Fondue...

[etoiles]

The best (and possibly traditional?) way to clean up the pot is to crack 1 or 2 eggs in the pot when it's almost empty and have a yummy cheesy omelette type thingy.

agreed, there should never be any cheese left... the best part is the caramelized cheese crust at the bottom anyway mmmmmh

but if you get defeated by the cheese, put some cold water and soap into the pot and let it sit over night: the cheese will come out as a single block the following morning.

 

[OutThere]

My favorite fondue is half gruyere, half vacherin (the Swiss kind, very hard to find in the US ). I have tried to substitute emmentaler for the vacherin, but wasn't too impressed... had better results with raclette or jarlsberg, which are not as bland. I shall give beaufort a try next time...

ok, back to our regular program

Really good swiss cheese is nearly impossbile to find in the states, nothing beats the smell of cheese carts in the swiss street markets (where they still exist). American cheese just doesn't cut it, though XXX-Super Sharp New York State Cheddar will work for me (not for fondue, but in general). Swiss cheese just has no comparison elsewhere.

 

[Dr. Dastardly]

The melting pot is one of the most over priced gimick restaurants I have ever been to. I'm not saying that its bad food, its great. But come on, the main entree is meat that is NOT cooked. You put it in the fondue to cook it. Which is cool but do you really need to spend upwards of $50 for an entree which is just cut up meat?

The last time I went there was just for desert. Chocolate fondue thing which is excelent plus a glass of milk because well... I can't have choclate without milk.

$22 with tip, thats just one desert! And not a very good tip!

All I know is this place must rack it in with the low overhead. Unless they have some astronomical insurance costs because of the fondue to even them out.

 

[highres]

And agreed, the cheapest fondues are - obviously, made at home. However it must be quite difficult for non-Europeans to get the basic ingredients...

Actually not that hard at all to get just about any cheese if you know the right places to go. In Los Angeles we have many, many import/specialty shops. If they don't have it immediately in stock, they can get it pretty quickly. Like any other business, money talks, if you have the cash there is always someone ready to provide the product.

 

[ibook30]

I've had the same experience at the same chain of restaurants. It's a nice time - food and environment are decent, but it seems a little too little for the price tag. If I remember correctly the drinks were outrageous!

If I were waiting tables today- I'd want to work there! ('cept for the oil burns...)