Bonus Tahoe edition 2: Ciera Steak + Chophouse (Mont Bleu)

The snow at South Lake Tahoe wasn't that great the weekend we drove up, so we had a back-up plan: gambling! Good gamblers follow some rules: 1) only gamble what you can afford to lose and 2) gamble the games that you know. That meant blackjack and rolling dice.

But wait, isn't this a blog about food? Oh yeah... long story short, My guest won big at craps (yay!) and I said dinner was on her. Turns out Mont Bleu, the hotel where we were staying, had a four diamond restaurant...

Ciera Steak + Chophouse was up a ramp from the casino floor. For the holiday weekend, they had a prix fixe menu - 3 courses for $30. Not bad! This place looked top notch and we made reservations for 7:45pm. We had no idea for the amazing dining experience that awaited us.

I got the French Onion soup to start and it had a big crouton with melted cheese in the middle. Ok, it was really a slice of sourdough toast, but man, let me tell you... it was great! The soup had abundant bits of onion that melted in your mouth.

She got the Caesar salad (without anchovies, thank you) and was happy with the nice mix of lettuce, dressing and cheese. For her main course, she got the Filet Mignon with a red wine reduction sauce. After her first bite, "Wow!" is all she said. I wasn't sure if I would get a taste, but she was nice to share. It was perfectly cooked, tender with pink inside. Just the way steak should be.

My entree was Mediterranean Chicken with artichoke hearts, olives, red peppers, feta cheese, sun-dried tomatoes in a pesto sauce. Also, a wild rice/potato cake for good measure. Each of my taste buds did the cha-cha as I ate this culinary masterpiece. We decided to try and make this on our own -- it was that good. Somehow, it was not as salty as I thought with those ingredients, but a smooth ripple of flavor awesomeness. I don't know how else to say this, but... stop what you are doing and make reservations now for Ciera and order this dish. You can thank me later.

Okay, so how do you top that? Well, dessert was next and they also hit a home run with that. She got the Chocolate Lava Cake, which she said was the best one she'd ever had. Even the whipped cream was luscious and rich. And yes, it oozed warm chocolate lava when she cut into it. Heaven!

Mine was also magnificent - the Pina Colada Cheesecake. Pineapple on top with toasted coconut on the side. Simply amazing. I could not finish it (I know!), so they brought a container to take it home. The snow outside would keep it cold in the car.

We were beaming at our choice for a nice meal and Ciera did not disappoint. Above and beyond our expectations. It's rare to be surprised by a restaurant when you've been to a few in your time. Oh wait, one more thing...

Chocolate covered strawberries on a billowing cloud? This was not on the menu. They just brought to all their customers during the Valentine's Day weekend. This place rocks!

Ciera website

Scores out of 10:
Food: 10
Service: 9
Atmosphere: 10
Price: 9
Overall: 9.5 (highest score yet!)