Traditional fondue is a Swiss and French dish of melted cheeses served in a “caquelon” or communal pot over a rechaud, a “small burner” and eaten by dipping long-stemmed forks with bread dipped into the cheese or a chocolate mixture as with chocolate fondue. Fondue bourguignonne variation uses of pieces of meat cooked in hot oil. In the San Jose area, try one of these local great fondue restaurants for a date night or when going out with friends. The popular franchise The Melting Pot location in San Jose has closed down (www.meltingpot.com). Their nearest location is now in San Mateo and Sacramento. However, these three local fondue restaurants are a great comparison: the Crepes Cafe, La Fondue, and Rok Stone-Age Fondue & Stakehouse. Note that a minimum of two people are required at most places serving fondues.
Crepes Cafe
First at the Crepes Cafe (www.crepescafe.com), choose from a variety of their three cheese Classic Savoyarde, Provencal or L’Aveyron fondues. Here, I tried the Classic Savoyarde, which is Gruyere, Emmental, and Compte Cheeses for $16.95 per person. The Provencal fondue consists of goat cheese, brie, and sundried tomatoes with a hint of basil, and the L’aveyron is a light creamy Roquefort with Brie and touch of cognac both for $17.95 per person. In addition to the bread, all fondues are served with a small appetizer crepe, side salad, and fresh food. My total came out to $21.85 with tax.
This is a great little restaurant near the Menlo Park station but can attract quite a lunch crowd very fast, so for best service, arrive early. They are located on 1195 Merrill Street in Menlo Park.
La Fondue
Next at the La Fondue (www.lafondue.com) offers over 50 different types of fondues from the glamorous Wild Game, Kobe Wagyu to the more classic decadent chocolate fondue. If you order Fondue A La Carte, selection of classic Cheeses start at $21 for Chedder, Buttermilk to $29 for a four-cheese Wild Mushroom fondue. Individual portion of Fondue Bourguignnon starts at $18 for Garden Vegetable, $75 for three lobster tails, and $90 for Kobe Wagyu Filet Mignon. For dinner, selection can vary by cooking methods, which range from rich,flavorful Canola Oil, euro-grill, sherry based, spiced red wine, and court bouillion. Dinner fondues offers catchy names like La Romantique for $125, Wild Thing and “Le Freak C’est Chic”. They are located in the center of Saratoga Village on 14550 Big Basin Way.
Rok Stone-Age
Rok Stone-Age Fondue & Stakehouse (www.rokbisro.com) on 125 Murphy Ave in Sunnyvale offers a selection of fondues for lunch and dinner. Their current Fondue of the Month is Dungeness Crab.
The lunch cheese fondue is $7.99 per person (two-person minimum) and their most popular fondue is “California Dreamin'” which is Monterey Jack, Pepper Jack and grated Parmigiano-reggiano cheese blended with flavorful herbs. For dinner, choose a very eclectic “Hot Rock Entree” or the “Rock n Pot” for $19 which is half salad, cheese fondue and a dessert. Chocolate Fondue desserts start at $10 and variety consists of Classic Chocolate, Snickers Bar to Black Forest. This restaurant also has a kids menu.
With the approach of Valentine’s Day, one of the above fondue restaurants offers the perfect atmosphere for a romantic night out!
References:
1. www.crepescafe.com
2. www.lafondue.com
3. www.rokbistro.com
4. www.meltingpot.com
