Tramonto

We arrived last night and we didn’t have reservations but someone happened to cancel theirs so we got seated ! Our server was so awesome, I don’t remember his name but he had great and funny stories to share. He ended our our night with Bogart quote: I hope this is a beginning of a long friendship. Lol
Our food was excellent. My boyfriend and I were happy with our choices: seafood fettuccine and I had the Sturgeon… yum! Thank you for a great experience!

Not cheap.
Awesome service.
Great food.
Don’t have to go to downtown to enjoy fine dinning.

Had dinner on Friday night at Tramonto in Richmond. Our server Todd was extremely knowledgeable about wine and very helpful when we told him about dietary needs and gave us lots of substitution advice. Service was excellent and friendly and the food was delicious. View was also lovely at sunset.

Service at Tramonto was great! The hubby and I shared the Chateaubriand 3 course meal. We started with the Lobster Bisque and the Field Greens which was good! The Chateaubriand came with a good assortment of veggies — it was so filling. Last course was dessert — we got the pistachio mouse cake and the mango assortment and both were amazing! Highly recommend this restaurant!

Everything was awesome. I arrived alone and was offered 2 different and equally lovely tables. I chose a three course menu special with a wine pairing. The warm beet salad was excellent paired with white blend from the Okanogan. The entre was Arctic char paired with an Okanogan syrah, it was wonderful. The dessert was a chocolate mousse paired with a port. I tasted the mousse but unfortunately I forgot to ask if there was hazelnuts in it. When I started to have a severe reaction the staff and hotel went above and beyond service to make sure I was taken care of.
I will be back.

Habibi! Bambinos!
These are the words that reverberate through my mind when I reflected on my dinner experience 24 hours ago. My wife and I were looking for a place to have dinner nearby the River Rock theatre as we were heading to a show afterward. Our waiter made our night! He was courteous, polite and hilarious.
Food:
Appy: mushroom soup (ok)
Main: sirloin steak (solid)
Desert: tiramisu (good presentation, average taste)
I will be back.

absolutely amazing experience at Tramonto! Service was excellent from the moment we walked in until we left. Prompt, friendly, and knowledgeable staff accompanied by delicious food prepared with professionalism, made for a great night for us. Would definitely recommend this restaurant to others and we will definitely be returning! thank you!

Firstly, thank you for warming the before dinner bread. This is always a nice touch that many restaurants do not do.
I always sit in the bar section here. The same bartender has been serving me for 4 years and he is simply the best. Knowledgable, friendly and funny but not abrasive.
I usually eat the steak (which is always great) but Today i had the salmon entrée. It came with a potato /​red pepper medley that I can’t even describe other that to say: amazing. The salmon was cooked perfectly and the overall presentation was very professional.
I have never been disappointed with the quality, service or value at Tramonto.

Came here for our anniversary back in July, but I’ve forgotten to write a review until now.
The food is beautifully and professionally displayed but some dishes are hit or miss. My Wild Greens salad was exquisite with berries, wild flowers and other greens in a really light raspberry vinaigrette. There were so many colours, it was like a veggie playground on my plate:)
I had crab cakes as my main dish. They were okay, definitely didn’t contain enough crab and were a bit heavy. They also weren’t substantial enough as a main meal.
My hubby had the vegetarian cannelloni and it was light and warming.
I was surprised when we ordered dessert and they gave it to us on the house. Free dessert is always the best dessert! The macaron was ghastly but the truffles and other treats were alright. I’d give this place another try.

