YEE @ The Melting Pot – Preview to Gwinnett Restaurant Week

[Party Size]: I don’t have the roll call sheet, but 10 elites, 10 hopefully-​soon-​cause-​the-​more-​the-​merrier-​potential-​elite Unilocalers, CM Kellie and hubby.
[Location/​Ambiance]:
The restaurant was dimly lit for dinner time. With lots of wood used through out the restaurant and booths. I think it gives it a home-​y, warm kind of vibe. A place to sit, enjoy the company with you on a special meal like this. There are pretty big sized booths in the center of the restaurant with decent high walls, though the «bridge» connecting to the other side of the dining room was quite cramped. I applaud the servers carrying all the little plates and food items on one big tray, as there’s much to set up for each course.
[Service]:
Our server, was supercalifragilisticexpialidocious (spell check?) …AWESOME!!! Sara, just had a warm, welcoming friendly aura. There’s quite a few servers who can handle the hectic-​ness of a large group, even with Unilocalers, and just have genuine smile. Every request was catered to, though we really didn’t have to ask for much. She was always on the ball. I also felt that every recommendation we tried, and I believe Richard R also felt, that she did not steer us wrong on the choices.
She was even patiently, willing to hand model some of the seasonings and sauces for us to take pics while she explained them. Again, how many servers are cool like that?
[Food Highlights]:
As our food selection is probably covered in other Unilocalers review, I won’t add unnecessary read time.
Spinach Artichoke Cheese fondue (appetizer) -. I think the bread was very filling, so we slowed up on that. I’m not a fan of apples with cheese, so we just ate those by themselves. I was busy taking pics so didn’t really try any veggies. I did like the tortilla chips; props to anyone who got that with the «fork», in and out of the fondue! I think our table liked this choice by Sara’s recommendation.
Coq Au Vin (entrée) — This didn’t wow me as far as flavor goes I think. Also since we aren’t really sipping the broth, but the «au jus» of the protein after being cooked in it. I honestly can just say it’s good and leave it at that.
White chocolate crème brûlée (dessert) — Wowwie, just watching this thing getting lit up was a show it self. Very rich when dipped with certain choices, like rice crispy treats but balanced with strawberries.
Unilocal event itself —
If you read this far, might as well keep going I guess. Since my last YEE review stirred some attention my way. Even flak from other Unilocalers, I’ll still keep it honest.
And really, we’re all adults (hopefully); we can just agree to disagree and keep life moving.
I have not been to many YEE’s, so if it’s old news, then disregard. But I like how Kellie mixed it up for this event. Especially just wanting to bring in new faces of not-​yet-​elite-​yelpers who may or may not know what being Elite on Unilocal constitutes to. I kid you not, most of my friends who only look at Unilocal when it’s time to decide on what places to go eat at; just see elite events as a thing to get free food. I would say part of it is, but I believe that food is a piecemeal to network. Everyone has a different view, and mine is that Unilocal is a social network where opinions can matter. I support Kellie mixing it up and wanting Unilocal OTP to continue to grow in variety of quality not just quantity. I don’t think change should be feared, as positive change allows us to grow as individuals and as a community.
So from the small prizes and schwag-​tastic items we got to take home, I would honestly say that my +1 was impress. At the end of the night she admitted she’s looking forward to writing more and hopes she can do more events like this. I also think just sitting at the same table as Richard R and Danny made this dinner experience even better, as they were awesome in just being themselves and building rapport with them with the allocated quality of time.
Richard R’s, «This Fondueee issss onnnn fireeeee» is still stuck in my head lol.

