But for us a long evening out isn’t very commonly an option, so we were quite delighted when the opportunity came up to celebrate Valentine’s together without being concerned about time constraints and babysitters (thank God for grandparents who live nearby!). And, of course, fondue was at the top of the list.

We’d heard about Dylan’s Fondue Fusion — the upstart contender here in Sarasota — from some friends who said they had a good experience. And, when a coupon arrived in the mail on the front of one of those “clipper” magazines, that iced it for us… we decided to give it a try.

Now we’re not really gamblers where food and restaurants are concerned. Me? I’ll try anything… but you know keeping “Momma” happy is more important than anything else on evenings like this… and she likes what she knows. So, I was thrilled she wanted to try it, given that we are both huge fans of The Melting Pot in Sarasota.

The Melting Pot has been a regular haunt of ours on special occasions for years. In fact, just a few months ago we ate there on our 10th Anniversary.  We love the food — the beer-based cheese fondue with cheddar and Emmenthaler,  the Coq Au Vin cooking style, and most definitely the chocolate at the end (we haven’t tried one we weren’t absolutely thrilled with) — and the atmosphere. When they moved to their new home downtown a few years ago, we made the move with them — the new place has great ambience and is even reasonably easy to get in and out of with parking in the building.

The New Kid on the Block: Dylan’s Fondue Fusion

What about Dylan’s Fondue Fusion? Well… we didn’t know much other than the report from friends, and since the budget is important this year, the coupon helped. It’s located in a storefront on US 41 just a little stretch south of Bee Ridge Road. Not the most elegant location — at least on the exterior. So… all things considered, it was a gamble.

We made our reservation almost a week in advance — a good move, given that we wanted to go on Friday night before Valentine’s Day (which was, of course, on Saturday).  We opted for an early time slot to give us plenty of time to enjoy the entire evening. So… we pulled up at 5:30, almost on the nose.  We were greeted by someone who was clearly a hardworking young man. Later we learned his name is Dylan, but he didn’t let on that he was the owner when he greeted us.  His was somewhat casual attire, with a black t-shirt and apron… I took him for a staff member.

We were seated right away in the already busy restaurant, and learned from our conversation that they were completely booked with reservations and would be turning people away until very late in the evening.  The ambience and decor turned out to be quite nice — low lighting and darkish colors on the walls gave it a fairly elegant feel. The reservation was clearly a good idea, since waiting wouldn’t have been overly welcome to us.

Given that the restaurant has been open for only about 6 months, everything was new — the seating and the in-table burner and so forth.  We were treated excellently by our server, a highly professional yet warm and friendly young lady named Ashley.  She anticipated our every need, was proactive with the drink refills (something I tend to notice), and neither rushed us nor left us waiting between courses.

The food?  Excellent. Not only was it on par with The Melting Pot, but Dylan’s Fondue Fusion may have even come out on top in this category.  The cheese course was tasty — we went for a beer-based cheddar & Emmenthaler combo, which we were delighted to spot on the menu.  The veggies and breads that were served with it were fresh, tasty, and well-prepared.  The salad course gave us plenty of choices, and though both of our salads were a little heavy on the dressing, it was nothing to complain about.The options for the entree were plentiful and diverse, including a “we can’t decide” option they call “Everything But the Kitchen Sink.”  That was the one we chose, because we were able to select from a list of favorites rather than choosing one of the main sets of entrees.

Being experienced fonduers (is that a word?), we appreciated the presentation of the foods and the clear instructions. You always need a bit of a reminder on things, it seems, no matter how many times you’ve done fondue. And, of course, in a new restaurant, you want to make sure that even what is familiar will still apply. Ashley took great care of us in this department and presented us with a stunning array of sauces.  Again, very much on par with our expectations.

The chocolate course was fabulous, with cheesecake, lots of gorgeous fruits like strawberries and pineapple, and some brownies and other tasty morsels.

All in all, with pricing that is strategically less than that of The Melting Pot, Dylan’s Fondue Fusion has won us over. We’ll definitely go back.  I highly recommend the entire experience, and since you can have an experience that is just as good (if not better) than its cross-town established competition for a little less money, why wouldn’t you?

As we were on our way out, I heard someone refer to Dylan by name. Of course, being lightning-fast in my brain I put 2 and 2 together. I had to shake his hand and let him know how much we enjoyed it and how much we’d been fans of The Melting Pot.  He was glad to know he’d won us over.