Decided to visit Tramonto after being highly recommended to me. I happened to visit on Christmas eve, and although they were late in seating us for our 7:45pm reservations, it wasn’t a big deal at all. However, in ordering drinks as well as a bottle of wine, our server exhibited no knowledge of the wines when prompted for his opinion on the best pairing to go with the rack of lamb. He merely stated something along the lines of «well, all the wines are good, but just depends on the price range that you are willing to pay». I also had a similar experience when I asked him what cocktail he would recommend to me.
For food, we ordered the escargot, the seafood platter for two, and two orders of the rack of lamb. The escargot was tough, and just wasn’t very special at all. The seafood platter, however, has to be one of the biggest disappointments that I have experienced at a restaurant. First off, of 8 pieces of muscles, 2 of which were bad. Yes, I took the time to smell them all as I was genuinely surprised that they served bad muscles, despite charging 42 $ for it. I sent it back, but they only removed all the muscles, and added a couple of clams. They DID NOT re-​fire the entire dish. My guest for the evening had cut the lobster tail and the same cut up lobster tail was served back to us — by then, slightly over cooked. Furthermore, I think the manager kept shifting blame on the muscles, which made me more annoyed than I was. Own up to your mistakes, fire a new dish, and redeem yourself. Do not blame the muscles, your chef should have smelled each and every one of them. I would respect you much much more if you had owned up to this error.
Crab claws in the seafood platter are also from frozen, as it was that evident. Dry, tasteless, and horrible. Lobster tails were no different. Just like the quality you would expect from freezer burnt seafood found in the freezers of your local grocery store.
My final bill came to $ 260. I would never visit Tramonto again, especially for this price. $ 260 would be much better spent at an alternative Italian restaurant, which Vancouver does not have a shortage of. Not into Italian? Then surely any seafood restaurant in the downtown core would easily surpass the quality that I had been served on Christmas Eve. I guarantee it. Don’t waste your money here.

Written Jan ¹¹⁄₁₃
This week, Tramonto at the RiverRock Casino offered a ‘D’hote Menu for Two’:
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I — Dungeness Crab Hush Puppies
Fried Dungeness crab hushpuppies, a spicy cocktail sauce, cilantro, lime
At least the cocktail sauce gave these deep-​fried, puffballs a bit of flavor over and beyond cardboard and bad oil.
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II — Lobster Mac & Cheese
Atlantic lobster, Creole seasoning, macaroni, Gruyère cheese, panko
This had great flavor and decent chunks of lobster, considering the tiny size of the dish. The panko had been subjected to too much oil, but overall, this was decent.
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III — Porterhouse
Certified Angus Beef porterhouse, bourbon cream corn, braised winter greens, Cajun spiced onion rings, Creole cream vegetable sauce
Ahhh, the porterhouse. No, that isn’t a fond, reminiscent ‘ahhh’, it’s a ‘Were they serious?’ ahhh. How often do two people at a table want their steaks cooked the same? The waiter asked how we wanted our steak cooked, and I told him I’d like mine rare. This is when the news broke that we would be sharing a steak and had to have it cooked the same. Despite that Transylvanian thing, my boyfriend isn’t really into blood. We settled on medium rare, and I was disappointed to see huge chunks of fat on the sliced meat that arrived at our table, I know this is a fattier cut, but come on. It tasted ok… unlike the overcooked onion rings that were so hard, they broke when the knife touched them. Who puts onion rings on sampler that’s supposed to 1) bring people in, and 2) bring people back?! I enjoyed the creamed corn, but it was not appreciated by my spouse who grew up in Communism being force-​fed all things corn.
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IV — Buttercake
caramelized banana and dark rum compote, vanilla gelato
This was the only dish that I can’t really complain about. I make something similar with banana slices fried in butter, cinnamon and nutmeg served over Breyer’s Natural vanilla ice cream and doused in a boiled dark rum and sugar sauce. At Tramonto’s, I would recommend a bit of rum sauce over the cake to moisten it up a bit. Other than that it was good.
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This was not the first meal I have had there, but it was definitely the last meal I will pay for at Tramonto.