WOW. I was the +1 of Christina K. and I am SO glad she invited me.
First off, parking is a breeze. The restaurant is located in a shopping center that you can access via Pleasant Hill or Satellite Blvd.
There was a raised level to the back and left of the dining room floor that we took over for the event. It was full of booths that was cozy was dim lighting. Definitely mood lighting for a romantic night out!
It turns out that several people at the event were Melting Pot first-​timers, including me, so I’m glad we all had great servers to help us. Our server was amazing, but I can’t recall her name.
Our server went through every piece of the menu during every course and was on hand to answer any questions we had. We opted for the French Onion Cheese Dip to start off with. It’s not on the online menu, because it’s an item that was just added. It’s called a «Location Favorite» that gets added to the menu at a specific location. We had two different types of bread, veggies and apples to dip into the cheese. I think we were the only ones who opted for this cheese to start with.
The main course featured teriyaki-​marinated sirloin, Pacific White shrimp and seasoned all-​natural chicken breast. Our server suggested the Coq Au Vin cooking style in addition to the complimentary seasoned court bouillon. The meat was also served with veggies (potatoes, mushroom caps and broccoli) as well as five different dipping sauces (Curry, Green Goddess, Ginger Plum, Gorgonzola Port, and Teriyaki Glaze). The Greek Goddess was a favorite at our table, so our server brought us two extra helpings of it.
Here’s a breakdown of the sauces:
Curry — a mild, yogurt-​based curry
Green Goddess — a blend of cream cheese, sour cream, onions, chives and parsley
Teriyaki Glaze — garlic, ginger and red onions
Gorgonzola Port — cheese sauce basically
Ginger Plum — red & green bell peppers, ginger and hint of plum
And we finished off with the White Chocolate Crème Brulee, which is another Local Favorite that isn’t featured on the online menu, You’ll get a little show with the White Chocolate Crème Brulee, so don’t miss it! The dessert fondue is serves with fresh strawberries, blondies, bananas, pineapples, marshmallow treats, pound cake and brownies.
Not only was the meal amazing, but Kellie took it up a notch with some freebies. I won the mythical Elite Phone Charger! I’ve only heard stories about such a thing from other Elites. Everyone was also treated so some Unilocal Swag — a Unilocal tumbler filled with chapstick, sunglasses, silicone ice trays and bottle openers. I’ve already used the ice tray to make some awesome dog treats!
Kellie went over what makes a person Elite and how to navigate and get more involved in Unilocal events. Daniel went over the ACRONYM program and Lindy schooled us all with her in-​depth Unilocal knowledge (I had NO idea there was a step above Gold Elite).
Overall the evening was wonderful! I’m already planning my next trip there for Gwinnett Restaurant Week!

I was looking forward to this event for days! It was what I had expected for an elite event and more. Best part of it, I got to meet old and new elites and had the opportunity to introduce a fellow non-​elite to the gang. My table-​mates and I were lucky to be seated at a booth with two pots so we got to try twice as many things. mMm All the cheese. Definitely not lactose intolerant-​friendly. Take those lactaids, peeps.
First course: We tried the Wisconsin Trio and Classic Alpine. Classic Alpine seems to be a favorite amongst the ladies; the Wisconsin Trio for the gents. Cheese fondues come with vegetables, green apples, and artisan breads for dipping. Pst* They also have an extensive gluten-​free menu! Be sure to ask them if you can’t do gluten. Couldn’t resist trying the Cheddar from our neighboring table. All cheese fondues were excellent.
Second course: Our table picked Seasoned Court Bouillion and Coq au Vin as entrée cooking styles. Meats for the two: chicken breast, shrimp, and filet mignon. Along with veggies: potatoes, broccoli, and mushrooms. Sauces: Curry, Green Goddess, Ginger Plum, Gorgonzola Port, and Teriyaki Glaze. Thank you, Mike, for recommended cooking times.
Dessert: Oh boy, oh boy. Again, we got to pick TWO chocolate fondues. (muahaha). Picked the Dark Chocolate Cookies and Cream and White Chocolate Crème Brulee. If you enjoy flambeed desserts, the White Chocolate Crème Brulee packs a show! ;) Check out the videos on the app for this. I usually lean towards dark chocolate, but both are indulgently delicious.
This event left me SO full. Special thanks to our wonderful OTP-​CM, Kellie, for setting up this event and Mike, our ever-​amazing fondue connoisseur. I got to experience my FIRST elite event and FIRST time at The Melting Pot. What an unforgettable experience. :)

I was sectioned off with my plus one in this corner booth, or the island as Kellie called it, but it was great because he and I had the opportunity to share our Unilocal experience more personally.
For this event, Kellie made super duper cool name badges for the Elites. There were prize giveaways, which I’m totally jelly of, for the plus ones. There was also freebie swag for everyone (tumblers, sunglasses, chapstick, key chain). This event was awesome because we got to hear a little bit about the behind the scenes stuff and got a freshener of Unilocal etiquettes. It’s also nice to see my fellow Unilocalers be recognized and a chance to hear them speak out during the Q&A sessions throughout the evening. It gives me a chance to match names, faces, voices, and personalities. :)
The service was superb. Grace was super sweet and friendly. The food was pretty good. The three courses were split into cheese fondue (Wisconsin trio cheese), American style hot pot (shrimp, teriyaki marinated sirloin, and boneless breast of chicken), and chocolate dip for the final dessert (flaming turtle dip). The laughing skull beer I had was pretty okay as well. The atmosphere was dimly lit and romantic ish. Well, if you were in the island corner where I was, you’d say the same thing. Lol.
Parking was pretty plentiful since this wrap around complex was large and wasn’t super popular at any one point in time.

