The Space
The atmosphere is casual yet elegant with intricate design details on the walls, in the woodwork and cast from the lighting — it is apparent that a lot of time and thought was put into the ambiance of Caliente! The restaurant makes for a memorable night out on a special occasion or just to hang out with friends and have a drink. Caliente! is on the mark for accommodating all demographics of Tahoe, from locals to tourists alike.

Walking into Caliente!, it is abundantly clear that you are getting a high end dining experience, but there are many items on the menu that are very reasonably priced. For $30 one could walk out feeling very full from a meal and a delicious specialty drink.

When the deck and bar opens upstairs in the summertime, the restaurant is always happening’, but there is plenty of space to grab a bite to eat or a beverage.

The Food
The menu features appetizers ranging from a traditional tortilla soup to creative dips such as the Don Tomas Guacamole, Mexican Ceviche and a Venezuelan Black Bean Dip served with warm corn tortilla chips. A must try appetizer is the Tecate and Chipotle Chile Relleno; you haven’t had a Relleno like this one. There are also salads and other items to share.

The dinner menu offers fish dishes and Mahi Mahi Fish Tacos, a chicken entrée and tamales, a Southwest Tahoe Burger, A Chipotle Crusted Filet Mignon, Ancho Chile Beef Short Ribs that fall off the bone (the meat cooks for 14 hours before they are served), vegetarian dishes and a special of the day that varies.

The lunch menu is an altered version of the dinner menu and just like dinner, chips and salsa are gratis. The executive chef Luis Fragoso has created an appealing menu and said he has plans to tweak a few items to add variety sometime in the near future.

Gotta Try
Everyone agreed that the Tahoe Tacos Chingones are a favorite on the menu. There are three different types to choose from: Chicken Tingas; braised chicken, chili de arbol, chipotle, tomato and onion, Carne Asada; grilled skirt steak, charred tomato salsa and habanero-chipotle cream and the Braised Pork and Peppers; slow roasted pork, sautéed peppers, onions and habanero-chipotle cream.

One would be absolutely satisfied if they ordered three tacos and nothing else.However, if you are interested in trying appetizers (there are many tasty ones to choose from) then an order of two tacos would be plenty.

Also, do not leave without trying the Churro dessert; churros stacked on top of vanilla ice-cream with whipped cream, blueberry and mint garnishes. If you think you are full, you can find room for this happy ending.

Tidbit
Caliente features a Tequila Club. There are rules and regulations that a member must follow, but the idea of the club is to taste all the tequilas on the Caliente! menu, which features more than 130 varieties.

The membership is $10 and members receive a card with the listings of all the tequilas. A manager on duty must sign and date the card each use to verify the tasting. Drinks may be served straight up or in margarita form. However, after reaching 50 tequilas, drinks must be served straight up. The club card is a great excuse to head to Caliente! and taste some tequila and earn points for prizes too.

The Drinks
The Calientini 267; chili pepper infused 267 Tequila and passion fruit, served with a hot pepper as a garnish. Do not be scared by chili pepper as an ingredient, the passion fruit combination brings in a fresh taste and ties in well with the spice. Some sips are fruity and others have a slight kick, but all in all, it goes down very easy.

The tequila menu is a whole other world of its own with more than 130 tequilas on the menu. A complimentary tequila shot is offered to every dining customer.