We used our Groupon ($ 50 for $ 100 value) and decided to use it for our anniversary dinner. The décor is very nice. We got a table by the windows with view of the marina. We ordered seafood platter for 2, smoked sable fish (their summer menu special) and salmon. We also ordered pineapple cheese cake dessert. Everything was excellent. All the seafood was cooked just right and fresh. Service was also great. We would definitely go back. This is a small restaurant so I would definitely recommend making reservations. It’s easy to do on
.
One odd thing was that the waiter explained that with a Groupon, he would automatically add 15% tip to our bill. Tips and taxes are not covered by the Groupon. We weren’t concerned with paying the 15%, we added a bit more on top because we were happy with the service.
With the Groupon, we also got $ 10 credit to play the slots. When we went to the cashier, I was given a $ 10 bill. Since we are not into gambling (and did not really like the gambling atmosphere … busy on a Sunday night), we just left with the cash. What a great deal :)
Visited August 2011

Tramonto Italian Restaurant is located inside the River Rock Casino Resort. Situated on the 3^rd floor, this restaurant features picturesque dining room overlooking the Fraser River and the River Rock Marina. It boasts gorgeous views for a wonderful opportunity to relax and be greeted by friendly services. It is minutes away from the Canada Line station connecting to the front doors.
Tramonto features an opulent selection of Italian cuisine created by Executive Chef Sylvain Cuerrier and Sous-​Chef Robert Mackay accompanied by a vast wine cellar with 500+ different red and white vinos. Whether you are here to enjoy a romantic meal watching the sun set or a dinner party in their private dining room hosting up to 18 guests, Tramonto has you covered.
Be on a look out for Groupons — sometimes there is an amazing deal where you can purchase up to $ 100 worth of fine dining for $ 50 + $ 10 casino money! Truly an marvellous deal!
Dungeness Crab Cakes $ 15
This perfectly prepared Dungeness crab cake, celeriac rémoulade (a creamy tartar sauce like aioli) served with micro greens. Copious amount of crab meat is used.
Scallops $ 17
Seared Qualicum Beach scallops cooked just right, served with avocado salad, Perigord truffle, and tomato chutney. Sweet scallops were balanced with the acidity of tomato chutney but is not overpowered.
Seafood $ 37
Bountiful medley of Atlantic lobster tail, Qualicum Beach scallops, white prawns, Dungeness crab claws, Salt Spring Island mussels, Manilla clams, citrus herb butter sauce. Swimmingly fresh.
Taglietelle & Polpette $ 25
House made meatballs with a spicy kick served with wild mushrooms, marinara sauce, Parmigiano-​Reggiano. How can you not try a pasta dish in an Italian restaurant?
Crème Brulée $ 9
One of my favorites is the Iris cream crème brulée served with madeleines. Deliciously seared hard caramel crust is crunchy with every bite of smooth rich custard base.
After dining, take a stroll along the marina or head down to the Crave lounge and relax over drinks or head over to the River Rock Theatre for a featured show! If you staying overnight or simply live nearby be sure to also make an appointment for some R&R at the Absolute Spa located on the ground floor!

Groupon deal. Never heard of this restaurant before. Took my mother to try it out. The restaurant is a little hidden away and opposite of the Buffet at the RiverRock Casino. Clean setting, friendly staff, gorgeous view of the bridges and northshore mountains. Read reviews prior to going today so wasn’t a total shocker.
The service: waiter was very friendly, although really didn’t come by to check on how things were going after the food was placed. Did fill up water frequently though. ⁴⁄₅
The food: We ordered the Seafood platter for two $ 35, the lamb rack $ 37, and Wild Salmon $ 31. The seafood platter was… really a platter for one. 8 pieces of mussels, 8 clams, one tiny lobster tail and one claw, 2 spot prawn, 2 pieces of scallop. Sauce was okay, overall just so-​so. Lamb rack was pretty good portion wise. Meat was tender, but nothing spectacular. The asian inspired sauce was a little odd. The wild salmon was… bland at best… there wasn’t much taste to anything on the plate other than some gooey mixture under the fish, which tasted abit burnt. If not considering the price, i would rate it ²⁄₅. Once the price is factored in, there are a lot of other restaurants in Vancouver, or even Richmond to choose from that have higher quality food. Definitely did not live up to the «upscale» italian restaurant theme… i didn’t feel like i was eating italian food. ¹⁄₅
The presentation: I will try to put up photos. But seriously unimaginative. much like the taste of the food = bland. ²⁄₅
Crème Brulee wasn’t bad, a little small, but not bad. My mother said «we had better on a cruise ship» (thanks celebrity cruises).
Even with the Groupon, the final talley came to an additional $ 52 with tax and tip. But with the groupon’s $ 10 slot credit paid to us as cash, and since neither of us gamble, it was really $ 42 with tax and tip in additional to the $ 50 groupon cost. Still overpriced for what we got unfortunately. I’m pretty sure the majority of the tables there that night had the Groupon. The restaurant needs to reconsider it’s price point and quality of food served. If you’re doing italian, do italian properly, not just fake it.