This was a Fantastic event. I was excited when my rsvp cleared. We were required to bring a non Elite plus one. Unfortunately my past two non elites plus one flaked out on me they missed out. All of us were treated to a three course meal at the Melting Pot in duluth. All of us were assigned in booth. I was seated with two great Unilocalers Jamie M and his wife Amanda.
The Food!
We were greeted by Patty our Fantastic longtime server. Since I was new to Fondue and my first experience at the Melting Pot she explained the run down and gave us some time make our selection. I first selected a mp’s grand sangria which contains 14 Hands Cabernet, Skyy Blood Orange Vodka, Grand Marnier and a blend of fresh juices with a touch of cinnamon. That was the strongest Sangria I ever had!
We started out with the Cheese Fondue. Jamie and his wife selected the Wisconsin Trio
that included Fontina, Butterkäse and Gorgonzola cheeses, white wine, scallions and a hint of sherry. I selected the Cheddar that consist Aged, medium-​sharp cheddar and emmenthaler swiss cheeses, lager beer, garlic and seasonings. It also came with bread, raw vegetables and apples for dipping
We skipped the salad. for this course and went straight to the entire. We had teriyaki-​marinated sirloin, pacific white shrimp, and herb-​crusted all-​natural chicken breast cooked in MOJO cooking style that had a garlic and citrus flavor. We also had potatoes and mushrooms on the side to cook. And a few sauces to dip the meat and veggies in.
And last the chocolate fondue. I had the white chocolate crème brûlée it contains white chocolate and caramelized sugar. The fondue came with small pieces fondue strawberries, blondies, bananas, pineapple, marshmallow treats, pound cake, and brownies.
The Swag and more!
All of us received Unilocal swag at our table containing cup, Unilocal burst ice cube maker and beer opener .A rep from the Gwinnett Convention and Visitor’s Bureau handed us flyers and wine bags and explained gwinnett restaurant week. Kellie toward different period of the event had a raffle ticket giveaway. Almost every non elite walked way with new Unilocal elite rescue charger!!! She also educated the non elites on what it takes to be a elite. And had Me (Kwame O.) well mainly Lindy F on proper elite education. Daniel B give alittle insite on the ACRONYM council .Last introduced her husband Ralph and his experience as a unofficial Unilocal employee lol and his automotive background which was neat.
Overall this was a Fantastic event. We all walked out with a food coma. I was also able to meet new elites Paul K, Vyvy T (first Elite Event as a Elite), Diana T and Nicole L. Thanks to the wonderful staff at the Melting pot and Kellie for making this event as success!

At first, I was not going to rsvp because I had finals this week. Nerd status here, but my friend talked me into going. I am so happy I went, because this was an AMAZING event! I was able to meet new friends in real life like Vyvy T., Daniel B., Jaime M., and Kwame O. & it is always fun to see familiar faces like Richard R. and Kellie! We were able to bring a plus one. I decided to bring my friend Hendry because I really wanted to show him my Unilocal Life! Every elite and their plus one had a table to themselves. Very romantic and dim! Melting Pot is a wonderful place to bring a date!
This was my first experience at the Melting Pot. I have always pasted by it, but did not understand what type of restaurant it was. Boy, was I missing out! Like Kelllie said, service is always an important part of any service experience. Our server, Patty, was no exception! Patty was WONDERFUL! :) She explained all it all worked and answered all of our questions. She is also a veteran of the Melting Pot. She knows everything! I could not have been more pleased with her service. I started my night off with the Love Martini. Best Martini I have ever had. Hands down. My plus one Hendry started his night off with the Pinot Noir. I loved that Patty let Hendry smell and taste the wine before serving it to him. I have never seen a restaurant do this for a glass of wine, usually only bottles of wine. Big props to the Melting Pot.
Now, lets talk about more good stuff. FOOD! We started with the spinach artichoke cheese dip. It was so creamy and good. Then, we had the teriyaki-​marinated sirloin, Pacific white shrimp, and herb-​crusted all-​natural chicken breast cooked in the COQ AU VIN cooking style. We were so full at this point that we did not finished our chicken. We really wanted to save room for dessert because it is always the best part of the meal! :) We ordered the white chocolate cream brûlée. It was heavenly. Overall, this was a great night filled with amazing food & service. What more can you ask for? Some bonuses of the night was the wine cooler bag with a bottle opener that we received for Gwinnett restaurant week and awesome Unilocal swag. I love Patty! She was so sweet. She gave me a hug before I left! I’ll probably be back to see her for Gwinnett restaurant week! What a perfect night :)

