When someone says fondue, do you automatically think of 1970s “Stepford Wives” in flowing caftans swirling their skinny forks in avocado green pots?
While spear-as-you-go vats of oozing cheese, molten chocolate and savory broths might’ve received the most press during the Nixon era, the concept of dunking food in melted or heated dip has been around since ancient times — there’s even a mention of a blend of wine, goat cheese and barley in “The Iliad.” These days, going to (fondue) pot is quite literally a hot way to dine, whether it’s at home or at restaurants like New York’s Artisanal and Arlington’s new Grand Cru Wines (4401 Wilson Blvd.). There’s an intimacy to gathering around the cute little vessels with loved ones and sharing a meal, bite after yummy bite. Just know that the fondue fork that guides food into the sauce or broth is for dipping only — it’s bad form to eat off it. Transfer the morsel to your plate and chomp it from a different fork. French-speaking regions of Switzerland are credited with popularizing the gooey dish. Bethesda’s Maja Wildermuth, 58, a staffer in the Embassy of Switzerland’s cultural section, grew
