The Melting Pot, Roswell, GA - It wasn't just the server doing the surprising!
I'm so excited to share yet another guest post here! Folks, I can honestly say that this screwy little idea is catching on. In the few weeks since I launched this site, I've had several people tell me - both in person and in writing - that they've tried allowing their server to surprise them. And, the list of guest post requests is growing! Thank y'all for your support of SheOrderedWhat.com.This post is from Lisa, someone I met through my friend Dennis. She's full of wonderful personality, up for adventure, and was delighted to document her first "She Ordered What?!?" experience for your reading pleasure! Please feel free to leave comments for Lisa above. Here is the story of her dining adventure.Lisa's adventure:An unexpected dinner date led to a night full of fun surprises…On Friday I was reading the “She Ordered What?” blog and came across Jerod Morris's guest post about his first date adventure, all the while modifying this in the back of my mind to work in any new restaurant situation, not just the first date scenario… Knowing that my weekend was already pretty planned out to the minute with events, I didn’t think about the blog again until Sunday evening.My boyfriend and I had tickets to attend a concert in a part of town we don’t usually find ourselves out in, and thinking we would be late to the event, we made no plans for dinner. So when my boyfriend wanted to leave the event early (and we hadn’t eaten), he left the decision of dinner up to me… and that is where my story begins..Being on a side of town I wasn’t all that familiar with I had no idea in which direction to begin so in the honor of a little spontaneity in our life I hit the little “Places” app on my handy-dandy smart phone and clicked “restaurants”, deciding that the first place that popped up would be where we would go. We walked into The Melting Pot without reservations on Sunday evening and were immediately seated in a cozy private booth.Having never eaten at a fondue restaurant, I didn’t really know what to expect. The décor was dark and sensual - in a “romantic evening out” sort of way. Seeing that we had just come from an outdoor rock concert, we were a little underdressed, but the maître d’ and the wait staff made us feel completely at home. They took their time to explain how the menu worked and what we could expect with each course.I surprised both my boyfriend and the waiter when placing my drink order - I told the waiter to surprise me… He asked several questions: such as about what I liked - which I declined to answer. He glanced at my boyfriend with a questioning look - to which Joey replied, “Go for it”. He returned with my boyfriend’s water and my Gummy Bear Martini. PERFECT! Strong, but sweet and refreshing after a long day in the sun! The waiter was pleased at my response to his choice, and didn’t flinch when I told him to surprise me with the remainder of my meal. He actually was enthusiastic about surprising me!His only question was if I had any food allergies. I informed him I did not, and he went to the kitchen with a smile on his face. As he walked away my boyfriend looked at me like I was crazy (he does this frequently), and asked what this was all about, and I then explained the blog to him. He laughed and shook his head. It is a fortunate thing for me that he loves it that I am a little “out there” sometimes and will try anything at least once.I was thrilled when the server brought out our first course of Cheddar Cheese Fondue: Consisting of aged medium-sharp cheddar and Emmenthal Swiss cheeses melted beautifully with lager beer, garlic and seasonings complete with bread bites, veggies and APPLES! Cheese melted and cooked in Sam Adams Beer.. My life is oh so good - and this is just the first course!
Our main course came out within several minutes of the staff removing our salad plates, and I waited in anticipation for our server to explain what he had brought me… My boyfriend, being a little picky about his food, had ordered The French Quarter (Filet mignon, chicken breast, and white shrimp all seasoned with Cajun spices and accompanied by Andouille sausage). I, on the other hand, was rewarded by a plate full of chicken breast, teriyaki-marinated sirloin, white shrimp, citrus-infused pork tenderloin, breast of duck and chicken and vegetable pot stickers – also known as the Pacific Rim.
Our server had chosen the cooking style known as Coq au Vin to complement our entrée’s. He also explained the multiple sauces brought to the table and the cooking times for each meat before leaving us to enjoy our dinner. I loved being able to taste a little of everything and was upset that I couldn’t eat it all.
I would love to say that we left the dessert decision up to the server, but I honestly was so full from the meal that we had to pass on the dessert menu. If it had been something we could have taken home with us I would have let him pick for us both, but it has been my experience in the past that melted chocolate doesn’t travel well.
The Melting Pot is definitely a place we will visit again and big thank you to the staff for their excellent service and superb selection of food. Thank you to Jerod Morris for the idea. It was great fun, and I will do it again at the next new restaurant. Thank you to Kerri for allowing me to share my experience on her blog…- Lisa Hadden
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Thank you so much, Lisa! I'm so happy you enjoyed "dining by surprise", and that you shared your story.
You can find out more about Lisa at her: food blog, personal blog, and Facebook page.