The Melting Pot
Rating: 5 out of 5
Location/phone#: Mountain Rd, one block east of Rio Grande. (505) 843-6358
Hours: M-Th 4:30-10:00 Fr 4:00-11:00 Sat 3:00-11:00 Sun 3:00-10:00
The review:
The Melting Pot is an upscale fondue restaurant in Albuquerque’s Old Town and is known for it’s very popular meat and cheese menu, as well as some of the best service one can expect. The Melting Pot is primarily a reservation-based restaurant that also accepts walk-ins, but if you’re not on the list the wait could be substantial so we decided to make reservations. There are several different group and couples packages that save some money if you’re not sure what to get or if there are many different tastes among the group, so we decided to go with a middle-of-the-price-range package for four that set us back a couple hundred, but included four courses, with salads, cheese, entrée, and chocolate fondue. There’s a choice of four salads, as well as four different kinds of cheese that come with an array of sauces to try. The entrée included filet mignon, lobster tail, chicken, shrimp, choice tenderloin, teriyaki beef, and pork filet (all served raw), with mixed veggies, apples, and bread as dippers. As if that isn’t enough, you get to choose from five different chocolate fondues, which go very well with a cordial of Bailey’s or Grand Marnier. The chocolate comes with cheesecake, poundcake, brownies, strawberries, pineapples, and marshmallows coated in cookie crumbs to dip. The service was excellent and we were havin a pretty good time after a couple margaritas that were bigger the plates. The restaurant is very elegant and most tables are fairly private, but there are also a two rooms with a more open table arrangement. Should you decide to go, expect to spend a couple hours there because cooking and dipping is fairly time consuming, and four courses is going to take longer than the normal one, maybe two course meals people are used to.
Review Author: Miguel Ortega

From Mao to Mozart: Isaac Stern in China
Rating: 4 out of 5
Director: Murray Lerner
Release Date: 11 November 1982 (Netherlands)
Genre: Documentary/ Music
Awards: Oscar, Best Documentary 1982

Review:
My husband Charlie and I don't have the chance to get out to the movies much these days. Since I'm swamped with homework, my husband decided to subscribe to Netflix. Every Saturday evening we cuddle up together on the couch and watch a DVD. This last week we watched "From Mao to Mozart: Isaac Stern in China." In 1979, internationally acclaimed classical violinist Isaac Stern was invited to perform a concert in China. He gave a series of master classes to many talent musicians in China. He returns to China after twenty years and caught up with many of those students. Although Isaac Stern died in 2001 at the age of 81, he left a legacy behind. Isaac Stern was considered one of the finest violin virtuosi of the twentieth century. Isaac Stern was also credited for saving one of the greatest institutions known today amongst musicians, Carnegie Hall in New York City. If you are a musician, this DVD is a necessary see. For you non-musicians, this movie is a great find.
Review Author: Bernadette Bush