Valentine's Day and fondue: A cheesy way to say 'I love you'

Gooey melted Swiss cheese -- the perfect Valentine's Day snack? (Fritz Hahn - The Washington Post)

There's something goofy about asking a date out for fondue. The idea of eating bubbling cheese or chocolate from a flame-heated bowl is inherently retro and messy; the intimacy of sharing the bowl makes it couple-y. But for me, the magic disappears at a chain like the Melting Pot. So try this: Grab a date and go to the lounge at Cafe Mozart, order some big glasses of beer and a pot of the house fondue. Take turns dipping pieces of soft baguette into the gooey Gruyere and Swiss cheese with the long, skinny fork, sip dark Spaten Optimator beer or a German wine, and listen to the live piano or accordion music. (If you're in a dessert mood, get chocolate fondue with Austrian coffee cake and fresh fruit for dunking.)

The windowless bar and lounge isn't the most attractive room in Washington, but it's the people and the music that give Cafe Mozart its character.

An order of fondue costs $18. If you go on Tuesday nights, when happy hour is extended until 9 p.m., you can get half-liter glasses of beer for $5.65 each.