La Fondue in Saratoga, CA

La Fondue is located in Saratoga, which neighbors San Jose, California. The New York Times touted the restaurant as "the place to go in the south bay" for a good reason. Whether you are going to La Fondue for a romantic evening or a special occasion with family and friends, you are in for a treat.

While I don't remember the outside of the restaurant, I do remember what it was like eating inside of it. My family and I went there for my mother-in-law's birthday a number of years ago. I didn't know it at the time, but the restaurant catered more toward adults than families with small children. Our host was gracious enough to help us seat my young sons so that they could enjoy the fondue dinner that we were about to have.

They gave us a menu and explained the basics of what types of fondues they made. The only thing we had that wasn't fondue was a refreshing green salad. They offer a chef or a spinach salad, with your choice of dressings, which include sweet and sour with blue cheese crumbles and lemon tarragon, among the standard dressings.

Today's menu includes 13 types of cheeses and about 30 different kinds of meat fondues. Several of them are quite extravagant, such as the Texas Ostrich and the Louisiana Alligator. I don't know if I could touch those, but the seafood, beef and chicken fondues are very good.

The server will set out hotplates and cook the meat right in front of you. The sizzling and popping grease was a bit unnerving to me and my son, but the end result was tasty.

My favorite aspect of the meal was the dessert. The only thing I can honestly remember were the strawberries and chocolates. You have two options for dessert. The first is the standard chocolates mixed with a variety of liqueurs. The second option is your choice of one of seven sweet recipes. Examples of those would be the Butter Baby and The Decadent One. Butter Baby consists of white chocolate, butterscotch, pecans and flambe. The Decadent One consists of milk and dark chocolate, Espresso, Kahlua and crème. Are you feeling hungry yet?

Walk-ins are okay, but the place gets pretty busy. Because of that, I would recommend calling to reserve a table, especially if you have more than two people in your party. Also expect to pay at least $250 for a party of four, including taxes and gratuity.

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