MYSTERY MOUTH: Everything nice

• Fire and Ice on Toby Creek

Route 309, Trucksville

570.696.3580

www.FireandIceonTobyCreek.com

Lunch hours:

Monday-Saturday, 11:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

Dinner hours:

Monday-Thursday, 4:30-9 p.m.

Friday-Saturday, 4:30-9:30 p.m.

Sunday, 4-8 p.m.

All major credit cards accepted

by Mystery Mouth

The Mouth has heard Fire and Ice on Toby Creek has got it all: delicious food, a fabulous drink menu, spectacular service and a truly great atmosphere. After a recent visit, I was glad to see the Trucksville restaurant certainly lived up to its hype.

My dining companion Sven and I were astounded not only at how gorgeously decorated Fire and Ice is but also by the bevy of choices on its menu. We debated starting our meal with the baked lobster cheesecake, the broken meatball — beef, veal, parmesan and pancetta with tomato basil sauce and garlic parmesan pizza sticks — or a hearth-baked gourmet pizza, but ultimately the lobster cheesecake ($9.50) won out, mostly because Sven couldn’t resist my pleading.

As soon as Sven saw the Wiener schnitzel ($19.50) on the menu, he looked no further. I, on the other hand, needed a little time. I was in the mood for fish, but it was difficult to bypass pork tenderloin tournedos (wrapped in applewood smoked bacon with sweet cider bourbon glaze) or one of the Black Angus steaks. My two main contenders in Fire and Ice’s seafood section were the hearth-baked cedar-planked Moroccan salmon and the seared scallops Provencale, served with gorgonzola orzo and garlic spinach with tomato, caper and kalamata olive ragout drizzled with balsamic glaze. In the end, the salmon ($15.75) won out.

Our server Jacqueline brought over homemade hearth-baked bread — the hearth represents the “fire” in the restaurant’s name — that was paired with delicious honey thyme butter and roasted garlic hummus, which was quite garlicky, but not unpleasantly so. A bottle of olive oil was already on the table in case Sven or I wanted to dip the tasty bread in it, but I couldn’t get enough of that butter.

Our appetizer made its appearance and looked incredible. The warm cheesecake was topped with a healthy dose of lump lobster meat and herbs and accompanied by a toast crisp and a smattering of grape tomatoes. It was very good, but because the cheesecake was very soft in both consistency and flavor, eating it with the crisp and a bit of pepper really heightened the taste.

Our meals included our choice of salad, and both Sven and I chose the orange cognac salad, served on an ice-cold plate that represents the “ice” in Fire and Ice. It featured field greens tossed with orange cognac dressing, dried cranberries, candied walnuts and gorgonzola. It was sizable, which pleased us because the salad was exquisite. The way the different textures and flavors melded was fantastic, and the cheese paired beautifully with the creamy dressing.

Our dinners arrived soon after. My salmon was served on the cedar plank and topped with cucumber sauce. The filet was flaky and tasty, and the sauce was mild but good. The fish was accompanied by yummy jasmine rice and a tasty vegetable medley with red peppers, beans, green squash, beets and thinly sliced carrots.

Sven’s Wiener schnitzel looked amazing. The tender veal was pounded thin, coated in fresh bread crumbs, fried to crisp perfection and topped with a palatable beurre blanc (white butter) sauce. It was served with spatzle noodles that were a bit dull, but the savory braised red cabbage more than made up for it.

“I love the way the flavors play off each other,” Sven said.

In lieu of dessert, we decided to head over to the bar for after-dinner drinks. My ginger green teani — made with Smirnoff vodka, ginger liqueur and green tea — was incredible. It was garnished with a zesty piece of candied ginger and was definitely the best martini I’ve ever had. Sven treated himself to a peppermint patty martini, made with Smirnoff vanilla vodka, peppermint schnapps and white cr�me de cocoa in a chocolate-laced glass.

From the moment Sven and I walked in, we were treated like we were the only people at Fire and Ice, though we were not. Jacqueline — and the entire staff actually — could not have been more accommodating or friendlier, which only added to the wonderful evening.

Many years before Fire and Ice opened, the building housed one of the Mouth’s favorite restaurants: Yester-Days. I was so pleased to see Fire and Ice’s owners not only recaptured the beauty of Yester-Days — with its gorgeous stained-glass windows and dark wood accents — but also enhanced it. While very open, there’s still an intimate, cozy feel to the dining room, especially for those who get seated in the “lover’s nook” by the window.

If you’ve not visited this Back Mountain gem yet, what are you waiting for?