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| - YUM ... Finally great Italian food in Charlotte, NC. Delish!
This is my third time here and I must say, this last time we dined there, I was the "big winner" at the table. You know what I mean, when everyone at the table has their food in front of them but them, but there is that "one person" at the table with the meal everyone is envious of.
Well that was me this last time we dined at Fiamma.
This place is a little hidden gem that our friends introduced us to about a year ago before we moved here. At the time, we were living in Los Angeles and when we got back to LA I remember saying to my husband, "that authentic Italian place in Charlotte was great ... if we ever go back there we have to eat at Fiamma again." Then, a few months back we moved here and have been to Fiamma twice since.
This place is not inexpensive to say the least, so if you looking for a great meal on the cheap this isn't your place. I don't want to steer anyone on a budget in the wrong direction. But if you have some cash to spend and love true "rich" Italian food ... this place is worth going to "over and over again". It's small and quaint inside. The servers talk in broken English and are hard to understand. The specials go on and on, and the bold beautiful aromas from the kitchen get you as soon as you walk through the front door.
I got the same dish the first two times I was there. The Gnocchi alla Mondeghili. This is home made potato dumplings with fresh italian sausage and green peas in fresh tomato sauce. YUM! The gnocchi's melt in your mouth and the sauce is rich and fresh with tomato flavor. It will knock your socks off. It's really that good.
Now, nothing comes with this meal or any of them, so we started out with the delizia del contadino. This was a mixed green salad w/ walnuts, pears and tuscan pecorino cheese sticks tossed in light balsamic dressing. The pears were delicious and the cheese sticks were a happy discovery.
With the meal, I asked for them to make me a side of sauteed spinach. I love having a fresh vegetable with all my meals. And this spinach was perfectly cooked.
Now this last time we were here, I decided to order something different. I knew this was risky since the gnocchi's were so good the last two times. But, I hate being a creature of habit, so trying something new was a must this visit.
We started out with the grilled Shitaki Mushrooms marinated w/ fresh garlic and herbs served w/ arugula and goat cheese and aged balsamic. YUM!!!! The aged balsamic really brought this dish home. And it paired with my wine perfectly, so I was starting off on a great Italian adventure.
Now before the entree arrives this wonderful place serves each guest an intermezzo. This is sorbet to "cleanse the palate" before the main course. AND LET ME TELL YOU, it works every time.
Now for my entree, I was craving lamb but also wanted pasta desperately. So the waiter helped me come to a compromise. I ordered the "Scottadito" and altered it just a bit. This dish traditionally comes with roasted Australian lamb, soft polenta and a barolo wine sauce, as well as a vegetable. I kept the vegetable and lamp and substituted the polenta for a side of their homemade tagliolini pasta (this looks sort of like fettucini). I got a fresh crushed tomato sauce over it. It was heaven. The sauce was so fresh. The tomatoes and basil used to create tasted as if they were picked that day. It was AMAZING.
As for wine, the waiter was a total "wine snob". He kind of frowned at us since we only ordered glasses rather than a bottle. But so what, I'm a tiny girl I can't drink a lot, so we all moved on. A glass of red compliments anything here so add that to the list of things to order ... unless you're not drinking wine for one reason or another.
As for dessert, I've had the "tortino al cioccoloto" which is an individual warm chocolate tart with vanilla ice cream and berry sauce. This is yummy.
The next time I was there I had the "crema tostata" which is a cold italian creme brulee with fresh berries. This was also YUMMY!
And the last time I was there, I had the "tiramusu" which is espresso soaked lady fingers, layed in mascarpone cream and cocoa. This was yet again a home run! Between the three desserts I would rate them as I wrote them. Number one being the chocolate dessert and number three being the tiramusu. But they were all amazing.
This place is great, beyond great ... IT'S FANTASTIC ... make a reservation, get dolled up, and prepare for one exciting night of dancing taste buds.
Enjoy!
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