The pot, cooktop, and surrounding area will be hot.
Flashback to one of Susan's most treasured childhood memories.
The Heidemann family gathered around the table for their (at least, my) favorite meal. Table center: a yellow fondue pot filled with hot oil and a Sterno flame underneath, four place settings, each with a plate, sliverware, a beverage, and a little bowl full of raw meat (yeah, baby). Ok, so after Anne became a vegetarian there wasn't a bowl of meat at her place but we're going back further than that. Scattered around the table are little dishes with sauces in them. A horseradish sauce, a barbecue concoction, a sort of A-1/ketchup thing (K1 if you will), ranch dressing, a mustard sauce, and maybe others I'm forgetting. There was also usually a salad and some rolls as well, but they were by far afterthoughts. When we had fondue dinner it was An Event. It only happened once in a while, lasted at least twice as long as regular dinner, and there was fire at the table. The extra long time for dinner meant extra talking and being together. We each got two fodue forks for to cook our steak cubes to perfection. We talked and cooked, and ate, and cooked, and because you had to cook each cube one at a time it was a long and relaxing meal. I also had the pleasure of having this dish in Austria when on vacation with my Mom, bringing it even closer to my heart. They sat us in the window of the restaurant where all the passersby could watch us eat. Fodue (the cook your own meat in oil kind) came, for me, to mean family and togetherness and all that special mushy stuff that people make fun of.
Then as I grew up and went to college the frequency of fondue took a sharp decline. Even later still when fondue showed up again people mostly did the cheese kind (which is admittedly very good) and didn't really know what I was talking about when I mentioned that 'other' kind of fondue. But then, low and behold Roland got a Zagats guide for his birthday (thanks Anne and Karl) and there was this restaurant: The Melting Pot. Enter here the sound of angels signing joyful hymns with silly words (tee tee Anne).
Flash forward to this past Thursday. Jason arrived after a very long travel filled day, I think he left at like 6:00 am or something insane like that. Roland picked him up at the airport and drove him home through the usual mortal peril. After giving Jason the tour of our apartment (it's pretty short) and settling him in a bit we sprang our dinner idea on him. This restaurant called the Melting Pot, a fondue restaurant. Jason was game (good man, Jason) and we departed. After arriving at the restaurant we were promptly seated in a nice booth with a high back giving us a good feeling of privacy. The table had a heating element in the center (although for all of our safety it was turned off when we arrived) flush with the table. Our waiter arrived and graciously explained the menu to us, gave us a little time, and took our drink orders. I had a margarita and Roland and Jason had shared a bottle of wine. At The Melting Pot you can choose stuff sort of ala carte, or you can have the 'Big Night Out' which we opted for. As you have probably read elsewhere this includes a cheese fondue course, a salad course, a main meat fondue course, and a dessert fondue course. Everyone at the table has to agree on the same courses as there is only room for one pot at a time on the table (so choose your dining companions wisely, young Jedi).
We opted for a Wisconsin cheese trio which the waiter put together tableside - very cool. He had the pot warming for a while and added white wine, sauteed shallots, cheese, more cheese, and some more cheese, and some sliced scallions on top. We got to dip, bread, apples, carrots, and whatnot in it and we cleaned that bad boy out. It was very good and we could have eaten a lot more. Luckily though there wasn't more because the rest of the meal was on it's way. The next thing out of the kitchen was a salad which closely resembled one of my favorites that Roland makes. Greens with walnuts, gorgonzola cheese, and an awesome raspberry vinaigrette. The dressing was incredibly good, but I was all excited for the next course and sort of rushed through it. Then the main course (again the vast choruses should start singing here). It was just like the fondue I remember, but with fancier options that just aren't feasibly at home. A wide variety of meat and veggies; steak, chicken, shrimp, tuna, mushrooms, zucchini, and broccoli. There were additions we didn't have as a child, like breading sauces to dip your item in before cooking. And about a bajillion sauces to dip your cooked items in. They of course tell you to pretty much burn your food so that there won't be any foodborne diseases, but we generally cooked things to the degree we wanted anyway. Jason's 14 second tuna was pretty spot on. The veggies were fresh and large enough not to become overcooked too quickly. Overall it was completely awesome. When we had eaten our fill (ok, when the food on the table ran out - they offered to refill the veggies, but sheesh enough is enough) it was time for dessert. The boys let me pick which style of chocolate fondue to get and of course I went with the kind with milk chocolate with a dollop of marshmallow creame in it. Mmmm...s'mores. To dip in this sweet ambrosia were graham crackers (just dip those, trying to skewer it on the fondue fork is pretty hard), cheesecake (again just spoon some over it, skewer it only ensures you are going to have to kiss someone), fruit, marshmallows, and oreo covered marshmallows. Damn, that was some fine food. In fact if you have read the other two blogs you will have noted that yes, Jason did have a straw, and yes, he did put it in the left over melted chocolate and drink it, and yes someone who works there did see him and told everyone else in the kitchen. I'm telling you it may well have been the best meal I've ever had in a restaurant. I had fantastic food and fantastic company and it lasted about three hours I also ended up with a second margarita about half way through the meal somehow (Roland) so that may have increased my fun 2d20. Even though it was a long dinner no one looked sideways at us or encouraged us to leave and when we did leave the manager lookin' dude gave us a business card with a discount for 20% off a bottle of wine on our next visit. What a fantastic evening. If you are still reading and haven't fallen asleep you've done well and I'm about done. I just have a very special place in my heart for the fondue (especially the cook your own meat in oil kind) so I wanted to express how much it means to me and how incredibly good it tastes.
