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05/11/2002 Archived Entry: "Sean's Fondue Addiction"

Sean Brady, my assistant, wrote the following entry, motivated by our purchase of a package of pre-made vacuum-packaged Swiss fondue.
--Arthur

Eating fondue is never an exercise in moderation. It’s instead about a total lack of control. You sit in front of a pot of melted cheese and mindlessly dip bread into it for hours. In the middle of the binge, you are likely to have forgotten when you’ve started. I do not, however, apologize for my love of (okay, addiction to) fondue.

In fact, my good friend Mark and I go to La Bonne Soupe, a charming French bistro in midtown, at least every other week for fondue. When the steamy, bubbling pot of cheese fondue comes to our table, we both fight for the first dip.

You can imagine my excitement when I was shopping with Arthur at Sahadi Importers, a fabulous mainly Middle Eastern food store on Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn, and saw “Swissrose Fondue,” a pre-made vacuum-packed fondue. It cost only $3.50 for a 14-ounce package that ridiculously says it serves seven. We thought it looked like enough for two, and decided to give t a try.

Simply heating the mixture in a saucepot, the wonderfully funky smell of Gruyere filled the kitchen. The consistency quickly changed from an unappealing grainy blob to a deliciously sticky dip. The fondue was ready. Like fools (albeit happy fools), we stood around the stove dipping small chunks of crusty French bread into the pot. I must say, it was quite good. It certainly wasn’t homemade, but it did offer the depth of flavor that great fondue is famous for. It even had that unmistakable hint of kirsch, the white brandy made from crushed cherry pits.

By the way, tradition says that when a piece of bread is accidentally dropped into the fondue pot, the person who lost it must kiss the person to their right. Pucker up!

La Bonne Soupe
Fondue au Fromage: $15.95
48 West 55th Street (between 5th & 6th Avenues)
Manhattan, NY
(212) 586-7650

Sahadi Importers
187 Atlantic Ave. (between Court and Clinton Sts.)
Brooklyn, NY
(718) 624-4550