urbanSTL

My parents just moved to Southern California (Sprawl as far as the eye can see...then quite a bit more sprawl). We stayed downtown for a night before flying out here. For our final meal before the official move, we walked over to Simply Fondue. Turns out, Trent waited on us (and made damn good fondue). He doesn't look nearly as malicious without his horns on.



The food was great. I've only had dessert at "that other place" so I can't really compare the rest of the meal. The mediterranean cheese fondue is heavenly. The Dinner for Two (for three) was an insane amount of food. The ahi tuna and the herb-encrusted pork tenderloin are the two things that really stuck out to me. Overall, we were all extremely pleased with the food and the service. My parents were happy to see that a Simply Fondue is opening up in Orange County. I'd definitely recommend checking this place out (if you haven't done so already).

Very good spot on Show Me! The gift certificates went so fast that they were gone before I could grab one.



Also, I just have to say that the six pepper beef is simply to die for!!!!!j And I would have to argue that the Spicy Pepper Jack is the best cheese, the Meditteranean is a close second and the Fontia is worth trying!javascript:emoticon(':)')

Hey everyone this is my first post, I am the other part-time bartender(Right Trent?!) at Simply Fondue. I wanted to announce we are having our open house/grand opening tom. night from 4:30-7:00. We are going to have samples of our cheese, chocolate, and some of our bar apps. Great opportunity for everyone to come in and try our food. We are also going to be making a few of our great martini's for people to sample and $5 glasses of wine. We are offering specials on our full meals also!



Side note: We have started our happy hour specials Monday-Friday 4:30-7:00 $6 Martinis and $1 off our bottle beers!!!

Part Time? Then how come I don't get more shifts?



Jax,



I enjoyed having you and your parents in. Good luck in San Fran.

We do have a veggie platter. The cheese is vegetarian. So are the salads. And as far as I know, no animals are killed in the making of our chocolate. And most of our martini's are meat-free.

WOW!!!! We went to SF last night for dinner and it was awesome! Previously we were huge fans of the melting pot, but I think it's rare that we will ever choose the melting pot over this again! The service was outstanding-- everyone was just really friendly. The food was great-- we did a cajun broth that I would highly recommend to people-- it cost extra but is so worth it. Drinks were good, atmosphere is good, etc. It seemed like there were a lot of people in there, so I hope this continues to do well-- one of the best additions to downtown. I've been waiting forever for this to open, so I'm glad that it was as cool as I was hoping. GO if you haven't been yet!

Hey all - new to the site...

I'm going to Simply Fondue with my hubby tonight for our 9th Wedding Anniversary.... anything I should know before we go??

^Cheese is DELICIOUS!

Don't be afraid to ask for suggestions from your server. Try a martini. Have a nice bottle of wine. Tip well, and go home happy.

Some opinionated, know-it-all food critic, whose name escapes me at the moment, wrote a review of Simply Fondue in the local rag today. Surprised noone posted it yet, but I guess I am the only one that reads the PD anymore.

Sometimes you just have to immerse yourself in the experience.



That's especially appropriate for Simply Fondue, a new Loft District restaurant that specializes in — well, it's pretty obvious, isn't it?



The primary means of doing fondue here is with a four-course prix fixe consisting of a salad, a cheese fondue, an oil- or broth-cooked set of main-course items and a chocolate fondue for dessert. A selection of six protein choices (fish, shellfish, chicken, pork, beef and sausage) served as fondue — with vegetables and tri-color ravioli, also fondue, on the side — is $40 apiece; for an additional nine bucks each, you get a 10-ounce lobster tail plus a bottle of the house wine.



In addition to choosing what you cook for yourself, you also have to choose styles for each course. There are four salads to start, then you choose among five cheeses, and then from "traditional" (peanut oil), Thai coconut, Mediterranean sangria and Shiner Bock Cajun for the cooking liquid. Finally you pick from eight or nine chocolate combinations for your dessert.

