Perhaps the difficult decision during Ann Arbor's Restaurant Week is not where to eat, but where to eat first. My family chose The Melting Pot due to a mixture of good reviews, the trendy allure of a fondue lunch, and the swanky dimly lit atmosphere that looks like they know something we don’t.

As it turns out, what they know is how to sell fairly basic ingredients very, very effectively. But we’ll get to that.

We arrived at 11:30 to find the doors locked. The sign posted said they didn’t open until 4, so we were about to skip the whole thing and head elsewhere, but a kind server opened the door and informed us they would be opening for lunch at noon for the Restaurant Week deals. He offered to let us in a little early since it was pouring rain, for which we thanked him profusely.

The décor in the restaurant manages to be impressive without being intimidating. We sat in the back, just next to the exposed wine room—a great conversation piece and utilization of space. Our server, Matt, explained the different course choices (we were slightly limited on the $12 Restaurant Week menu, but not severely so) and we gladly took his recommendations: The cheddar fondue with beer, and Swiss with white wine, cherry brandy, and nutmeg. All this was prepared at the table on heated double boilers, with a crack of fresh pepper on both. This, and a number of breads and veggies, is lunch.

The cheese was wonderful, as expected. My only regret is that if it hadn’t been a special fixed lunch price, it would have been rather steep. What you are paying for is definitely ambiance and style rather than a complex dish—people have been making fondue in their houses for eons. The food is good, and definitely hits the spot, but the dinner menu can set you back as much as $100 when you add meats and salads.

I am tempted to accept the price point based solely on the dessert, which alone is worth the trip. The five of us had two chocolate fondues: The Original (chocolate with a swirl of chunky peanut butter), and the S’more (chocolate with marshmallow fluff, flambéd with 151 rum). These each came with a plate of brownies, pound cake, graham crackers, marshmallows, assorted fruit and bite-sized cheesecake. It is easy to forget that anyone with a microwave and a selection of chocolates can make this at home—because it’s so amazing to have it all before you. Simpleton that I am, I completely lost my head over the chocolate-covered cherries and Oreo-encrusted marshmallows, and allowed that I would definitely return for dessert.

Overall, the price is justified more by the experience than the food itself. The service, however, was worth anything they cared to charge. Our greeter and server were sweet and polite, and lavished attention on us even though we’d sprung ourselves on them early. I have paid way more for better food with worse service, which in my mind made for a much worse experience. The Restaurant Week deal is a lovely lunch, even if you have to hit the fridge later for a turkey sandwich to make up for the lack of protein.

Sarah Smallwood is a freelance writer living and working in Ann Arbor. She is currently rewriting her first novel, keeps a daily blog at The Other Shoe and hosts a podcast at Stuff with Things. She can be reached at heybeedoo at gmail dot com.