Fondue-ing

Philadelphia's fall restaurant week started this past Sunday. We went to a chain restaurant (gasp!) for a thoroughly interactive dining experience. I - and probably one other person in this city - had never heard of The Melting Pot. It turned out to be an overpriced fondue restaurant and well worth the $30 prix fixe menu.

Fondue. What's not to like? A warm pot of cheese, a sizzling vat of oil and melted chocolate? It's brilliantly easy, fun and deceptively filling. My favorite dips were granny smith apple chunks in cheddar, tuna in broth, and strawberries and bananas in milk chocolate spiked with a little Bailey's. All was well until someone threw a lobster tail shell into the hot oil. I'll leave it up to your imagination as to how much noise erupted from the pot, how far the oil spat and how many heads turned toward our table. Why must boys act so dumb sometimes?