| Several years ago, I worked for a company that had | | | | sets available on the market. There are burners that |
| a corporate office in Belgium, and some Belgian | | | | are heated by tea lights, butane, alcohol & electricity. |
| employees came and visited our local office on a | | | | For cheese and chocolate fondue, a traditional pot |
| business trip. As I was chatting with one of them, | | | | called a caquelon is used. This is typically made from |
| the subject of fondue came up. I offhandedly | | | | ceramic or earthenware. An enameled iron or copper |
| mentioned this favorite fondue restaurant of mine, | | | | pot is used for Fondue Bourguignon. If you don't |
| and raved about the delicious chocolate fondue | | | | want to deal with the mess and hassle of making |
| dessert. Across his face came a look of incredulous | | | | fondue at home (the fondue pots can be difficult to |
| horror. He had the same expression I must have had | | | | clean after a meal), there are many restaurants that |
| when I saw spam sushi in Hawaii for the first time. | | | | specialize in fondue that you can go to. My favorite, |
| For him, the only proper fondue was cheese fondue, | | | | La Fondue in Saratoga, California, is whimsically |
| and a chocolate fondue was just a wrong, unnatural | | | | decorated, with a romantic, slightly gothic ambiance |
| thing. Any notions of Americans being a savage, | | | | that looks like the kind of place La Cirque du Soleil |
| uncultured and decadent people must have been | | | | would go to for lunch. Many styles of cheese fondue |
| confirmed in his eyes. Nevertheless, we have | | | | are available, such as Mediterranean (cheddar, beer & |
| chocolate fondue, and I am forever grateful for it. | | | | sun-dried tomatoes) and Stinking Rose (Swiss, wine |
| Specifically, we have Konrad Egli to thank, a Swiss(!) | | | | & garlic). For the Fondue Bourguignon, exotic meats |
| chef who created it for New York's Chalet Swiss | | | | such as wild boar and ostrich are offered, as well as |
| restaurant in 1964. He had earlier already started to | | | | tasty dipping sauces. The chocolate fondue, though, |
| popularize the more traditional fondue through his | | | | is to die for. Along with your choice of chocolate |
| restaurant by featuring both the cheese style and | | | | (milk, bittersweet or white) and flavorings (Amaretto, |
| the method of cooking meat cubes in hot oil (Fondue | | | | Irish Cream and others), you can dunk in pieces of |
| Bourguignon). Well, with the introduction of the | | | | snicker bars, marshmallows, strawberries, apples, |
| chocolate element, the craze really took off. Fondue | | | | bananas & sponge cake. Bring a large appetite when |
| became a popular menu item at American dinner | | | | you come here, so you have room for all the |
| parties throughout the 60's and 70's, and is starting | | | | delectable courses. If you would like to experience |
| to become popular again. Fondue originally came from | | | | the fun and novelty of fondue yourself, here is a |
| the mountains of Switzerland, where | | | | selection of fondue restaurants that may be in your |
| poverty-stricken peasants had little to sustain them | | | | area: The Melting Pot - 70 restaurants in locations all |
| except for Gruyere cheese, bread loaves and lots of | | | | across the country Boiling Point Fondue - Woodinville, |
| wine. Poor peasants. Making do of these meager | | | | WA Café Fondue - Merrillville, IN Dante's Down |
| ingredients, they combined them to create what | | | | the Hatch - Atlanta, GA Der Fondue Chessel - |
| became the traditional fondue, melting the hard | | | | Keystone, CO Fondue Fred's - Berkeley, CA Fondue |
| cheese with the wine in a communal earthenware | | | | Room - Mount Clemens, MI Forever Fondue - La Jolla, |
| pot, and taking turns dipping the bread into the tasty | | | | CA & San Diego, CA Geja's Café - Chicago, IL |
| mixture. Fondue Bourguignon, on the other hand, was | | | | La Fondue Bourguignonne - Sherman Oaks, CA The |
| a French creation. Born out of necessity, a medieval | | | | Magic Pot Fondue Bistro - Edgewater, NJ Mona Lisa |
| monk by the name of Johann du Putzxe came up | | | | Fondue Restaurant - Nampa, ID Potpourri Fondue |
| with the idea. He worked in the vineyards of | | | | Restaurant - Mentor, OH Simply Fondue - Dallas, TX |
| Burgundy and needed a convenient way to have | | | | Carolyn Croyle is the owner of a website devoted to |
| lunch while he harvested the grapes. A pot filled with | | | | foodies everywhere. We offer food-themed articles, |
| hot oil set nearby where he could dunk & cook tasty | | | | books, movies, gourmet food, kitchen products and |
| morsels of meat while he worked was the solution. | | | | more. Visit us today! |
| Today, there are several different kinds of fondue | | | | |