Wow. I was really looking forward to this event and it delivered. I told Kellie this felt a lot like a Gold-​level event (Gold Elite Events are for Unilocalers who have been Elite five or more years) because of the food, service, and overall experience. The Melting Pot in Duluth treated us to a delicious three-​course fondue dinner and drinks with exceptional service. Admittedly, I’d never been to a Melting Pot until last night and was surprised to learn this location on Satellite Blvd has been around since 1991.
This Elite Event was an intimate soirée of 10 Elites and several non-​Elite +1s. I thought it was a great idea for Kellie to encourage us to bring non-​Elites as our guests as a way to grow the Elite Squad and show budding Unilocalers first-​hand why it’s neat to be Elite. In attendance were Christina K, her +1 Renee K, Richard R and his wife Dani, Paul K and his +1 Phuong, me and my +1 Melissa M, Andrea M and her +1 Steven D, Lindy F, Vyvy T (her first Elite Event as an Elite) and her +1 Alex D, Nicole L, Diana T and her +1 Hendry, Jamie M and his wife Amanda, and Kwame O.
We were tucked away into booths at The Melting Pot’s elevated back corner. We had assigned seating and our table settings included Unilocal tumblers filled with all sorts of Unilocal schwag including ice trays, keychains, Unilocalstick, shades, and more. Kellie made each Elite a name tag attached to a lanyard with a fun and interesting «Ask me about…» fact. There were also flyers at every table promoting Gwinnett Restaurant Week.
Our «fondue liaison» (a.k.a. server) was Mike Griffin and he did a spectacular job explaining to Melissa and me every course throughout the night, from the ingredients to the finer details of the preparation process.
For our First Course (Cheese Fondue), we chose the classic Cheddar. It was cool watching Mike mix the cheddar, Emmenthaler Swiss, beer base, garlic, and seasonings at our table. We dipped green apples, white and wheat bread, and vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots into the buttery cheese sauce. It was fantastic. We shared our cheese with the Nicole-​Alex-​Vyvy-​Lindy table and got to try the Wisconsin Trio and Classic Alpine cheeses they ordered. Yum.
Our Second Course was the Entrée Fondue. We had Seasoned Court Bouillon, a vegetable broth, with three meats: teriyaki-​marinated sirloin, Pacific white shrimp, and herb-​crusted all-​natural chicken breast. These came with five dipping sauces that ranged from sweet plum sauce to a Green Goddess variant. The meats were also accompanied by potatoes, broccoli, and mushrooms. Mike advised us on the cooking times for each. Most cooking times were a minute to a minute-​and-​a-​half. The quality of the meats was good. The meats were marinated and seasoned and I thought they were tasty enough on their own to where no sauce was needed.
The Third Course was the popular Chocolate Fondue. Again, we shared with another table and ordered different chocolate fondues to try. They were Cookies ‘N Cream Marshmallow Dream, White Chocolate Crème Brulee, and Chocolate S’mores. For dipping, the chocolate fondues came with strawberries, «blondies,» bananas, pineapple, marshmallows, pound cake, and brownies. My favorite was the Cookies ‘N Cream, though all were equally rich and decadent.
I recorded video of the flames on the S’mores and Crème Brulee. You can check out the video on Unilocal (on this listing) using the Unilocal mobile app or click on this link which will take you to the same video posted on Instagram:
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Throughout the night, Kellie would hold raffles and give away Unilocal portable phone chargers to lucky non-​Elite winners. She did a wonderful job educating non-​Elites (and refreshing current Elites) on what it takes to be an Elite in the Unilocal community. She also asked veterans like Richard, Kwame, Lindy, and myself to briefly speak about topics such as proper Unilocal etiquette and what the ACRONYM council is about. Even Kellie’s husband Ralph made an official introductory speech. Go Ralph!
In the end, it was an awesome night. Thank you to The Melting Pot, to Duluth General Manager Nick and our server Mike, and the rest of the friendly staff for their hospitality and generosity. Thanks as well to Krisandra Evans for her always-​outstanding photography and, of course, to Kellie (and Ralph for his unpaid assistance) for putting this shindig together. I had a blast.
Until next time, SYOY!

