Need a place to celebrate restaurant week? We might have fondue a place

Albuquerque Restaurant Week returns next month, and it couldn’t come at a better time for The Melting Pot, a restaurant that specializes in fondue and relies on celebrations for a bulk of its business.

“We’re trying to get our regular customers who come twice a year, maybe this will tempt them to come in a third time if we put something different on the menu,” said Christine Zalesiak, owner of the Albuquerque Melting Pot location.

The ceremonial week will return to Albuquerque for the first time since the pandemic from Friday, April 4, through April 11. Since then, the city’s culinary scene has seen multiple chefs become James Beard finalists and was ranked in 2023 by Eater as one of the top food cities in the world — one of only two U.S. cities to make that list.

The special for diners who pick Melting Pot to celebrate the week is a $44 per person three-course meal featuring a cheese fondue, an entree and a chocolate fondue.

Among the options for cheese fondue are Hatch Green Chile Cheddar, a Herb Quartet or Wisconsin Cheddar.

Entree features consist of the Lemon-Garlic Marinated Pork Tenderloin and Shrimp accompanied by a chicken breast, salmon and pasta; or for an additional $5.95 a Meat Lover’s option that features Shrimp Teriyaki Sirloin, Garlic Pepper Sirloin and Memphis-Rubbed Pork is avalible.

Chocolate fondue selections include Flaming Turtle which features milk chocolate, caramel and candied pecans; or the Flaming Strawberry White Chocolate with white chocolate swirled with strawberry puree and topped with a fresh strawberry. Both are flambéed table side.

For more traditional chocolate connoisseurs, the options of milk, dark or white chocolates are available.

“Our prices are where they’re at, because of this economy and the way things are,” said Andre Leger, general manager. “We understand people want to come out and have a good time, but it’s hard at times. So this is kind of the best opportunity, I think, for people to try it out for the first time.”

The menu is similar to the $60, four-course offering the Melting Pot featured at the last local Restaurant Week in 2019, cutting just the salad — and with it $16— from the offerings.

“It’s not the exact same, but we are trying to come up with something new so we can entice our long-time guest to come back for something different at a great price,” Zalesiak said.

Zalesiak added that the mid-April week is usually a slow time for the restaurant, coming on the heels of Albuquerque Public Schools’ and University of New Mexico’s spring breaks and a month ahead of graduations, adding “If you don’t abuse discounting, it works.”

There are 96 Melting Pot locations across the country, and one in Canada.

The Albuquerque location, the only one in the state, opened in Old Town in 2002 and moved to Uptown in 2011.

“The point of difference, for The Melting Pot, is the perfect night out, so our goal is to ensure that our guests have an amazing evening,” Zalesiak said.

Need a place to celebrate restaurant week? We might have fondue a place