La Fondue

14510 Big Basin Way
Saratoga, CA 95070
Phone: (408) 867-3332

I remember hearing about this place on the wonderful newsgroup ba.food, and I've always wanted to try a fondue place. We found their web site, and it's got their menu online so we could see what we were getting ourselves into before heading there. We drooled as we read the menu - it looked absolutely fabulous. Once we finally got through on their crowded reservation line (busy signals and then a long hold time), we couldn't wait until we got there.

They've got a number of packages that help make your fondue choices easy, and we welcomed that eagerly. I've tried nearly everything on their menu now, but we usually stick to the basics now. With all the packages, you get the cheese fondue, salads, entrees, and chocolate fondue. We usually get the Fondue Feast - two choices from each of three different columns - typically we get Swiss Chicken, Wild Turkey, Fondue Chinoise Cheddar, Savage Duck, Shrimp, and Filet Mignon. They've got a wide variety of choices though - lobster, calamari, fish, and a half-dozen exotic game selections. All tasty, but you can't go wrong here.

Cheese choices are also varied - either a swiss or cheddar base, but with varied additions. My favorites are the cajun - cheddar, beer, cajun spices and shrimp - and the mushroom fondue - swiss, white wine, and a mix of exotic mushrooms. So delicious! The stinking rose - swiss, wine, and garlic - is also delicious, but you can likely talk your server into adding garlic into the other cheese selections. ;) They serve a variety of bread cubes and raw veggies and fruits with the cheese.

The salads aren't often worth writing home about at most places, but this is an exception - they're very delightful. I usually get the Chef's salad - Romaine lettuce, cheeses, cucumbers, tomatoes, mushrooms, and cute little chef rolls. The spinach salad is also tasty, and they've got amazing dressings - the honey mustard and lemon tarragon are near-perfect. A little lesson well learned: since there's so much food here, I often ask for them to package the salad to go and save it for lunch the next day.

The entree fondue can vary - obviously your choice of meats can change things, but they have a selection of cooking methods - from oil to grilling. My choice is often either white wine or broth - so flavorful and just caressing the meats as they cook. The grilling dries out the meat too much for my tastes, but some folks like it (the broth doesn't add any fat or anything, so this is hands-down a good choice). Once your meat is cooked to your satisfaction, you've got a wonderful choice of dipping sauces - their wasabi sauce is great, as is their mango chutney. Dont forget to toss in the vegetables as well - they're a delight with these sauces.

Chocolate fondue... well, there aren't enough words. Choose dark chocolate, bittersweet chocolate, or white chocolate... and add a choice of liquors, and you're in heaven. Bittersweet with Irish Cream, and white chocolate with Frangelico are delightful. Snickers, rice crispie treats, marshmallows and all kinds of fruits are served alongside. (If you're a late-night type, you can go simply for dessert after 10:30pm on weekdays and 11:30pm weekends - but that much chocolate might keep you up the rest of the night!) :) Go on a Monday or Tuesday and there's no corkage fee for bringing your own wine. Plan on staying for at least two hours... and then not moving much afterwards. An extravagant night out that everyone should do once in awhile. Enjoy. :)

2006 update:
We returned to La Fondue in January 2006 and were disappointed to see yet another big price increase (the Fondue Feast is now $90 - it was $70 (and included a non-alcoholic beverage each) several years ago when we first went there). The service has also decreased dramatically. We chose the fish fillet as one of our selections, and it was ahi (as usual). Unfortunately, it was a really poor cut of fish and we didn't even finish one piece. Our server was so busy in another part of the restaurant that he didn't return until we had finished everything else. He never apologized for all the delays either. We don't typically spend $120 on dinner (including tax and tip) and honestly, our dinner was such a letdown that we have no desire to return. It's also such an overwhelming meal (and they frown on ordering items a la carte) which gives us another reason to go elsewhere.

Food:	6 - creative cheese and chocolate fondues, great dipping sauces for the entree fondue, and a wide variety of selections at every turn
Ambience:	6 - intimate setting, low lights, and funky decor help you forget what's waiting for you after dinner
Service:	4 - servers know exactly what they're doing, and can provide input on selections and play-by-play as they prepare the cheese and chocolate fondues. However, they are so busy that it is often difficult to get ahold of them if you need anything. This is inexcusable given the prices.
Overall:	4 - expensive, overwhelming amount of food, uneven service... it's a potentially nice and romantic dinner but the service might spoil your evening and you'll be so stuffed afterwards you'll just want to go home and never move again.

review written 9/30/2000 and updated 01/16/2006 by Shannon Silverman
latest restaurant visit 01/2006 for dinner (noticed yet another price increase too...)
restaurant's web site

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