What a great month this has been for me! I’ve attended two back to back amazing Elite Events, first @ Longhorn & now The Melting Pot. I absolutely loved the experience at Longhorns, but for that event we were not allowed to bring a guest, so I couldn’t bring my wife. Tonight’s event allowed me to bring her, which was great because it had a very special meaning to us. It was this exact location where we celebrated our very first wedding anniversary 16 and a half years ago. We haven’t been back since, so it was great to experience this event together after so many years have passed since our first visit.
My wife was super excited with the gluten free options available and I was happy with the surf n’ turf meat selection. Our server was amazing and we chose to go with every recommendation she suggested from what cheeses to use in the first course to what broth would be best for flavoring the meats. It was a perfect evening out and (as always) I enjoyed meeting Unilocal friends for the first time in person like Paul K (aka pheenxblaze) and Jamie M. That for me is probably one of the best parts of attending any event.
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My wife and I had a fantastic time and look forward to the next event. Thank you so much Kellie (our glorious new CM) and the staff & Melting Pot for a wonderful event celebrating Gwinnett County’s Restaurant Week. Melting Pot is officially back on my radar! Oh, and I should also mention the Tipsy Turtle drink I ordered was deceptively potent! I’m not much of a drinker anyway, but they didn’t hold back on the liquor in that puppy. I wasn’t home from the event more than 15 minutes before I was sound asleep in bed… hahaha. Liquor makes me terribly sleepy. Such a wimp, I know.

«You brought fancy wine and made fondue; I’ve slept with guys for less.» — The Big Bang Theory: Season 6, Episode 18
Ohhh. Emmm. Geeee. Guys, that may be the most full I have felt at an event, welp, maybe ever. I don’t know what to say, except that I will be going to the gym in the morning if any of my fellow attendees want to meet me there.
The ask was simple, bring a +1 that would like to be Elite. Okay look, this is tough for me. All my recent friends who wanted to be Elite now are — I need some new recruits. Plus, it has been a crazy month for me, so Kellie, I will do better. So I went stag, but my «date» was Nicole L. — she and I are buddies from WAY back (2 weeks ago at Longhorn) and we had tons of fun! The Melting Pot gave us the entire back half of the restaurant as our private area and gave us the best servers they had (okay maybe all of them, but they were amazing).
I made my rounds, lots of hugs, and met a few new faces and quickly sat down as I was famished (I knew not to each much during the day). I was seated with Vyvy T (newly minted Elite) and her +1 Alex as well. We examined our loot and met Mike, our Fondue Master of Ceremonies for the evening. He asked us for drink orders and walked us through the cheese (appetizer) and cooking liquid (entrée) choices. He let us know the most popular choices and his personal favorites. He left us to make decisions while he got our cocktails.
He came back with all the drinks, but mine. I had asked for a Dark & Stormy (requires Ginger Beer) and it turns out they only had GB in stock for a spring special, so he would need me to pick something else. Since my second fave (Moscow Mule) also requires GB, I asked for an Old Fashioned. I had tasted Vyvy’s and it was pretty good. Next thing I know, Mike brings me my D&S — Nick (?) found a hidden can of GB someplace and made my drink — now that is Customer Service. Even better still, when I finished my cocktail, Nick brought me a glass of ice and the rest of the GB and offered it to me — «it will go to waste otherwise.» And it was Goslings — a great one. Score!
On to food. Since we were at a bigger table, we were blessed with 2 burners. This meant we got to try 2 cheeses and 2 cooking liquids. Sorry friends. We opted for the Wisconsin Trio (Fontina, Butterkäse and Gorgonzola cheeses, white wine, scallions and a hint of sherry) and the Alpine (Aged Gruyère, Raclette and fontina cheeses blended with white wine and fresh garlic and finished with a dash of nutmeg). Both were excellent, but the Alpine worked with all the dippers (multiple breads, Granny Smith Apples, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots).
Next up were the entrees — we chose the Court Bouillon (Veggie broth) and the Coq au Vin (their court bouillon base with Burgundy wine infused with fresh herbs, spices and
mushrooms). To cook in it, we received the Pacific White Shrimp, Teriyaki Sirloin and chicken breast — also mushroom caps, potatoes and broccoli. We were given an array of yummy sauces and instructions on cooking times by Mike our FMC. We switched between liquids, dunked our foods and had quite the merry conversation going as Kellie interjected with info about Gwinnett Restaurant Week (thanks Veronica) and being Elite, giveaways for the «aspiring» and lots of merriment. We munched and crunched and stuffed ourselves silly all the while being waited on hand and foot (sorry guys, I’m sure we had the BEST server).
Dessert nearly killed me — White Chocolate Crème Brûlée and Dark Chocolate Cookies & Cream. I had to have coffee with it and I still feel like I should be at the gym RIGHT NOW!
Overall, it was an amazing event, TMP Duluth did an amazing job hosting us and Mike knows his stuff. Kellie has certainly fallen into a great rhythm with her trusty sidekick (hubby, Ralph). I look forward to the upcoming events that Kellie teased us with — I know you guys are too!
I will say that I saw very few dolla bills on tables — you guys better have TIPPED! I know I did.