Ciera

On the last night of our Tahoe stay, we decided to treat Daddy Wong to a nice dinner. We didn't want to drive the scary rental in the snow too far, so we braved an entire two miles away from the hotel and ended up at Ciera, a steakhouse. Ciera resides within the Montebleu casino, just over the Nevada stateline in South Lake Tahoe. The atmosphere is elegant and classy: white tablecloths, dim lighting, dressed-up waiters, a hostess in a red cocktail dress... However, I noticed almost everyone who walked in was wearing ski jackets and jeans.

We were seated in a pillow-lined booth along the side of the wall. There are several booths against the wall and although quite big, they are cozy and intimate. The intimate feeling might have had something to do with the red velvet curtains that framed the booth. I imagine we could have closed them for complete privacy.

Fresh bread came out first. The waiter offered three kinds: cheese, cranberry, and wheat. Of course, I tried them all. :) All had soft insides contained by a hearty crust that was perfect. My favorite was the cranberry, which was sweet and had some kind of seed/oat mixture on the crust that complimented the chewy softness. The bread was accompanied by a trio of three flavored butters: sweet cream, cranberry, and pesto.

We ordered:

the ahi tuna appetizer

The appetizer was brought out and placed in front of us. Each of us received Asian-like square serving plates, a set of chopsticks, and a unique angled dish specific to mix wasabi and soy sauce with.

The tuna was crusted with some kind of pepper spice mix which I didn't care for but my dining companions enjoyed. There was also a small mound of seasame-flavored seaweed salad on the plate.

The boys ordered the 10 oz filet mignon ($38). Ciera is not cheap. This is the price for the filet and it comes with nothing else.

Oh sorry, it comes with small garnishes of a quarter of an onion, a sprig of rocket, and a baby carrot.  They both ordered it medium rare and said it was good, but I get the impression at least one of them thought he had tasted better.

the hazelnut-crusted sea bass ($28)

I ordered the sea bass. It wasn't under or overcooked, and had a nice buttery flavor/texture, but seemed just the slightest bit bland. It came perched over a creamy sauce that did make up for the blandness however.

We also ordered two sides to share (they are "family style"):

asparagus ($6)

Sprinkled with parmesan and accompanied by hollandaise (I requested it on the side).

mushrooms ($6)

I loved this... a delicious mix of brown and shiitake mushrooms with garlic drenched in a wine sauce.

We were too full by the time dessert was mentioned, but surprise! The waiter brought by complimentary chocolate-covered strawberries over dry ice. The display was quite impressive and it was a nice touch.

Pricey? Yes. Good? Yes. Great? No. A nice ending to a week-long snow week? Definitely.