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Mon-Sun. 5:30 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
The service and food at this small Italian restaurant in Tahoe City was unimpressive. The bread was excellent, but the entrees were relatively uninspired. Portions were on the large side. My seafood capellini special left a great deal to be desired. My partner's pappardelle was slightly bland but otherwise well-executed. Given the price point, I expected more.
Overall, recommended with significant reservations.
This place was runner up on a "Best Of" list. So we thought we would try it out. The staff was really friendly, and we were staying near by.
The salads were nice, good portion, nothing to exciting.
The bummer was the pizza. We got the fig and prosciutto pizza. We got goat cheese instead of blue. For $20, plus $2 extra for goat cheese, we were not impressed. It was so doughy, and the prosciutto was SO dry. I know it wasn't cooked on top of the pizza, they put it on afterwards.
We got some drinks as well. But for $85, not so good.
It wasn't that busy, which was nice and the inside seemed a little stiff.
If I am in town, I do not think I will eat there again.
We turned up without reservations or even a call ahead on a Saturday night on a busy ski weekend.
As you might guess, there was a wait for a table.
However, we could be seated at the bar, and so we were, the five of us spread around the corner of the bar, so we were all within chatting distance of each other.
I've come to learn over the last year or so that sitting at the bar typically beats sitting at a regular table and this evening reinforced my new found education.
All of us enjoyed the ambiance and our meals. My only vague complaint would be the prices - maybe I slum it too often, but as delicious as my potato ravioli was (and it was), it did work out to be around $6 per ravioli.
They were plump, filling and very tasty - maybe if I hadn't done the mental arithmetic this place would have gotten five stars.
And yes, that was *not* Johnny Moseley across the other side of the bar (probably - our debate trying to decide was most amusing).
I came here with my family, so I got to try a variety of plates. Mine was the onno (sp?) special, grilled and on a bed of risotto with mascarpone cheese. To lick your fingers. Before that I had the mediterranean onion soup. Like the french one but with tomatoe, topped with parmesan and croutons.. Not bad but I prefer the French one (the soup only, of course). My dad had the butter lettuce salad. He finished it before I could try it. Then he had the chicken and polenta with that i-don't-remember-the-name sauce. Delicious. Mom had the vegetable tower, a little pricey for what it was but good nonetheless.
For dessert the warm chocolate cake with basil cinnamon ice cream. Great way to end the whole thing.
The staff really friendly as in you're our first costumer for the season
Tip: they lost their liqueur license, bring your own! (No fee)
5 stars for the wonderful food!!! but 1 star for the terrible service. We were seated and served in a timely manner but the waitress was awful. She was in a huge hurry and made our experience less than pleasant. We were so rushed and she was so rude. When your clients are dropping $100 you better make them feel like it was well spent. This waitress couldn't even look me and my fiance in the eye. She sucked big time. The food and wine was absolutely fabulous. There was another waitress who was tending to us as well, and she was a big improvement over the other girl.
Perfect spot for a special occasion meal or a post-slopes culinary adventure. Meals are all creative twists on classic dishes (short ribs, pork chop, lasagna, seafood pastas and vegetarian dishes) and deliver on hearty, flavorful levels.
The atmosphere is cozy with an exposed kitchen and cute chefs that drink Coors while cooking. Don't forget to BYOB and be sure to make a reservation with large groups or on busy weekends.
Add to your Tahoe City shortlist.
On a busy weekend night around 8p.m. they were able to seat us. You would have thought we were one of the last table to be sat, but people kept coming in. I guess it was the ideal ski conditions and massive 'dump' of snow that had made Tahoe crowded and hungry!
The restaurant is cozy and quaint; candles on the wooden tables, some banquet seating, small bar in the center of the room, view of the kitchen and oven.
We started our meal by ordering a nice bottle of Pinot Noir - excellent.
The bread they serve to start out, was delicious.
