Fiamma: Just another pretty face?
By CRYSTAL PETROCELLI
Get Out

Wait: We walk up the candlelit stairs, and the door to Scottsdale's hottest hotel, The James, is opened for us by a young man clad in shorts and a polo. Our party of four, which has a 7:30 p.m. Friday reservation, is promptly offered inside or outside seating in the half-full trattoria.

Service: Our young server is witty, has great comic timing and knows his wines. He also does a fine job of detailing the specials, but he doesn't give any prices.

Water refills slip in the second half of our meal, and our server stops by a lot less. But we don't feel rushed as we approach the three-hour mark, even though the place has been packed since nine-ish.

Meal: I had no idea scallops could taste this exquisite. The cappesante antipasti — two melt-in-your-mouth mollusks on a wild mushroom and balsamic truffle base — are the first and best bite of the night. One taste of my tiny, overcooked halibut filet and I'm wishing I'd ordered a double serving of the sensational seafood starter. Especially when I find out the halibut special is $28.

Our covered entree plates must have come from a too-distant kitchen, because three of the four are not as hot as they should be.
The raviolini plate — a dozen small raviolis filled (notice I don't say “stuffed”) with short ribs and set in a barbera wine sauce — has promise, but the flavors fall flat as the pasta cools on its journey.

The best steakhouses serve slabs of meat on 400-degree dishes. Why? Because steaks lose heat quickly, which will knock a perfectly cooked cut into a less tender, less juicy version of its former self. While I don't expect a sizzling plate at an Italian restaurant, I do expect my first forkfuls of a $28 New York steak to be hot.

Desserts, like most everything else, look fabulous. Our favorites are the soaring slice of James (a chocolate dream) and the zeppoli (donut-like fried cinnamon curls with chocolate, raspberry jam and maple cinnamon dips).

Scene: It's hard to say who's prettier at Fiamma — the people or the plates. The twenty- and thirtysomething crowd, dressed casually cool, is the sexiest collection of restaurant-goers I've seen in this state.

The stylish surroundings are a perfect match. The look is modern (think W Hotel) and very symmetrical — red-and-white low-backed booths, round tables set with woven silver place mats, backlit rice-paperlike walls of squares and sliding glass walls.

Bathroom break: The nearby J Bar's cocktail crowd crashes this restroom too, and I walk right into a cloud of cigarette smoke. Buzzkill.
Tab for four: $260 with tip and tax for insalata ($8), Caesar salad ($8), poached pear salad ($12), tomato and mozzarella ($12), gamberi ($12), cappesante ($12), New York steak ($28), raviolini ($17), salmon ($22), roasted halibut special ($28), tiramisu ($8), zeppoli ($8), slice of James ($8), biscotti ($5), two bottled waters ($7 each) and coffee ($2.50).

If work weren't buying: If you want that Manhattan-meets-Vegas vibe, you'll find it at Fiamma. But your food might be warm ... and overpriced.

Fiamma Trattoria
7353 E. Indian School Road, Scottsdale

Major cross streets: Indian School Road and Drinkwater Boulevard
Hours: 6:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday through Friday; 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday; 6 to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday; 6 to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday
Reservations accepted: Yes
Health report: No critical violations on May 14
Kid friendly: No
Web site: www.jameshotels.com

SCORECARD
Food B-
Service B+
Scene B+
Bathrooms B
Overall B