Definitely give Dylan’s a shot if you’re looking for a nice, slow-paced, intimate evening out with some great food and great service.  And let him know I sent ya.

Here are the important details in case you need ‘em:

Dylan’s Fondue Fusion
4141 S. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, FL, 34231
Take my advice, make a reservation: (941) 926-1289

They’re on the east side of 41 in the brick plaza behind Chili’s.  There’s a Sprint store closest to the road… and plenty of well-lit parking close by. Enjoy your fondue!

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In any event, given the number of people who frequent this site looking for tips on buffalo wings in Sarasota, here are my top recommendations:

Wings N’ Things

This is the original classic restaurant. Their first location was out on Cortez Road West in Bradenton — just a little stretch west of 75th Street West. It was originally called “Sandy’s Wings N’ Things.”  They ultimately built a location — probably nearly 20 years ago now (although I can’t be certain) at Lockwood Ridge and Tallevast Road. It’s technically in Manatee County, but it has a Sarasota postal address.

The Wings

Really great flavor. The sauces here are — to me — the quintessential great wings flavor. If you like your wings hot, order the “napalm” setting. It tastes great and it’s nice and hot — but not too crazy. Their “TNT” setting is one step below the Napalm and also tastes great. I’ve heard that their “hot” and even their “mild” are also pretty good, but since I prefer mine hot I really couldn’t say from personal experience.  Pair up the wings with a “curly Q” (a piping hot stacked-high order of fresh-cut curly fries) and top the fries off with some vinegar and salt. Pure heaven. One of the other sides that they offer are some fried cheese cubes with some kind of a cherry mustard sauce. Wow. Makes my mouth water just thinkin’ about it.

A big surprise for me was that they actually have a menu.  Who knew?  I’d certainly never used it… until one day I convinced my wife to go along (she hates wings because they’re too much work).  She ordered a tuna salad sandwich.  Really… from a wings joint? In any event, she said it tasted like wings. Goes to show you… stick with the good stuff.

So… while a bit of a drive from Sarasota proper, it’s well worth it. Call ahead to order:  (941) 351-8005.

Wow… news flash: while visiting their website, I discovered they have a new 2nd location near Clark Road and Tamiami Trail on Gateway Avenue. I think this merits a personal visit from me so that I can confirm for you — my faithful readers — that the wings there are just as good as the other location. I’m sure I won’t be disappointed — even though the restaurant has changed hands over the years, the newer owners have done a great job! *February, 2010 Update* The new location didn’t make it. But I did grab wings at the store at Lockwood Ridge & Tallevast a couple of months ago. Great as ever!

Wings N Weenies

I’ll admit… the name was a turnoff for me for a long time. Why the heck would a restaurant that specializes in wings also advertise “weenies?” Oh well… I’m a marketer, so I’m extra picky about stuff like that.

In any case, the wings aren’t bad. Their location on Fruitville Road (in the “Sarasota Crossings” shopping center just a little ways down from Publix) is actually fairly close to my house. I’ll stop in for lunch once in a while because it’s close by.

The Wings

Not bad. The flavors are pretty good… a not-so-close 2nd to Wings N Things. Their “TNT” setting is my usual choice. It’s not the hottest, but the “Nuclear” setting — which is the hottest — just doesn’t have a great flavor in my opinion. The size is really great — they don’t skimp on the chicken here. If you come hungry, expect to eat well.  Their fries are also on the slightly-above-mediocre level.  All in all, a worthwhile stop.

A couple of other advantages — they deliver (with a relatively low minimum order), and they also have some really great personalities that work there. Expect to have a good time with whomever is waiting on you.

Others

I’ll write again a future post on some of the other joints in town. If you have a favorite, leave a comment below and let me know.  One thing I can say is that I’ve heard great stuff about the “Wing Factory” at 17th Street and Lockwood Ridge Road. A good friend and fellow wings addict had raved about it so we met there a couple of months ago for lunch. The wings were — quite frankly — terrible. The hot sauce had some kind of BBQ flavor mixed in with it. We chalked it up to the fact that the waitress/cook was on her first day. I went back a few weeks ago and had the same bad-tasting wings with a different new girl. So… I’m not sure what to say about it.  The owner is an awfully nice guy and they clearly work hard, so I’ll probably try them again and see if we can get to the bottom of the mystery BBQ flavor.

Now I’m Hungry

And since I have some errands to run today… who knows? Maybe a stop for wings is on the agenda!

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