Dinner was veal lasagna, my favorite dish...but I never had it made with veal - Yum! It was piping hot and delicious. To boot, I took 1/2 of it home because the portion was huge. My friend had the seafood pasta that was a special that night; which I gather was amazing as he finished every last bite!
No room for dessert. Maybe next time.
In comparison to average Tahoe restaurants, the food at Fiamma is excellent. It could have gotten 4 stars, but I am giving it 3 for reasons below.
1. we ordered a lasagna for our 2 kids. It is priced at $21 and since we told the waitress that the kids would be sharing it, we got hit with an additional $4 for split charge. I would understand the split charge if the dish needs side decorations or vegetables, but for the lasagna dish, they just cut it in half and put on 2 plates. Moreover, Fiamma does not have a kids menu. Guess the kids are expected to finish a whole order or cough up $4.
Anyway, a total of $25 for split lasagna gets a deduction.
2. Most entrees on the menu cost close or over $20. As we were having dinner, the guests next to us finished and left. The busboys and waiters proceeded to clean the table with a spray bottle of cleaning chemicals! That looks like a cleaning practice at a diner where most entrees cost around $10!
3. There is no table cloth! I am not a snob that demands a table cloth on the dinning table. But going back to my previous point, at this price range, a table cloth is expected.
4. After we finished our meal, the waitress just put the check on the table without asking if we would like to order desert. The service is efficient, but not very warm. I thought this was a family restaurant.......
Anyway, I will still go back because the food is good. I will just bitch and whine a bit when they send me the check.
I make it a point to eat here whenever I'm in Tahoe. It's a fantastic place to be after a day of skiing.
The food is excelent, the wine list is great and the atmosphere is very cozy.
After I was snowboarding at squaw valley in the evening my friend Laetitia and I went to this very rustic Italian restaurant. I was really happy overall. I had House smoked trout arugula salad with shaved cured bacon and banyuls vinegar $11 (Banyuls vinegar made from the Banyuls Wine, which is a deliciously sweet red wine from Southwestern France) House made Gnocchi with slow roasted duck and baby root vegetables $23
I recommend it for traditional Italian food
For the price, the food is just average. The pasta was not al dente and $14 for a kids portion of spaghetti and meatballs is a little much. As mentioned by other reviewers, the service is certainly not warm, and again I would rate as average. Average food and average service does not equal $$$.
Food = very good
Service = hit/miss (one waitress was good, the other was snotty and really bad at her job)
Notes:
1. Google is screwed up and does not show the correct location for this address. It is in the heart of Tahoe City. Use Yahoo Maps or Mapquest.
2. It is no longer strictly BYOB. You can bring your own bottles and pay corkage, but they have a short wine list and beer now.
One of the best dinner places you'll find in Tahoe City. Fiamma has some wonderful dishes and tasty wood oven-fired pizzas.
After a really hard hike, we came here to have dinner. The meal started with bread and olive oil and balsamic dipping sauce.
I love the water at Fiamma: it doesn't have ice. I really don't like the feeling of a freezing ice cube touching my gums.
You can get ice if you want to, though.
We had a fantastic appetizer of caramelized onion and mushroom tartlettes. They had a crispy bottom with gooey and sweet onions. Really delicious!
For the main course, I had the grilled free-range chicken with marsala herb sauce and basmati rice. The chicken could have been a little more moist, but it was still great. The marsala sauce was flavorful and went well with the grilled asparagus.
If you're in Tahoe City and you're looking for dinner beyond the grocery store, try Fiamma!
Awesome gorgonzola carmelized onion pizza! The best I've had in a long time!
The pasta with sausage is fantastic . The wine list is very nice. They recommend the shooting star from the steele winery . The meal was pleasant . I have eaten there twice one of the best values in tahoe city
Good atmosphere, friendly service, but the food seems pretty inconsistent. I came here with a group of 8, and there were mixed reviews. The salads were great, but the pastas came with pretty watery sauce -- almost like a broth. Okay, but not to my liking. The pizzas were good, but the crust (which makes or breaks a pizza, IMO) was nothing too special.
