The Melting Pot!

The Melting Pot has the most GF options of any menu that I've seen so far.  For the most part, the items are identical to the regular menu, with some substitutions to the dipping items. 

Here is what the menu says:

"This menu and the information on it is provided by The Melting Pot, in cooperation with the Gluten Intolerance Group® (GIG®), as a service to our guests. The Melting Pot and GIG® assume no responsibility for its use and information which has not been verified by The Melting Pot. Guests are encouraged, to their own satisfaction, to consider this information in light of their individual requirements and needs. Updated 8/20/2012."

I don't know anything about the Gluten Intolerance Group, or what their requirements are.  I plan to do a little research this afternoon to see what their standards are as far as kitchen prep, etc.

The waiter seemed knowledgeable about the gluten-free menu.  He knew which items to substitute and pointed out that I should avoid the Teriyaki-marinated sirloin because it had gluten (bonus points for the soy sauce knowledge!)  He asked me if I had a gluten intolerance and he said that he has never served someone with an actual intolerance or allergy, but only those who are going GF to "diet."  (To which I rolled my eyes because the cheese fondue alone is probably 500+ calories even without the bread!)

My only concern is that not once did he mention or ask about Celiac, nor did the menu refer to Celiac.  The combination of the disclaimer on the menu and the lack of mention made me question whether the menu was really geared towards those who are only "gluten intolerant" and not to Celiacs.  This also led me to question whether the wait staff/kitchen staff is educated on cross-contamination issues.  One specific concern of mine was the cheese used in the fondue.  The waiter brought a bowl of shredded cheese to prepare the cheese fondue.   I don't know if the kitchen shredded the cheese or they order it pre-shredded; but, it was perfectly shredded, like Kraft Cheese at the grocery store.  I almost asked, but didn't since I am still ridding my body of gluten from that barley-containing yogi tea :( I'm not sure how picky the Gluten Intolerance Group is, or if they allow for negligible amounts of gluten (i.e. flour/product used to keep the cheese from sticking together.)  Again, I will do a little more research on this later this afternoon. 

We ordered the "Four Course Classic" ($90 for 2, $45 for each additional person).  These were our selections:

(1) Traditional Swiss Cheese Fondue w/apples, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots and corn tortilla chips instead of bread.  While the cheese fondue itself was very tasty, cheese fondue is just not the same without bread :( The Melting Pot should really consider bringing in some GF bread!

(2) The Melting Pot House Salad w/no croutons, no onions, dressing on side

(3) "Mojo" Cooking Style Fondue w/Angus sirloin, Memphis-style BBQ pork tenderloin, white shrimp, herb-crusted chicken.  (We doubled the sirloin to substitute out the Teriyaki-marinated sirloin.) 

(4) Pure Chocolate Fondue w/dark chocolate.   It came with strawberries, bananas, marshmallows.  The menu said that pineapples were to be included, but they forgot ours :(  Normally, the fondue comes with: strawberries, bananas, cheesecake, Rice Krispie Treats, marshmallows, pound cake and brownies.  You can't go wrong with chocolate fondue!

I also ordered the "Yin & Yang" specialty drink, which was also on the GF menu.