We Make Fondu
Bite-sized blog posts from The Fondu Team
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When is the android version coming out? Pretty please.
Asked by Anonymous
we’re working on it! expect to see a web app first, android will come soon after :)
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. @mlewislogic and @viseling talking about the tech behind @fondu at NYU (Taken with Instagram at NYU Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences)
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![[This is a guest post by Olivier Pasco (opasco), a Fondu Ambassador in Southern California]
A few weeks ago I had the chance to spend a couple of days in Paris. I don’t go to Paris quite as often as I’d like but every time I find myself back there I have to go and have dinner in a Parisian Brasserie. I usually prefer a simple local one rather than one of the fancy touristy types. Obviously, the first benefit is the price but ontop of that you have much better chances to get a friendly service. Yes, even in Paris you can find friendly service! If you want some addresses, check my recent reviews on Fondu.
My typical meal in a Brasserie starts with a draft beer, usually a Grimbergen or a Picon-Biere. For the main entree, I go with a Tartare/frites. If you are not familiar with what a Steak Tartare is, it’s a patty of raw shredded beef mixed with various spices, some mustard and, if you like, some Worcestershire sauce, Ketchup and Tabasco. I just love it! (and yes, Jef, the one you make is the best)
I know, some of you may be wondering why I don’t go for some more classy French Cuisine but you can find this in the US as long as you have a good enough credit limit and it’s not that much cheaper in France. Not to mention that I get to eat French Cuisine on an almost daily basis at home. But the Tartare is for me the most Parisian dish I can have there for a very decent price while most places in the US won’t even serve you beef cooked rare.
So, if you ever go to Paris, don’t forget to try a not-too-touristy Parisian Brasserie and go for raw meat! And if you don’t feel brave enough you can always try un Magret de Canard or une Salade Landaise.](http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m15e86q4zY1r6l6x1o1_r2_500.jpg)
[This is a guest post by Olivier Pasco (opasco), a Fondu Ambassador in Southern California]
A few weeks ago I had the chance to spend a couple of days in Paris. I don’t go to Paris quite as often as I’d like but every time I find myself back there I have to go and have dinner in a Parisian Brasserie. I usually prefer a simple local one rather than one of the fancy touristy types. Obviously, the first benefit is the price but ontop of that you have much better chances to get a friendly service. Yes, even in Paris you can find friendly service! If you want some addresses, check my recent reviews on Fondu.
My typical meal in a Brasserie starts with a draft beer, usually a Grimbergen or a Picon-Biere. For the main entree, I go with a Tartare/frites. If you are not familiar with what a Steak Tartare is, it’s a patty of raw shredded beef mixed with various spices, some mustard and, if you like, some Worcestershire sauce, Ketchup and Tabasco. I just love it! (and yes, Jef, the one you make is the best)
I know, some of you may be wondering why I don’t go for some more classy French Cuisine but you can find this in the US as long as you have a good enough credit limit and it’s not that much cheaper in France. Not to mention that I get to eat French Cuisine on an almost daily basis at home. But the Tartare is for me the most Parisian dish I can have there for a very decent price while most places in the US won’t even serve you beef cooked rare.
So, if you ever go to Paris, don’t forget to try a not-too-touristy Parisian Brasserie and go for raw meat! And if you don’t feel brave enough you can always try un Magret de Canard or une Salade Landaise.
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[This is a guest post by Elisa Mader (lagourmande), a Fondu Ambassador in Seattle, WA]
Since it began 10 years ago, Dine Around Seattle has become a beloved bi-annual fine dining tradition. Every March and November, many of the city’s top restaurants offer promotional $30, 3-course prix fixe dinner menus, Sundays through Thursdays, and some even offer $15 lunches. Here’s your chance to check out that schmancy restaurant you’ve been meaning to try, but at nice price (Nishino, anyone?).
Planning your Dine Around Seattle meals is serious business, and with nearly 50 participating restaurants, you have some thinking to do. Here are just a few ideas:
photo credit to Geoffrey SmithTake a long lunch at Monsoon (or Monsoon East). As if Monsoon Seattle’s fresh, creative Vietnamese cooking weren’t enough of a draw, this Capitol Hill restaurant has outdone itself with numerous mouthwatering lunch selections, including vermicelli with Painted Hills Farm flat iron steak and oxtail pho with wagyu beef. If you indulge in Monsoon’s famous wine list, however, you might need to take the rest of the day off.
