Fondue the Right Way

Not too long ago my friend took me to La Fondue in San Juan Capistrano with her exclaiming that "Melting Pot Sucks! (although their chocolate fondue's not bad)."

First off, their decoration is AMAZING! Especially their chairs! All the chairs are shaped into something interesting. For example, the chair in the Ladies room is gold-colored, the top shaped like a swan and the legs are a pair of feet wearing Ballet shoes. They have knight-themed chairs, etc. I suggest going to their website and looking at the photos :)

So began our amazing 3-course meal (plus salad). We got the Fondue Feast (For 2) and shared it among 3 people. This item is $92 and it's plenty for three people, really.

First comes the salad. We got the Chef's Salad, which comes with "Chef's Rolls" which my friend could not go without.

And then there was CHEESE! We obviously went with the Pesto & Cognac, since we love pesto (doesn't everyone?)

Comes with bread and various vegetables.
The cons: NOT ENOUGH of this goodness! we were scraping the pot with whatever bread/veggie remained.

By this point we were already full. But more to go. And we can handle it ...

So I like my meat grilled, not boiled. So we got "The Grill" which is one of the things that puts this place over The Melting Pot.

They took our pot away and brought a small black grill and a little black spatula.

Here was our feast:

Chicken Japonaise
Teriyaki Sirloin
Buffalo
Wild Savage Duck
Wild Boar
Private Reserve Filet Mignon


They give you 6 dipping sauces. And as much garlic as you want.


The Chocolate Fondue ... well, chocolate is mostly always delicious, isn't it? :)
Their rice krispies balls are generally the hit, and they give only one for each person :<

La Fondue
31761 Camino Capistrano
San Juan Capistrano, CA 92675
(949) 240 0300
www.lafondue.com

Cobbler+Gumbo

It took me a year to discover this place that is just a few blocks up the exact same street I live on. Shame on me! But I have been making up for it by visiting regularly. The Gourmet Cobbler Factory in Pasadena is a small hole in the wall place on Catalina Ave, just north of Colorado. If you're walking up from Colorado you would see a faded sign and barred windows/door, and you might think the place has gone out of business. But just walk a little more and you'll see the actual entrance door!

The place is pretty much all take-out: there are one or two tables outside, but they don't heat things up for you. The gumbo (yes they have gumbo! and sweet potato pie!) is sold by the pints, quarts, etc, and chilled so it doesn't spoil.

THE COBBLER
The "single serving" (which is too much for one) 4x6 cobbler ranges around 6$, depending on the filling. My ultimate favorite is the Cherry Cobbler. Followed probably by the blueberry (pictured left), or the peach (pictured below).

I've read a lot of reviews with people complaining that there's no bottom crust. I guess they've heard your laments, because my cobblers definitely have a bottom crust!

All the cobblers are made with fresh fruits, no preservatives, and the taste? I eat them for lunch! I'll eat them for dinner again! If it wasn't so bad for my health and figure I'll just keep eating it!




THE GUMBO ($15.50 / quart)

I was surprised I had to tell my friend this but, yes, be careful eating the gumbo. The chicken still has bones. The crab is still in the shells. The shrimp tails are still attached.
Their gumbo is good. Not awesome. But they can double brownie points for being a great take-out within walking distance. And another brownie point because I can get a cherry cobbler while I'm there. Oh, and a peach too. And blueberry. And a sweet potato pie. Yeah. That'll be all.


The Gourmet Cobbler Factory (www.thegourmetcobblerfactory.com)
33 N Catalina Ave
Pasadena, CA
(626) 795-1005

(closed on Mondays)

Bloom, Tea

A lot of you have probably seen it in that movie 'Marie Antoinette.' Some may have seen it elsewhere. The movie was the first time I saw this in, then when I saw this strange leave-wrapped thing at Tea Station, I thought "could it be ..."

And it was!
So I bought this Yuan Bao Tea, which is sold at Tea Station for rather expensive :( $15 for a box of 6. But I was too curious! I have since then found a bunch of websites where you can order them online for cheaper, but I've yet to try ordering.


So the crinkled little thing bloomed into a purty red flower in hot hot water :)

It takes longer than Marie Antoinette might have made it seem, but I waited with excitement and it was worth it.

The taste for this particular one was just like regular jasmine tea.

Online I saw crysanthemum, jasmine, and other flowers as the flower inside, so who knows, maybe you 'll get different tastes after all?