Location: The River Rock Casino is nice in the first place. It is well hidden on the 3^rd floor, an unassuming location. It is small but not too fancy that you felt excluded.
Service: Awesome service and very attentive, however, that comes with the price. We even had a mini conversation with the owner over our style of dessert first.
Price: I was gifted a Groupon for $ 100 worth of food and drink and even though it went far between us two, I wouldn’t come back without a Groupon. The food is extremely expensive (5 star food) and the portions are small. Even for an anniversary dinner, there are other restaurants that I could hit up on my radar.
Considering the class and expensive-​ness, I treated my review below as I would a judge from Iron Chief.
Rabbit Consommé
Braised leg meat, spinach and ricotta ravioli, tomato confit, picholine olives, roasted fennel. This was my first time having rabbit believe or not. To me the rabbit tasted like chicken. It actually tasted good and the broth wasn’t too salty. The ravioli was lacking in flavor, I barely tasted the spinach and cheese balance. I didn’t taste the tomato nor the fennel. It seemed as though it was lacking that spark. In other words, the dish looked good on paper, however, lost me at first bite.
Duck Confit & Foie Gras
Peking duck leg confit, pan seared foie gras, pain d’épices, caramelized pear, apple reduction. Holy fuck this was the saltiest thing that I’ve ever eaten. It was hard for me to appreciate the chicken ’cause I felt like a rabbit licking a salt lick. I really wanted to taste the gaminess of the foie gras but was lost in the sodium suicide. There wasn’t enough caramelized pear to offset the unbalance of taste. The outside was nicely seared and crispy and the foie gras was melt in your mouth tender.
Risotto
Morel and chanterelle mushrooms, sugar snap peas, preserved lemon, mascarpone cheese, arugula. OMG the risotto was nice and tender, buttery, melty and nicely spiced. A good species of mushrooms were used which complemented the dish. Points off for the arugula which was too bitter and rather than complimenting the dish it unintentionally ruined it. Arugula is best left to citrus based salads, not good risotto.
Dark Chocolate & Mango
Dark chocolate and mango mousse cake, cocoa flourless biscuit, mango sorbet. For someone like myself who is trying to be gluten free, this was an awesome dessert. There was a good balance of dark chocolate and mango combination both in the sorbet and in the mousse cake.
Crème Brulée
Grand Marnier crème brulée, madeleines. I could taste the Grand Marnier in the crème brulee which was a good balance and not too over powering. I tend to be a little picky about my crème brulee.
Pineapple
Palm sugar roasted pineapple, lemon white chocolate mousse cheese cake, raspberry sorbet. I am not sure why this is called a pineapple when it resembled more of a white chocolate mousse cake with a thin piece of pineapple on top. This should’ve been called «White chocolate mousse cake.» A little misleading and although the dessert was good, I was thinking about ways I could make this so much better from a culinary stand point.

My friends told me this restaurant was worth to try. The restaurant located in River rock casino, the atmosphere was great and service were excellent.
The foods were ok but I don’t think the quality matches the pricing of it.
We had 2 starters to share:
Dungeness Crab Cakes — it’s quite crispy but it tastes like pre-​made one.
Platters for two — Antipasto: Smoked salmon was very fishy, lucanica sausage was very dry, grilled prawn and scallop was ok.
My friend ordered Veal — braised veal was tasty but nothing special
another friend ordered Lamb Chops — it came in 3 huge lamb chops but didn’t taste good.
I had Linguini with grilled scallops and prawns, Dungeness crab in pesto sauce. Such a regular portion of pasta, it didn’t worth for $ 31!
The worst dessert I never had! Most of the Italian restaurant makes a good Tiramisu, expect this one — I guess. The cake was hard and couldn’t taste mascarpone cheese.