Enjoy the view at Palisade. When you indulge in the pricy but exquisite Northwest/Polynesian cuisine at Palisade, located in the Elliott Bay Marina in Magnolia, you’re also paying for its panoramic views of Puget Sound and the Olympics. With both lunch and dinner offerings and menu items such as a smoky, unctuous salmon bisque and an intriguing root beer-braised pork shank, you can’t not go!
Welcome Dine Around Seattle newcomer Betty. This Upper Queen Anne eatery has been dishing up fresh, seasonal bistro fare for a few years now, but this is its first year participating in the promotion. With entrées such as warm parmesan pudding with crostini and marinated red peppers; and with main courses such as grilled pork tenderloin accompanied by sautéed savoy cabbage, bacon and apple, let’s hope Betty becomes a regular participant.
Go vegetarian at Carmelita. Where’s the beef? Carnivores won’t even bother to ask when they see the amazingly creative menu from this Phinney Ridge vegetarian fave. Saffron “paella” with stinging nettles, English peas and baby artichokes? A frothy, foamy Meyer lemon sabayon with strawberries for dessert? Yum and yum.
Dine beyond Seattle at Barking Frog. Don’t be fooled by the name; Dine Around Seattle isn’t entirely Seattle-centric. There’s The Scotch and Vine in Des Moines and plenty of Eastside participants. Then there’s Barking Frog. This gastronomic Mecca in Woodinville is offering many delicious, healthy options, such as a smoked lentil soup with an organic egg prepared sous vide and a red beet pappardelle pasta dish with pears, chard and hazelnuts. It’s healthy enough to justify ordering the maple cake afterward.
Don’t take my word for it, though. I’m looking forward to reading your Fondu reviews of the Dine Around Seattle restaurants! Find out more here:http://dinearoundseattle.org/.
—Elisa Mader
Fondu: @lagourmande
Twitter: @ElisaMader
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[This is a guest post by Karla Leskovsky (kleskovsky), a Fondu Ambassador in Pittsburgh, PA]
Saint Patrick’s Day falls on a Saturday this year. In my world, that means indulging in a few more adult beverages than I normally would on a work night. In fact, being a Saturday means that a full day of St. Pat’s festivities is in store. In planning for such a day one needs to consider a few things. My list is as follows:
1. Drinking and Eating Establishments
My perfect St. Pat’s drinking establishment is one that’s not overly crowded and lacks “amateurs.” You know what amateurs are; they’re the people who only drink on days like St. Pat’s and Cinco de Mayo. [Insert your personal bad drunk person experience here.] For that reason, on this particular day I try to stick to bars that do not have Irish names and do not serve green beer, which is just yucky. Don’t get me wrong, I like Irish pubs and have some favorites. If you’re in Pittsburgh and want the full Irish experience, here are a few places to consider:
- Piper’s Pub – In the Southside. Fantastic Irish pub food and live soccer on the screens. Good craft beers on tap. They have a Sunday brunch from 8:30 AM – 3:00 PM, a perfect way to nip that hangover in the bud.
- Sieb’s Pub – In the North Hills. Bright and clean. Large menu selection that includes traditional Irish fare.
- Shenanigan’s Bar and Grille – In the North Hills. Big bar with a sports theme and friendly staff. Be warned that they allow smoking.
- The local CBS affiliate did a recent story about the top Irish pubs in Pittsburgh. I haven’t been to them all so cannot offer an opinion.
2. Good Parade Watching Location
The Pittsburgh St. Patrick’s Day parade is a big draw for the downtown area. There are many good viewing spots along the parade route. March weather can be pretty unpredictable so our group opts to hang out in one of the many parking garages. Check out the parade Facebook page for up-to-date information and quick responses to questions.
3. Transportation
Drinking and driving do not mix. My group is taking a bus downtown for the parade and a cab home. Here are some transportation options for the Pittsburgh area:
- The Port Authority site contains detailed bus routes, rider alerts and fare information. They even have a mobile app.
- Yellow Cab Pittsburgh – Plan ahead. Pittsburgh is notorious for its lack of available cabs.
