Certain kinds of dining necessitate the invention of new utensils: Asian cooking begat chopsticks, clam chowder brought about the crazy straw, and now there are forks long enough to keep scalding cheese away from hands. Skinny dip with today's Groupon: for $10, you get fondue for two at Gudrun in Steveston (a $21 value).

Designed and hand-built by owner Patrick Tubajon, Gudrun's tasting room introduces visitors' palates to locally sourced and sustainable fare that helped garner the eatery an award for best new suburb restaurant from the Georgia Straight in 2009. Cheese selections span Canadian, global, and goat varieties and bubble in pots as eaters dip in Italian-style baguette pieces or slurp up the molten goodness via swirly straw. The eatery's menu changes depending on the season as well as in relation to what produce is available, and customers can look to a large chalkboard for the day's selection. All cheeses fill up stomachs alongside assorted fruits, nuts, and preserves. Though not included with today's Groupon, customers can cackle incantations over their cheesy cauldrons to order house-made charcuterie as well as a selection of sustainable, organic, and biodynamic wines.