The Melting Pot

The Melting Pot puts its energy into bubbling pots of cheese and chocolate — and the wine list makes that very clear. Forty-five labels sounds like a reasonable number until you realize it's mostly recognizable grocery store names dressed up at restaurant prices. This is a list designed to not confuse anyone, which is both its appeal and its problem.

The list leans hard on California and Washington, which isn't inherently a sin, but the producers here — Robert Mondavi Private Selection, Mark West, Chateau Ste. Michelle — are the kind of wines you grab off an end cap at Kroger without much thought. There's no real depth, no interesting regional outliers, no attempt to push guests toward something they haven't already had. Washington gets a token nod via Chateau Ste. Michelle, but it's the entry-level Chardonnay, not anything that would make a Pacific Northwest wine fan proud. The top of the bottle list reaches $120, but with no indication of what's up there, it feels like a mystery nobody asked for.

Twelve pours by the glass is a generous count, and the $10–$16 price range is at least consistent. The problem is that consistency also extends to the uninspiring lineup — expect the usual suspects: a Chardonnay, a Pinot Noir, a Cab. There's no rotation or seasonal program in sight, so what you see in January is almost certainly what you'll see in October.