably my favorite of the four was the bacon & gorgonzola, naturally. There was bread, tortilla chips, and vegetables for dipping. The assorted cured meats was interesting when dipped in the sauces.
The main was mainly consisted of a platter of filet mignon, pork tenderloin, shrimp, and chicken dumplings. I liked using the hot oil pot for dumplings, giving it a bit of a gyoza taste to it. I liked the mojo broth for the shrimp, and the coq au vin broth for the meats. I didn’t try the tempura batter for the shrimp or vegetables.
If the first two courses weren’t enough, the dessert topped off a filling evening. Each of the four chocolate sauces were really decadent by themselves, and having to choose a favorite of the four was difficult. I thought I wouldn’t like the white chocolate crème brûlée but I was pleasantly surprised that it wasn’t overly sweet. While it was handy to have water while eating this dessert part, the chocolate sauces weren’t too cloying. We had various fruit, brownies, and other sweet things to use for dipping or just eating. I couldn’t finish the dessert portion, but definitely liked it.
Service was professional and congenial, without being obtrusive. The servers were rather attentive and informational about the various fondues and cooking times. The owners were really thoughtful with the way the event was executed. I had an enjoyable time and it was worth the drive. Now… an event south of Boston?

Almost 20 hours later and I am still full from a great Unilocal Elite event!
The Bedford Melting pot location is family owned and we were able to meet two of the owners: Kerstin and Cate. Everything from start to finish was explained and we got to learn a lot about what makes the Melting Pot special. Thank you again to the owners for such great hospitality and offering us to review your restaurant, we all had such a great time.
I’ve been to the Melting Pot before, but never at this location. There was ample parking for all and everything was beautifully decorated and modern.
For our first course we started with four different types of cheese fondue: Pear and Brie, Bacon and Gorgonzola, Spinach Artichoke and Fiesta Cheese. For dippers we got artisan breads, fresh veggies, green apples and amazing premium meats. All cheese fondues were simply amazing but my two favorite were the Pear/​Brie and Bacon/​Gorgonzola. Good thing the Bacon and Gorgonzola wasn’t directly in front of me or I would of ate the entire thing! Everything paired so well with the cheese, I was insanely full after this course!
For our second course we went into the entrees. I’ve only ever tried the Seasoned Court Bouillon broth because it is free and I wasn’t sure about the other options. I was so excited to try the broths: Mojo (Caribbean/​garlic/​citrus), Coq Au Vin (red wine and mushrooms) and the Bourguignonne (oil). We all had copious amounts of filet, shrimp, pork, chicken potstickers and vegetables to dip. I thought the Mojo and Coq au Vin were excellent broths! The Mojo was my favorite for the shrimp, I would think that chicken would also be really good in this broth. The Coq au Vin was very good for pork, filet and the potstickers, just don’t be alarmed when they come out with a red wine/​brown tint! I did not try the oil although you could also make tempura veggies with it. To be quite honest it was on the other side of the table and I figured I did not need to deep fry anything since we were already eating so much! We each received six dipping sauces which were just absolutely delicious and complimented the food. My favorite was the Gorgonzola port sauce, I could just eat that with a spoon! It paired very nicely with the Filet as well as all of the veggies.
For our third course (note: I was already in a food coma at this point!) we went into the Chocolate fondue! We were served four different kinds: Milk chocolate, Dark and Dulce, Caramel Toffee Crunch and White Chocolate Crème Brulee. OMG… why did they put the Caramel Toffee Crunch and White Chocolate Crème Brulee right in front of me!!! AMAZING! I’m not a huge lover of White Chocolate, but the White Chocolate Crème Brulee was my absolute favorite dessert fondue of the night. For dippers they gave us everything: fruit, brownies, blondies, pound cake, cheesecake, marshmallows and cookies.
Almost four hours later it was time to leave! Thank you again to all of the Melting Pot staff and to Unilocal for hosting this great event, it was great meeting new Elite members as well as Elite Gold members.

Tip-​top rating for a tip-​top experience at this family-​owned location.
Also A+ company. I enjoyed hanging out with you all.
There was a lot of food. Dessert (esp. dark & dulce) was my favorite course, but tempura entrée with 6 sauces and fiesta dip, I would come back for you too :)
Great time — gotta plan a trip back.