Although the restaurant is nicely appointed with a lovely river view, our meal was a total disaster.
Our party of 8 arrived 2 hours before we needed to get downstairs for a concert — a fact we told every Tramonto staff member we interacted with. We were seated promptly but did not even receive menus for 15 minutes. The wait staff rarely appeared at our table and remained stealth for the entire evening. Water was never refilled, the food was delivered and then the waiter would vanish immediately until the next course.
Our appetizers arrived at the 1 hour mark. Our entrees were delivered at the 1 ½ hour mark. My pasta was delivered ice cold with an eyelash sitting on top of it. I eventually had to find the maitre d’ and tell him that my meal was unacceptable because the waiter was nowhere to be found. I sensed absolutely no contrition and because of our time crunch there was no time for any replacement food. Their awesome solution was to offer up an empty plate so my friends could donate part of their meals to me. They did remove the price of my entrée from the bill.
The food, service and customer service ranks among the poorest I have ever experienced

The big caveat about this one is that we went on a Groupon, making it a lot less expensive. With that aside, I felt like the food was good and the service was great. The crème brûlée was great. Caesar salad, not so much.

At first, I didn’t realize there was a gem inside the River Rock Casino. I guess I came across it last night while attending a friend’s birthday dinner.
I was a little worried at first, because I thought this place would be very hard to find. But, it is literally right above the River Rock Theater (need to take that cool-​looking, curvy escalator to the top).
Okay, let’s get straight to the point. The service here is brilliant. I couldn’t have been greeted any better, and everything from being seated ’til dessert, was absolutely fantastic.
Food: This is a place for fine-​dining, and the food was ever-​so-​fine. The presentation was beautiful, and the taste definitely left an impression. My compliments to the chef for their skills and creativity. I had the chicken, which tasted amazing.
Ambiance: This would be a perfect place for a dinner date. The view is great except that the ocean is somewhat blocked by some industrial buildings when you look out in one particular direction. That was the only downer. If this restaurant was another 10 stories higher, then it would be absolutely gorgeous. Overall, the inside was very clean, roomy, and powerfully awesome. Oh, by the way… The bathroom was oh-​my-​goodness yum. I was very tempted to steal some of their towels in the washroom. Yes, I admit to it. Going to Tramonto made me want to steal things.
Value: Once again, this is a fine-​dining type of place. If you really are eating dinner (not taking a look at the menu and then your wallet and then deciding to just have soup), it will be $ 30+. A friend of mine had a dish that was $ 50+. You will be full at the end, nonetheless. The value is what it is. It’s a fine-​dining experience. Expensive, but good to visit on special occasions.
Service: This is like the Denny’s of fine-​dining (LOL please don’t be mad at meeeee). What I mean is that, the service here is ACE. As one of the waiters explained that night, they have been properly trained. They know to serve from the right, take from the left, and all those other amazing fine-​dining etiquette. They make an effort to strike up conversation, and the way they delivered the cake in the end was superb. I give the service here 31 289 472 thumbs up.
Verdict: A solid 10 stars from me (this site only allows 5, what a rip). If you haven’t tried this place before, go taste it for yourself. And you know what’s the best part about this place? Well, let me tell you…
You can go downstairs after paying for your dinner and win it all back! =P
Cheers~

I’ve been here a few times now and it’s a solid restaurant. It’s located in the east tower of the River Rock Casino. Windows face north and overlook the water.
Service is excellent and very consistent from visit to visit. They’re quite polished, often mentioning your name, etc… even when you’re leaving the restaurant.
Their brunch menu is solid. I love their Tramonto omelette which is very filling and their Benny selection is small, but well-​done. For their regular meals, there is an Italian influence. Lunches are also good — you can order a la carte or they often have a 3 course menu that is quite good. Tthis isn’t always on their menu, but they make a fabulous cream of mushroom soup with a touch of truffle oil which is FABULOUS.
This is a great resto in the River Rock and perfect for a pre-​show dinner or business meal. Service is excellent and never any issues coming here.