Have a fun and safe St. Patrick’s Day!
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A big shoutout to everyone who is going to this year’s South By Southwest. You may have seen some of Gauri’s reviews or Orion’s tweets from Austin and been wondering why Fondu had trekked out to Texas so far in advance of SXSW. Well, now we are happy to tell you!
We’ve driven, ran, and jaywalked our way to all of the best places to eat and drink in town—and put them into a list for you! This isn’t some pamphlet that we are passing out, this is a full in-app compilation that anyone who is using Fondu in Austin can take advantage of. Whenever you open the Discover tab in Fondu, you will see a banner that can take you right to this list. For maximum usefulness, tap on the map button in the corner to see exactly where these top places are and how close you are.
We’re featuring plenty of Austin classics (Torchy’s Tacos, Kerbey Lane, Chuy’s), hidden gems (Sam’s Bar-B-Que, Tamale House), and festival favorites (JMueller BBQ, Frank Restaurant). There should be something for everyone!
If you’re feeling low tech, just keep your eyes out for the “We’re a Top-Rated Place on Fondu” posters or “Enjoyed Your Meal?” stickers. Find 5 of them, take pictures as proof, and tweet at us! We’ll find you and give you a Fondu t-shirt!
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If you’ve updated Fondu within the last week, you’ve probably noticed a few changes. Version 1.1 is jam-packed with new stuff, but there are four things that we are the most excited to finally release to you all.
DISCOVERY! The long-awaited search and discovery tab is finally here. It’s predecessor, Popular, was great for finding some interesting places nearby, but Discovery turns it up to 11. Enter anything you are interested in finding (“sushi”, “lunch”, “dive bar”) and Fondu will show you all the places with relevant reviews. And as always, those reviews are prioritized by the people you are following and trust.
[pssst, for anyone who remembers SpotOn, the map mode on Discovery resurrects swiping through places on a map. We had loved it and you had loved it, and now it finally made sense to bring it back!]
BOOKMARKS! While not technically a new feature, what was once almost an afterthought is now front and center. Well, front and to the upper corner actually. On the Friends feed, you have easy access to the list AND the map of your bookmarks (hint: tap on the bookmark icon). On every review, there is now a Bookmark button so you can easily save that review and that place. Feel free to go crazy with the bookmarks…because then when you are looking for a place to go nearby, one look at the bookmarks map can remind you of the places you’ve been meaning to try.
PHOTOS! Plain and simple, nothing fancy, but a huge feature nonetheless. Try taking a picture of your delicious meal and adding it to your review—you can’t help but feel a bit like a professional. Look for reviews with pictures of the ambiance—you’ll thank us when you realize you were about to go to a bar too divey even for your college days. Or even just take a picture to remember good times with friends—we hear people like to do that sometimes.
RECOMMEND TO A FRIEND! Tell anyone and everyone about where they should go to eat and drink. We obviously want you to “have taste,” but we also want you to share it! With everyone! Recommendations can be sent through Fondu as well as email, Facebook, and Twitter. Keep on spreading that foodie love!
Don’t forget to tweet @fondu what you think of this update—it’s a big one and we want to hear your thoughts!
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We’ve got new brand ambassadors—a lot!
Say hello and maybe they’ll share some of the sweet Fondu swag we gave them :)
View Fondu Ambassadors in a larger map*Want to become a Fondu Ambassador too? Learn how at http://bit.ly/yWPwUh*
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This morning, we hosted our first fondue breakfast! Bagels, waffles, french toast, and of course, some breakfast fondue to go with it all (peach, blueberry, and raspberry). Just showing a bit of love to some of our NYC Fondu users <3
Couldn’t make it? Didn’t get an invite? Don’t worry, this is just the beginning! Tweet @fondu if you want to call dibs on an invite for next time.
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[This is a guest post by Adrienne Stillman, a Fondu Ambassador in New York, NY]
This Tuesday Edible Manhattan sponsored a fantastic event dubbed Good Spirits. Designed to encourage “liquid symbiosis” between some of New York’s (and other local) chefs, mixologists, distillers and other food artisans. The line up was impressive and included some of the leading lights of our city’s locavore trend. And, at $45 a pop tickets for the all you can eat and drink event were a steal.