The Heidemann family gathered around the table for their (at least, my) favorite meal. Table center: a yellow fondue pot filled with hot oil and a Sterno flame underneath, four place settings, each with a plate, sliverware, a beverage, and a little bowl full of raw meat (yeah, baby). Ok, so after Anne became a vegetarian there wasn't a bowl of meat at her place but we're going back further than that. Scattered around the table are little dishes with sauces in them. A horseradish sauce, a barbecue concoction, a sort of A-1/ketchup thing (K1 if you will), ranch dressing, a mustard sauce, and maybe others I'm forgetting. There was also usually a salad and some rolls as well, but they were by far afterthoughts. When we had fondue dinner it was An Event. It only happened once in a while, lasted at least twice as long as regular dinner, and there was fire at the table. The extra long time for dinner meant extra talking and being together. We each got two fodue forks for to cook our steak cubes to perfection. We talked and cooked, and ate, and cooked, and because you had to cook each cube one at a time it was a long and relaxing meal. I also had the pleasure of having this dish in Austria when on vacation with my Mom, bringing it even closer to my heart. They sat us in the window of the restaurant where all the passersby could watch us eat. Fodue (the cook your own meat in oil kind) came, for me, to mean family and togetherness and all that special mushy stuff that people make fun of.
Then as I grew up and went to college the frequency of fondue took a sharp decline. Even later still when fondue showed up again people mostly did the cheese kind (which is admittedly very good) and didn't really know what I was talking about when I mentioned that 'other' kind of fondue. But then, low and behold Roland got a Zagats guide for his birthday (thanks Anne and Karl) and there was this restaurant: The Melting Pot. Enter here the sound of angels signing joyful hymns with silly words (tee tee Anne).
Flash forward to this past Thursday. Jason arrived after a very long travel filled day, I think he left at like 6:00 am or something insane like that. Roland picked him up at the airport and drove him home through the usual mortal peril. After giving Jason the tour of our apartment (it's pretty short) and settling him in a bit we sprang our dinner idea on him. This restaurant called the Melting Pot, a fondue restaurant. Jason was game (good man, Jason) and we departed. After arriving at the restaurant we were promptly seated in a nice booth with a high back giving us a good feeling of privacy. The table had a heating element in the center (although for all of our safety it was turned off when we arrived) flush with the table. Our waiter arrived and graciously explained the menu to us, gave us a little time, and took our drink orders. I had a margarita and Roland and Jason had shared a bottle of wine. At The Melting Pot you can choose stuff sort of ala carte, or you can have the 'Big Night Out' which we opted for. As you have probably read elsewhere this includes a cheese fondue course, a salad course, a main meat fondue course, and a dessert fondue course. Everyone at the table has to agree on the same courses as there is only room for one pot at a time on the table (so choose your dining companions wisely, young Jedi).
We opted for a Wisconsin cheese trio which the waiter put together tableside - very cool. He had the pot warming for a while and added white wine, sauteed shallots, cheese, more cheese, and some more cheese, and some sliced scallions on top. We got to dip, bread, apples, carrots, and whatnot in it and we cleaned that bad boy out. It was very good and we could have eaten a lot more. Luckily though there wasn't more because the rest of the meal was on it's way. The next thing out of the kitchen was a salad which closely resembled one of my favorites that Roland makes. Greens with walnuts, gorgonzola cheese, and an awesome raspberry vinaigrette. The dressing was incredibly good, but I was all excited for the next course and sort of rushed through it. Then the main course (again the vast choruses should start singing here). It was just like the fondue I remember, but with fancier options that just aren't feasibly at home. A wide variety of meat and veggies; steak, chicken, shrimp, tuna, mushrooms, zucchini, and broccoli. There were additions we didn't have as a child, like breading sauces to dip your item in before cooking. And about a bajillion sauces to dip your cooked items in. They of course tell you to pretty much burn your food so that there won't be any foodborne diseases, but we generally cooked things to the degree we wanted anyway. Jason's 14 second tuna was pretty spot on. The veggies were fresh and large enough not to become overcooked too quickly. Overall it was completely awesome. When we had eaten our fill (ok, when the food on the table ran out - they offered to refill the veggies, but sheesh enough is enough) it was time for dessert. The boys let me pick which style of chocolate fondue to get and of course I went with the kind with milk chocolate with a dollop of marshmallow creame in it. Mmmm...s'mores. To dip in this sweet ambrosia were graham crackers (just dip those, trying to skewer it on the fondue fork is pretty hard), cheesecake (again just spoon some over it, skewer it only ensures you are going to have to kiss someone), fruit, marshmallows, and oreo covered marshmallows. Damn, that was some fine food. In fact if you have read the other two blogs you will have noted that yes, Jason did have a straw, and yes, he did put it in the left over melted chocolate and drink it, and yes someone who works there did see him and told everyone else in the kitchen. I'm telling you it may well have been the best meal I've ever had in a restaurant. I had fantastic food and fantastic company and it lasted about three hours I also ended up with a second margarita about half way through the meal somehow (Roland) so that may have increased my fun 2d20. Even though it was a long dinner no one looked sideways at us or encouraged us to leave and when we did leave the manager lookin' dude gave us a business card with a discount for 20% off a bottle of wine on our next visit. What a fantastic evening. If you are still reading and haven't fallen asleep you've done well and I'm about done. I just have a very special place in my heart for the fondue (especially the cook your own meat in oil kind) so I wanted to express how much it means to me and how incredibly good it tastes.
Labels: Food
posted by Susan at 9:16 PM
2 Comments:
I have a special place in my heart for you (plus 20d6)! This was a fun time, and I encourage anyone out there who is near one of these places to give it a try. We heartily enjoyed out night out.
That was a great evening. For the record, I was encouraged to do the straw thing by my tablemates... I blame it all on them!
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