Healthy (and Unhealthy) Food Options at Melting Pot
Melting Pot calls itself the original fondue restaurant, as it first opened in 1975. It’s famous for its fondue cooking styles, and aside from cheese fondue, you can also enjoy salads, entrees, and chocolate desserts. It’s actually quite an addictive experience.
If you’re here just for the flavor and the experience, then just order anything and everything you like. The flavors will be fabulous, there’s no doubt about that. But if you’re worried about your health and your diet, then you may have to be more careful.
Here are some recommendations you may wish to heed:
Cheese Options
Melting Pot is every cheesehead’s mecca, so there’s not much point to the place if you’re not a fan of cheese. On the other hand, you might just end up becoming a cheesehead yourself once you get a taste.
Every pot of cheese here is served with veggies and bread. You can add some cured meats, but if you’re watchful about your diet, you may want to opt for more vegetables instead.
For the healthiest cheese option, go with the Spinach Artichoke. This pot is made without alcohol, plus you have veggies standing in for some of the cheese. The portions are meant for regular Americans, which means there’s a lot of food. But you can always share.
You may want to avoid the Wisconsin Trio, as the cheese comes with rather high amounts of fat. Plus, this comes with sherry and wine, adding to the total calories.
Entrée Options
First off, bear in mind that the meat and fish come to your table raw, so you can cook them yourself in hot liquid. Reduce the calorie intake by sticking with the broth-based cooking liquids. And don’t let the raw meat contaminate your hands and your table.
For a healthier option, try the Memphis-Style BBQ Pork Medallion or All-Natural Breast of Chicken, while seafood lovers can go with the Pacific White Shrimp or Salmon Filet.
The higher-calorie options include Andouille Sausage and the Honey-Orange Duck Breast. Use the sauces sparingly, as most of them come with high levels of fat or sugar (and sometimes both).
You may also want to stay away from the Bourguignonne-style cooking method. This method involves battering and frying the food, and that’s not exactly healthy.
Dessert Options
At this point, you probably have consumed a lot of calories already. The sensible option is to skip dessert entirely, but then again, it’s not a fondue meal without chocolate dessert.
Try to stick with mostly fresh ingredients such as fruit, to offset the chocolate calories. And plan on sharing your dessert, as it could be a lot of food.
Try to have the willpower to avoid something crazy like the Cookie N’ Cream Marshmallow Dream and Flaming Turtle. This one has too much chocolate, and it’s even laden with cookies, nuts, and caramels that just add to the fat total!
