Fondue Fun
Yesterday I arrived in Fort Lauderdale to visit Dave and Susan. The trip was uneventful with two exceptions. First, I had a five hour layover in Detroit. This actually worked out well as I didn't get a whole lot of sleep the night before... the power nap in the airport helped quite a bit. Second, my luggage actually made it to Florida before I did. When I arrived in the airport I heard an announcement indicating I should go to the Northwest luggage office. When I went to the office, full of fear that my luggage was destroyed, I found my bags sitting in the office. Apparently they went from Kalamazoo to Detroit to Minneapolis to Fort Lauderdale faster than I was able to go from Kalamazoo to Detroit to Fort Lauderdale. It's a weird world we live in.
Dave picked me up at the airport and after making our way through traffic the likes of which I haven't seen since Puerto Rico, we made it to their apartment. The apartment is a very nice place. It's spacious, has vaulted ceilings, and a pretty good floor plan. After a short period of getting settled in we went out to The Melting Pot, a fondue restaurant.
The Melting Pot was awesome. We sat at a booth which had a heating surface built into the middle of the table. We decided to go for the "Dinner Event" which consisted of four courses. The first course was melted cheese fondue (Fontina, Blue Cheese, shallots, and white wine). In this we dipped a variety of breads, vegetables, and some very nice green apples. There's really nothing better than melted cheese.
Round two consisted of a very nice salad with Gorgonzola cheese, walnuts, and spring greens. It was wonderfully tasty but didn't even compare to round number three, the main course. We had a fondue pot full of hot Canola oil. Our server, who was awesome, brought out two large plates of meat (prime rib, N.Y. Strip, chicken, shrimp, tuna), a big plate of vegetables, two types of batter, and a variety of sauces too numerous to mention though I will say that the table was completely full. The fun part of a fondue dinner is that you can cook exactly what you want to to the exact level of doneness that you find tasty. You can batter things then cook them or cook them plain. It was a huge amount of food and probably one of the most tasty experiences I've had recently.
Round number four was dessert. We went for the chocolate/s'mores fondue. We had cheesecake, strawberries, coated marshmallows, and pineapple to dip in the chocolate. It was a wonderful desert but once we had dipped everything we still had qutie a bit of chocolate left. Dave, Susan, and I had a discussion about whether it was appropriate to drink the chocolate with a straw. Though it seems unlikely that this is, in fact, an appropriate activity, I really liked the chocolate. With this in mind I salvaged the straw from my water and sucked up some very tasty chocolate. It was good and I'm not proud.
Dinner was fantastic and it wasn't just the food. Dave, Susan, and I had a great time hanging out, chatting, and generally having fun. Dinner lasted for about three hours which was great from my point of view. One of the things I love about Europe is that in many places they take their time about eating. Dining is an experience to be shared with family and friends and shouldn't be rushed through. In the United States we frequently rush through a meal and there's considerable pressure to vacate the restaurant so that they can seat the next people at the table. At the Melting Pot we didn't experience any such rushing which was very much appreciated.
For another look at the experience, you can check out Dave's take on the day.
Dave picked me up at the airport and after making our way through traffic the likes of which I haven't seen since Puerto Rico, we made it to their apartment. The apartment is a very nice place. It's spacious, has vaulted ceilings, and a pretty good floor plan. After a short period of getting settled in we went out to The Melting Pot, a fondue restaurant.
The Melting Pot was awesome. We sat at a booth which had a heating surface built into the middle of the table. We decided to go for the "Dinner Event" which consisted of four courses. The first course was melted cheese fondue (Fontina, Blue Cheese, shallots, and white wine). In this we dipped a variety of breads, vegetables, and some very nice green apples. There's really nothing better than melted cheese.
Round two consisted of a very nice salad with Gorgonzola cheese, walnuts, and spring greens. It was wonderfully tasty but didn't even compare to round number three, the main course. We had a fondue pot full of hot Canola oil. Our server, who was awesome, brought out two large plates of meat (prime rib, N.Y. Strip, chicken, shrimp, tuna), a big plate of vegetables, two types of batter, and a variety of sauces too numerous to mention though I will say that the table was completely full. The fun part of a fondue dinner is that you can cook exactly what you want to to the exact level of doneness that you find tasty. You can batter things then cook them or cook them plain. It was a huge amount of food and probably one of the most tasty experiences I've had recently.
Round number four was dessert. We went for the chocolate/s'mores fondue. We had cheesecake, strawberries, coated marshmallows, and pineapple to dip in the chocolate. It was a wonderful desert but once we had dipped everything we still had qutie a bit of chocolate left. Dave, Susan, and I had a discussion about whether it was appropriate to drink the chocolate with a straw. Though it seems unlikely that this is, in fact, an appropriate activity, I really liked the chocolate. With this in mind I salvaged the straw from my water and sucked up some very tasty chocolate. It was good and I'm not proud.
Dinner was fantastic and it wasn't just the food. Dave, Susan, and I had a great time hanging out, chatting, and generally having fun. Dinner lasted for about three hours which was great from my point of view. One of the things I love about Europe is that in many places they take their time about eating. Dining is an experience to be shared with family and friends and shouldn't be rushed through. In the United States we frequently rush through a meal and there's considerable pressure to vacate the restaurant so that they can seat the next people at the table. At the Melting Pot we didn't experience any such rushing which was very much appreciated.
For another look at the experience, you can check out Dave's take on the day.
posted by KzooJason at 10:53 PM
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