Read more, if you care to

The cheese is vegetarian

http://www.vrg.org/nutshell/cheese.htm

My wife and I went to Simply Fondue last night for our 7th wedding anniversary. (Actually, our anniversary is tomorrow, but what fun is it to go out on Sunday?)



Anyway, I cannot say enough great things about our experience. The setting, location, and atmosphere are excellent. Misty, our server, was very friendly, knowledgeable, and attentive. We also had the pleasure of seeing trent from this forum. Trent and I first met at an STL-UP meeting over a year ago, and last night Mrs. 314 had the privilege of meeting SF's "severely part-time" bartender. Trent's recommendations were spot-on, (I loved the bacon-wrapped tenderloin!) although I really don't think you can go wrong with any of the choices there.



The main suggestion I can offer to would-be diners is fasting prior to your meal. Eat a good breakfast, but skip lunch! There is so much good food, and you'll want to leave as little behind as possible, so you can count on being stuffed if you get the four-course meal. That said, I recommend the four-course meal (especially for first-time SF diners) because it's the best way to experience all SF has to offer.



Obviously, it's not a meal we could order on every visit, but we look forward to going back, and we'll definitely recommend the place to others!

Glad you had a good time. I walked by the first time, and I thought, I know that guy...then it clicked. It was nice to meet your wife, who we've all heard about, and she was very nice and easy going. Its good to hear that you listened to me and got the bacon tenderloin. Anyways, I'm glad you came in, and it was good to see you again.

^ That's funny. I was explaining to my wife that I was pretty sure that was you just before you came by the second time and confirmed it!



We had an excellent time...and it was great to see you again. Thanks again for the recommendations!

Now that I have bought mine, I thought I would let people know that KMOX is offering $50 gift certificates to Simply Fondue for $25 on their website.



There are 53 left.



Here is the link...

http://kmox.kmoxadvantage.com/

MattonArsenal wrote:Now that I have bought mine, I thought I would let people know that KMOX is offering $50 gift certificates to Simply Fondue for $25 on their website.



There are 53 left.



Here is the link...

http://kmox.kmoxadvantage.com/

Make that 52. Thanks for the link!

^ And then there were 51. Yeah, it's just been a couple of weeks since my last visit, but I know I'll want to go back!



Matt, thanks for the tip!

If I had someone to take, I'd be all over it like Doug on McKee.

I tried Simply Fondue last night as part of Downtown Restaurant Week and have mixed review. I understand that it was fairly busy (although there were a lot of empty tables), but the service was TERRIBLE. I know fondue takes a while...but 3 hours! They are going to need better padding on the chairs if they expect people to sit there for 3 hours. The food and drinks were REALLY good, but our waitress was missing in action. Her helper made things a little better...but overall, it was a terrible experience.

I am sorry to hear that you were not happy with your service last night. I will say that depending on how large the groups are, tables of 2 or 4 take about 1.5 hours, table of 5 to 8 about 2.5 hours and parties of 10 or more take about 3 hours. I am glad to hear you enjoyed the food and the drinks. If you do want to come in for a quick bite customers can come and do just 1 or 2 of the 4 courses. Please come back and try us again I have full confidence that your next visit will be pleasing to you. And again I am sorry that last night we did not give you a pleasant fondue experience.

MattnSTL wrote:If I had someone to take, I'd be all over it like Doug on McKee.

Here's the plan:



1. Get gift certificate.

2. Call up girl, tell her you'd like to take her out to this cool new fondue place that just opened up downtown.

3. Just go for a few drinks and a chocolate fondue so that it's fun and casual, not a full meal.

4. Have Trent hook you up with some extravagant martinis, get your $50's worth. Tip well.

5. Drink and/or engage in sparkling conversation.

6. Dip strawberries in chocolate and enjoy.

7. Leave restaurant.

8. Business time.

Can I just skip to #8?