The Schlicken Empire

Week Of: 2-24-07

The Melting Pot
www.meltingpot.com

This place is awesome and is great for a date night. Also, they have locations nationwide, so many readers can enjoy the awesome tastes this place produces.
First off, I’m not going to lie, this place is pricey. So unless you are Dustin, this most likely is a special occasion type of place. I took my wife to the Orlando, FL location while on vacation celebrating our 5 year anniversary.

Ok, so what is the Melting Pot. Its a Fondue restaurant. What is Fondue you may ask? Basically, there is a pot in the middle of the table where you dip/cook your food in whatever the current course may be. Here’s our experience:

We ordered the “feast for two” It started with awesome salads that had almonds, strawberries, and all the good stuff in it (To state the obvious-this wasn’t heated up, if you thought that it would be, maybe you should stick to true gourmet places such as McDonald’s and KFC’s in New York. HA) Anyways, from there you get to pick the kind of cheese dip you want. They have everything you could imagine-we had the Chipolte dip which had three different types of cheeses, bacon, spices, etc. They bring everything over to you fresh and add it right in front of you. We had breads, fruits, and veggies to place on swekers and dip.

CAUTION-THERE IS STILL A LOT OF FOOD TO COME, BE CAREFUL ON HOW MUCH YOU EAT OF THE CHEESE!

Next, you choose your main course and oils. We picked whatever kind of oil the waiter recommended ours had oils, wines, etc in it. This is where you have to leave your meats in the pot to cook (that is important). We had Fillet Mignon, Pork, Chicken, Shrimp, New York Steak, and all the veggies you can eat. They also bring out like 10 dipping sauces to dip with. I am an Au Natural man so I don’t get into dipping too much (plus I couldn’t remember what went with what), but Brigette said the sauces are excellent.

Lastly, you pick different types of chocolates and whatnot to dip strawberries, cakes, brownies, pineapples, etc. Intense!

Well, the food was awesome and the service great, they prepare everything for you, to you liking, at your table. Highly recommended.

Cost: Food, Drinks, and Tip- $115

HD

In this, the first entry of HD’s Kitchen I will attempt to recommend a few dining venues that I thoroughly enjoy as well as establishments on the “black list”.

First my credentials:

Always a fan of all types of food, I really got into it when I started travelling for my job and received the much coveted American Express company card. Over the past two years I have travelled throughout the United States and hope to provide a reference for all readers and all budgets.

Restaurant of the Week: Webber Grill Restaurant, Chicago ILL.

I went to this restaurant while visiting the windy city. We tried to go several times but the wait was over TWO HOURS. Alas I found myself alone on a Sunday afternoon watching the fourth round of the Masters enjoying a BBQ’s steak, veggies and some wonderful sweet potatoes. About $25-$30 per person and worth every penny.

Breakfast

This has to be the Waffle House. Located at every exit (literally) in the South, open 24-7 and they’re always ready to serve. Dustin, Brian, and I feasted on much more that we could eat before the SEC championship game in the ATL. Get the waffles, that is why they call it the Waffle House.

Lunch

I always think lunch should be affordable, that’s why I am recommending a national favorite, Carls’ Jr/Hardees, depending on your region. Chicken sandwhiches for the healthy people, Western Bacon Cheeseburger for the purists. You will not go wrong at CJ’s and it is a place everyone can enjoy wherever you are.

Dinner

There is some controversy behind this recommendation but I feel I must choose this to please the publisher. Here is the story. This restaurant was on the black list. I had deemed it Nasty. But then, one night, after a lively argument and promises, I caved in and gave Ruby Tuesdays another try. I have been there various times and i’ve always left with a feeling of nastiness every time.
This time Dustin says “Hey man (imagine that Dustin drawl), just give it a try” I don’t remember what I had, but I ordered what Dustin got, and it was…way good! So While Ruby Tuesdays, isnt my favorite venue, if you order whatever Dustin and I had, you should be ok. Side note. Dustin, who was wearing pajama bottoms, a red razorbacks jacket, and his green shamrock hat, and I were the only white people in the restaurant, with the majority of patrons being very nice African Americans.

THE BLACK LIST

Taco Bell-Sorry, but this place was nasty even BEFORE they started serving up E. Coli!