A grand time, hosted by our Unilocal Grand-​dad, Damien, who once again found a great place with awesome food and kickass service which we might never have known about had it not been for this event!
A three-​course fondue meal!
1: our choice of 2 of 4 kinds of cheese fondue, plus veggie, bread and charcuterie dippers
2: our choice of 2 of 3 styles of cooking, (we chose broth and hot oil) and meat, vegetable and potstickers for cooking
3: dessert! We chose crème brûlée and dark chocolate fondues, with lovely fruits and treats for dipping.
The owners, Kerstin and Cate were lovely and helpful, the servers were EXTREMELY well informed and omnipresent, and we couldn’t have had a better time!
I’ll be back fo’ sho!

Wow!
Thank you Melting Pot Bedford & Unilocal for a wonderful night out.
I had a great time meeting/​chatting with other 5+ year Unilocal elites and the 1^st year newbies.
There was a wicked fun mix of people at my table. Everyone was super friendly and conversation flowed easily.
I got a non-​alcoholic version of the signature blackberry lemonade. MMMMM.
The food was delicious — 3 courses: cheese, hot pot style proteins, and desserts.
There was so much food that I may have said that «It’s a female secret that dress waistlines expand better than pants do.» I’m glad I wore a dress because I was stuffed!
Then Melting Pot ownership surprised us with chocolate covered strawberries individually wrapped (you know the way to my heart!) and a discount coupon for when we return.
Time flew by!
Damien’s ice breaker questions to the group about our «cheesiest» and «sweetest» reviews made us all smile.
I was shocked when I got to my car and saw it was 11 PM!
I was glad to be able share my car with Alex M. If there are future events like this that require a car to get to, message me before paying for an Über or Zipcar. The more the merrier in my car.
And small world, to my left was another elite from Quincy, MA! Who knew we shared a city.

The Elites’ were invited to a very nice intimate event at the Melting Pot, in Bedford.
The event has hosted by the business owners, Kerstin, and Cate; both very gracious and hospitable to us Unilocalers.
Co-​host and Unilocal Boston Community Manager, Damien was on scene to meet and greet and keep giving out the official Unilocal swag. YES!
3 courses– Cheese fondue, Hot pot, and chocolate desserts with all the dipping fixings, along with signature cocktails made the night a special decadent event.
The restaurant itself is super clean and modern. Big tables with convection burns in the center make it for a fun and communal & relaxed dining experience.
Now that I know how to fondue at the Melting Pot, I hope to return here with family and friends to partake on some cold winter day to enjoy.
A big Thank you to Kerstin, Cate, the Melting Pot Staff, and Damien and Unilocal for making this wonderful event happen.
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Wow! What a delicious feast! The night started with the signature cocktails, a blackberry lime cocktail and the Love Martini which was so cute. It was garnished with strawberries cut into hearts. Yum!
Our first course was cheese fondue. We sampled four different types with a variety of dippers including bread bites, vegetables, apples, tortilla chips and premium cured meats! I really loved the Bacon and Gorgonzola fondue and the Pear and Brie! Wow! So good! We also tried Spinach Artichoke and Fiesta Cheese Fondue! All awesome!
The next course was protein! We were served three broths with a variety of dippers including pork, beef, shrimp, chicken potstickers and seasonal vegetables, alongside six signature sauces. Delicious!
Our final course was dessert! We were served four sweet fondues including caramel toffee crunch, the original which is milk chocolate swirled with peanut butter, dark and dulce which is dark chocolate and dulce de leche, and white chocolate crème brûlée. Again, there were plenty of dippers including fresh fruit: raspberries, blackberries, bananas, and pineapple, among cheesecake, pound cake, rice krispies, marshmallows, brownies, and cream puffs! Oh my! Yummy!
To take home, they gave us a chocolate covered strawberry and $ 15 off coupon. How sweet!
The night was fabulous with great company with both fellow gold badgers and newbies, the awesome Melting Pot staff, and even Damien’s wife! The service was outstanding as well! I love that this a family run business and the owner was super sweet.
I had a really wonderful time! I loved how intimate this event was; especially as a newbie to Boston, it’s so great to have an event where we can get to know each other better! Also, Damien’s ice breaker questions were super fun!
Thanks so much to Damien, Unilocal and The Melting Pot! Can’t wait to come again! :)