1 Star is probably being too kind. We've now been on 3 or 4 occasions and there is never any improvement, so we will not be returning. Too bad too, as there is not a good Italian restaurant in Tahoe City area.The food is just ok with prices on the high side, but the service is terrible, the ambiance is lacking, the sound level is ridiculous, and the wine list is right out of Olive Garden (one cabarnet selection, and its Bogle for $32!!!) The menu is interesting but the preparation is very average and the food is all lacking any flavor or punch. The pork loin was the best, the pizza below average,. The small kitchen is overwhelmed and after getting off on the right foot by being quickly seated, ordering drinks and getting our appetizers and salads right away, the entrees took well over an hour to arrive, with no explanation from the waitress or staff (who were too busy eating food in the back with their fingers, all within sight of the dining room!!!).Sorry, Fiamma, it is just not going to happen.
Had a delicious meal here. Walked in w/o a reservation, chose to sit at the small bar and eat. Had some delightful appetizers, and my pasta with rabbit was delicious.
Ahhhh! I enjoyed one of the best pasta meals of my life the other evening: Butternut squash ravioli with brown butter. I probably could have eaten that dish for four nights running. However, realize that when you go to Fiamma, you're commiting yourself to a somewhat pricey meal. For two of us, the meal was $80 (two entrees, one salad, two glasses of wine) -- but my mouth still waters at the memory of that ravioli.
This restaurant is goooood. It is small and the almost humble space is deceptive. My husband loves bread and they got immediate points for bringing a housemade foccaccia. We ordered the yellow fin tuna carpaccio and the caesar, both of which were wonderful. The carpaccio had diced tuna mixed with tiny diced cucumber, a little bit of red pepper, apple and toasted pine nuts. It was tossed with a vinagrette binder, drizzled with chive infused olive oil and topped with a layer of avocado puree and frisee. It was fresh, intriguing and delicious. The caesar was traditional in a good way, but for the addition of sun dried tomatoes which I avoided and shaved parmesean, which I love. The salad dressing was housemade, no question and very fresh. I was not sure if the croutons were, but they were fine. I love casaer when it is done well and this one was. As an entree, I had the scallops which were really unbelievable if you love scallops. Served with a melange of veggies including thinly sliced potatoes, fresh corn and fava beans in a white sauce with a touch of heat just barely perceptible. It was not a large portion, but scallops are rich and these were large and perfectly browned while still moist and tender inside. Wow. The bruschetta consisted of seasonal mixed color small tomatoes, fresh basil and not enough toasts. This was a last minute deal and we took a pizza to go for our kids. I thought it might be too gourmet for my kids, but my pickiest ate four pizzas. My least picky ate none, but he ate the bruschetta, so we'll try that again. This gets added to my favorite in Tahoe list. Check back for a re-try around Labor Day to confirm that.
I love Fiamma. I'm not sure Patricia G and I are talking about the same restaurant. We've taken many friends there and have never been disappointed. The menu changes frequently which keeps it fresh, but sometimes my favorites have been replaced. I'm waiting for the tuna carpaccio to return. Try the braised short ribs. Fabulous. Great wine list. Prices are reasonable for the quality. I hesitate to write this review lest it get even harder to get a reservation. The food is definitely 5 stars. It's a small place and can feel crowded so maybe 4.5.
Cute italian place. Food was really good - great wood oven pizzas. I especially liked the sausage pizza. My husband enjoyed the pork chop as well. Good service - I couldn't decide on pizzas so they gave me a pie with half one type of pizza and half the other type of pizza. Recommended.
For the Tahoe area Fiamma's is a 3.5 or 4 star but judged in general I'd say that it's a 2.5 or 3. The food is good but nothing earthshaking and the desserts are just okay.
Tahoe City, CA
Category: American (New)
Tahoe City, CA
Category: American (New)
Tahoe City, CA
Category: American (Traditional)
Carnelian Bay, CA
Category: Restaurants
Tahoe City, CA
Category: Burgers
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