What the heck is fondue?
Fondue is a Swiss, Italian, and French dish
of melted cheese served in a communal pot over a portable stove, and
eaten by dipping long-stemmed forks with bread into the cheese. Wikipedia
Hmm sounds interesting, right? maybe? a little?
Welllllll, lemme tell you! I LOVED IT!!! But, it's probably not for everybody. Not everyone wants to go out and basically cook their own food. Not everyone would want to eat their meal in bits and pieces. Some people may just think it's just too weird.
Let me just tell you about our experience...
First we were seated in a section called "Lovers Lane" (I think that's what they call it LOL) It's a section off by itself with booths for two people. Each booth faces an aisle and a wall. the sides of the booth are higher, so you can't see your neighbors sitting in the next booth. The lights are dim. A really nice low jazz was playing in the background. I found out if you call ahead and you have a really super duper romantic evening, and they will spread rose petals around the booth, a bottle of champagne or wine, and bouquet of roses (Cha-Ching $$$$ LOL)
Okay, back to our experience!
When we were being seated we were asked if we were celebrating anything special, and we said that our wedding anniversary was the other day. A short while later she came back out with an anniversary card signed by all the staff (very sweet).
She explained how the whole fondu thingy worked. We chose the 4-course meal. (Tip: check out the weekly specials, you can get better deals) In the middle of your table there is a smooth top stove type thing, and a pot is placed on and the waiter starts adding things into it.
The first course is Cheese (melted in fondue pot) They have a few different kinds. We had,
The Melting Pot Cheddar Cheese Fondue
Aged, medium-sharp cheddar and Emmenthaler Swiss cheeses, lager beer, garlic and seasonings.
Aged, medium-sharp cheddar and Emmenthaler Swiss cheeses, lager beer, garlic and seasonings.
They serve it with a platter of breads, fruits, and veggies. That cheese was sooooo good and melty (hmm is that a word?) You really could just stop right there and be good. We had to stop ourselves cause we were getting full from that.
The second course was Salad. Again, they have different kinds, but I chose:
California Salad
Mixed baby salad greens, Roma tomatoes, candied pecans and Gorgonzola cheese with Raspberry Black Walnut Vinaigrette.
Mixed baby salad greens, Roma tomatoes, candied pecans and Gorgonzola cheese with Raspberry Black Walnut Vinaigrette.
These salads needed nothing, they were perfect and delicious!
The third course, the Entree. Again, lot of variety, but we went basic: chicken, shrimp, teriyaki marinated sirloin, and some type of pork. They bring it out raw on a platter, along with a bowl of veggies. You also select what type of liquid or oil to use to cook the food in. We picked....
Coq Au Vin
Burgundy wine infused with fresh herbs, spices and mushrooms.
Burgundy wine infused with fresh herbs, spices and mushrooms.
My first thought was that this was going to taste like boiled meat, but it didn't. It was very tender and so flavorful! Plus, they bring a bunch of different sauces to be paired with each meat.
Finally....OMG! Dessert! HEAVEN!
There were several different type of chocolate combinations to try. We went with basic Original. which was basically a big melted Reese's Cup, but OHHHH MY!!! They brought out a selection of goodies to dip. (pineapples, bananas, strawberries, coated marshmallows, pound cake, rice crispy treat)
WHO KNEW EVERYTHING WAS BETTER DIPPED IN CHOCOLATE!!!!!!
Let me add a little note here. I'm sure like every restaurant the experience will not be the same. It may taste differently, you may not get a really wonderful waiter like we had. Or, you may find that it's just not your cup of tea.
We enjoyed it! I recommend it for a girl's night out, family night, or a romantic date with your honey :) They're all over the place!
Blessings!
Beth
