Nov
6, 2003 — La
Fiamma is far from your predictable pizza place.
From the life-size pizza fashioned into a decorative door
pull at the entry, to the enormous wood-fire stove at the back
of the room, La Fiamma has hit on the perfect combination of
modern and traditional, sleek and at ease.
Opened in 1998 by Ken Bothman and Dan Bothman, La Fiamma
— Italian for "flame"
— serves the pizza I prefer over all
others in the area, hands down.
The decor of La Fiamma is as memorable as its cleverly
composed menu. Exposed brick walls share space with shiny steel.
Rich color is balanced by silver accents. Equal attention has
been given to the food and the finery.
My favorite among La Fiamma's slew of palatable pies is the
Spuddy, a unique concoction that's as attractive as it is tasty.
|
La Fiamma
Wood Fire Pizza |
|
Location:
200 E. Chestnut St.
Phone: 647-0060
Hours: 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., Sunday through
Thursday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday
Serving: Exceptional wood-fire pizza, pasta,
soup, salads and desserts in a sleek, modern setting.
Menu items sampled:
Large Spuddy pizza $17.95
Medium Finn pizza $12.95
Chicken panini $6.25
Roberto panini $6.25
Linguini Alfredo $7.25
Rosemary lemonade $2.25 |
It arrives at the table with a gorgeous swirl of house-made
barbecue sauce spinning in a spiral from its edge to its center.
Underneath is a layer of roasted garlic potato sauce (akin to
garlic mashed potatoes), bits of Hempler's bacon, cheddar
cheese, smoked mozzarella, scallions and sour cream. It's unlike
any other pizza you'll ever try but well worth the sampling.
Toppings run the gamut at La Fiamma. If you're a
traditionalist, order the pepperoni, but if you're open to new
combinations, try nearly anything else on the menu.
The barbecue chicken is another standout, house-smoked
chicken pieces joined by zesty barbecue sauce, red onion, smoked
mozzarella and fresh cilantro.
Love smoked salmon? Try it on a pizza, teamed with roasted
garlic, roasted red peppers, mozzarella and chevre cheese, and a
pesto of cilantro, almond and caper.
Want to experience the true definition of a meat-lover's
pizza? Order La Fiamma's version, piled high with thinly sliced
prosciutto, piquant pepperoni, aged salami and Isernio's hot
link Italian sausage.
The array of unique ingredients is only part of what sets La
Fiamma above the rest. Its distinctive crust, made possible by
the wood-fire stove, is unlike anything else you'll find in the
area.
Real wood fire is the sole source of the stove's heat, a fuel
of apple wood harvested from the enormous orchards of the Yakima
Valley. The intense heat produces more than perfect pizza, it
also fills the room with a spectacular scent.
As the restaurant's Web site explains, each pizza is
"kissed by the flame," meaning the slightly charred
portions of the outer rim and bottom of the crust are expected,
even desired. Don't mistake it for burned.
A recent Saturday found my husband and me in the mood for two
different Italian takes on lunch. So he ordered a pizza for
himself, while I went with soup, salad and a sandwich.
My starter of tomato basil soup was outstanding
— and a steal at less than $2. This
potent potage just shot to my top-five list and will certainly
become a staple of the colder months ahead.
The slightly spicy soup had a zing to it and was a decorative
and delectable squiggle of balsamic reduction atop the
orange-hued bowl of heaven.
Just as I finished my soup, our server arrived with my
husband's pizza and my large plate weighted down with two
triangles of chicken panini that book ended a knoll of leafy
green salad.
The paninis at La Fiamma rival my other local favorite,
served at Pastázza. La Fiamma stuffs fresh toppings between two
large pieces of flat rosemary foccacia bread and double-grills
each sandwich in a machine described on the menu in technical
terms as: "our super duper fancy Italian sandwich
squisher."
I chose the chicken panini, thick pieces of grilled chicken
breast mashed together with fontina cheese, thin slices of red
onion, Dijon mustard and mayonnaise.
La Fiamma excels with the simple side salad. Red-leaf and
romaine lettuce mingle with slivers of carrot, red cabbage,
pumpkin seeds and shavings of parmesan cheese.
But the crowning glory of its salad is the terrific topper of
sun-dried tomato vinaigrette. Don't miss it; for me, it's one of
the defining tastes of La Fiamma.
My husband chose a medium Finn pizza, topped with fresh
pesto, shrimp, grilled artichoke hearts and a medley of
mozzarella and asiago cheeses.
He ordered with every intention of saving some of the 11-inch
pie for leftovers the next day. But the blend of vibrant flavors
was too much for him, and I was the only one who walked out with
a little something for Sunday, half of my sandwich wrapped
neatly in foil.
Another lunch break later in the week found me in the mood
for one of La Fiamma's noodles dishes. After years of enjoying
pizza and paninis, I wanted to see if it had also perfected
pasta.
I wasn't disappointed. Sweet cream, butter, garlic, heavy
cream and parmesan cheese married with tassels of linguine
tendrils, united with grilled triangles of corrugated rosemary
foccacia bread.
Two co-workers joined me for the mid-day meal, both equally
pleased with their choices.
Aaron ordered the lunch special, a personal-size pepperoni
pizza served with a hot bowl of mushroom barley soup.
Kit ordered the delightfully named "Roberto
panini," a grilled goodie of marinated tomatoes, fresh
mozzarella, vibrant basil and fire-roasted red pepper pesto.
Desserts are no afterthought at La Fiamma. Keep it simple
with divine truffles from Chocolate Necessities or split a
generous helping of cornmeal pound cake with raspberry sauce,
apple crumble or wood-fired s'mores.
