Restaurant Review: Simply Fondue

January 14, 2008

Amid the newest stretch of architecture, shops and restaurants in downtown Livermore, Simply Fondue offers diners a truly unique experience. Recently, I went to Si mply Fondue to celebrate my friend’s birthday. She wanted something different for her birthday, so she thought “fondue-ing” would fit the bill. The restaurant’s website states, “It’s hip! It’s chic!” and that our dining party would be in for a “unique dipping experience.” So, we were prepared for a fun, interesting eating adventure, on par with a night out at a teppanyaki restaurant. If you aren’t familiar, when you go to a fondue restaurant, you are able to choose a variety of dipping cheeses/sauces and then dunk an assortment of foods into a pot called a “caquelon” right at your table.We were not disappointed in our expectations. The restaurant is more modern than you would expect. The atmosphere immediately hits all your senses. The furniture, lighting, and vibe are upscale and a bit swanky. The lights are slightly turned down, the smell of cheese and exotic spices circulate through the building, and the sound of the bar resonates through the restaurant. We got there a few minutes early for our 7:30 reservation, so we had a drink at the bar. This is a good spot to mention…

you should really get a reservation for this place. You can even request your spot (more secluded, complete with curtains, or out in the middle of the action).

Our drinks were great - the bar menu focuses on martinis of all sorts. With kinds like, Pineapple Upside Down Cake, Georgia Peach and Fruity Pebbles, you really can’t go wrong if you like martinis. Right about the time the drinks were ready, the host came to grab us for dinner.

Every time we go out to dinner, my wife seems to need the perfect spot for our table. I think she thinks it completely changes the dining experience if it is “off” in any way. The host sat us at a table smack in the middle of the room, and it was pretty snug. Being my wife, she asked to be moved to a more secluded booth in the corner, and the host was happy to do it. Big points.

The dining experience itself takes a while, so be prepared to spend some time. And if you go with others, make sure you all want to carry a conversation for a couple of hours. Our reservations started at 7:30 and we didn’t leave the restaurant until around 11. Fortunately, my wife and I and our friends usually have too much to talk about.

As only my second fondue experience in fifteen years, I vaguely remembered what to expect. Our waitress was happy to go over the concept and all the myriad of details that is “fondue-ing” at Simply Fondue. She blew us away with her delivery. She spoke at almost exactly the same rate as the guy from the old FedEx commercials.
I was able to retain almost nothing and didn’t dare ask her to repeat it. Fortunately, the menu spells out the system fairly well and is quite extensive with options. Basically, they have “Designed Dinners for Two,” where each person starts with a light salad, followed by samplings of cheese, main course options (meat and seafood), and chocolate fondue. You can also order a la carte, but the Dinners for Two seemed our best option. Since we had two couples, there was A LOT of food, with a great variety.

For our first course, our table chose the Italian Fontina and the Traditional Swiss Chalet. I wasn’t a huge fan of the cheese portion (kind of bland), but my wife liked the Swiss Chalet. At this point, I was really excited to move past the cheeses and into the main course. Salads are good - the birthday girl’s seemed great (Gorgonzola Greens). I kept thinking about the variety of meats and seafood that were on their way.

The meat and seafood pieces came out and, again, the waitress did her thing by describing (rapidly) how long the meats need to cook. This is the part where some cooking skills may be required. The food is raw when it comes to the table and you have the responsibility of determining when your food is cooked. Fed Ex server said three minutes and then check the food by cutting into it. When it comes to chicken, we all agreed that longer was definitely better. We ate very well done chicken. The chocolate course was awesome, except we felt the quality of the dunking pieces could have been improved, especially the pound cake. With varieties like Bananas Foster, Kahlua Heath Crunch, and Pecan Caramel Swirl, it might be tough for your table to decide.

We left feeling full and having had a very nice time. If you are looking for something different and unique or a romantic date night, this is a pretty great place. Just be sure to call ahead to get the best spot and time.

Simply Fondue gets 3 out of 5 corks.