Most of the 50+ hospitality groups in attendance were paired off into one liquor, one food couples. Here are the highlights, which make up a pretty good “best of” the current New York food and drink scene of the moment.
the punch from Hudson WhiskyFavorite All-Around Pair: Jo’s - that Nolita standby - was next door to Tuthilltown Spirits serving, respectively, falling-off-the-bone pork shoulder winter stew and a punch of Baby Bourbon, Averna and homemade pomegranate bitters.
BK Gin
filling eggsBest Brooklyn Representation: The New York Distilling Company, who make Dorothy Parker American Gin and Perry’s Tot Navy Strength Gin based in Brooklyn on the border of Williamsburg and Greenpoint. They are one of the only distilleries in New York State to have a bar attached to the distillery - it’s called The Shanty. Two bartenders in colorful attire were mixing up samples of the Brother-in-Law made with apricot liqueur, lemon juice and the Dorothy Parker (I had two). They were paired with Fort Defiance, another BK gem from Red Hook, who were whipping up delicious deviled eggs.
Best diner food: Pierogies from Veselka - that late night drunk food bastion (not that I would know of course…) of the East Village - made with Vermont cheddar cheese and topped with the requisite apple sauce and creme fraiche.
Best gimmick: A couple of places - including Rubirosa, Salumeria Rosi and Cadaques - had whole ham legs as well that they were generously carving up.
ham from Salumeria Rosi
White Pike WhiskyMost interesting discovery: White Pike Whisky, a white whisky made in upstate NY from a blend of corn, spelt and malted wheat that was mixed with orange juice, red pepper juice (yes, really) and peach-sassafras bitters. It was surprisingly smooth and worked well with the citrus and savory pepper.
Best food/beverage pairing: Compass Box Whisky’s Oak Cross blend with a duck escabeche (excellently done) from The Beagle. Surprisingly complementary, it was truly one of the best pairs on offer.
Best non-alcoholic beverage: Brooklyn Soda Works who had a more standard apple-ginger soda and an off-the-wall totally awesome grapefruit-jalapeño-honey. Very cool, totally yum. Runner up to Bruce Cost Ginger Ale - which is a great spicy soft drink and comes in a few different flavors in addition to the original like passionfruit, pomegranate and Jasmine tea.
Overall - a great event with some stand-out vendors, and enough food (and drink) for thought to keep me busy for at least a few weeks, trekking to the far reaches of BK (ok, Williamsburg might not be that far) and closer to home to visit their permanent shops.
To read more about my food musings and (mis)adventures, including a newly minted shortlist of my NY Favs, visit my blog atalagourmande.wordpress.com.
![[This is a guest post by Olivier Pasco (opasco), a Fondu Ambassador in Southern California]
A few weeks ago I had the chance to spend a couple of days in Paris. I don’t go to Paris quite as often as I’d like but every time I find myself back there I have to go and have dinner in a Parisian Brasserie. I usually prefer a simple local one rather than one of the fancy touristy types. Obviously, the first benefit is the price but ontop of that you have much better chances to get a friendly service. Yes, even in Paris you can find friendly service! If you want some addresses, check my recent reviews on Fondu.
My typical meal in a Brasserie starts with a draft beer, usually a Grimbergen or a Picon-Biere. For the main entree, I go with a Tartare/frites. If you are not familiar with what a Steak Tartare is, it’s a patty of raw shredded beef mixed with various spices, some mustard and, if you like, some Worcestershire sauce, Ketchup and Tabasco. I just love it! (and yes, Jef, the one you make is the best)
I know, some of you may be wondering why I don’t go for some more classy French Cuisine but you can find this in the US as long as you have a good enough credit limit and it’s not that much cheaper in France. Not to mention that I get to eat French Cuisine on an almost daily basis at home. But the Tartare is for me the most Parisian dish I can have there for a very decent price while most places in the US won’t even serve you beef cooked rare.
So, if you ever go to Paris, don’t forget to try a not-too-touristy Parisian Brasserie and go for raw meat! And if you don’t feel brave enough you can always try un Magret de Canard or une Salade Landaise.](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m15e86q4zY1r6l6x1o1_r2_1280.jpg)
