Tinderbox Kitchen - Flagstaff, Arizona

tdljld

Nice, quiet little place. The service started out strong but became really slow as soon as we ordered. We got the tasting menu. The time between the first three courses was so long. Then the fourth course was very fast then dessert normally spaced. My two other complaints were: with a testing menu you expect food that does not feature on the regular menu. It was fine, but not what you expect. The second was SALT. Now, normally I think most food is under salted, but this was at the limit for me. If I'm saying "wow, that was salty" I don't know how everyone else is even eating it. Outside of that the food was all well cooked and quality. Those things took it down from a five. I'd go back, but not a lot left to try unless they change their menu often.

SJG

Highly recommend this place. It was so nice. The beet salad was great, so light and great way to start the meal. We got the frog legs as well which came with amazing sauces and was amazing drenched in lemon. So flavorful. I got the elk for my main course and my mom got the stuffed duck. We both absolutely loved our dishes. The elk was so lean yet tender, perfectly cooked with a perfect crust, and the vegetables were literally amazing. My mom’s dish came with three sauces and they were all so unique, flavorful, and worked together perfectly. I really recommend both dishes. I will say my dish was pretty salt forward, but alls that did was make me crave a dessert after. We got the cheesecake which was good. The pistachio sauce, strawberries and other little additions to the dish were great, but i thought the little cheesecake round itself was average. didn’t diminish the experience though I absolutely plan on coming back here. And at the end they hand you a little guest book, where you can offer some words up or do a doodle. Oh and the service was excellent.

Dr. M. P.

Delicious food and such kind staff. The decor is beautiful. We did the tasting menu and loved every bite! They have a guest book with the check, too, which is so sweet!

Carlos D.

Made a reservation for my wife’s bday dinner for dinner and didn’t disappoint. My wife’s filet was delicious, and the elk special had perfect blend of seasoning. They had a bday card with signatures from employees, which was sweet, apple pie dessert was amazing, and got her a candle to blow out. Cute, romantic & cozy ambiance, would certainly come back.

Robert S.

We did the tasting menu, 5 course with wine pairing. First course was agave like shrimp, second was crispy braised pork belly, third was steelhead trout (which I swore was salmon… mind blowing), and the fourth was filet mignon cooked to perfection. Last course was a sticky crumble cake. I will say the portions for the tasting were larger than expected. That’s not a bad thing. The wine pairing was also generous and on time with food arrival. Ben was our server and was outstanding! Great experience…..

electro W.

To start possitive, the service was excellent. The menu looked promising.
However... food came with no seasoning at all. I don't eat with much salt but damn, y all scared of the white crystals? They didn't even have salt shakers which for a restaurant trying to be high end is pretty crazy. The focaccia needs to be revisited. Tasted so bland it was bad, add some salt, rosemary, and maybe olives you know. The garlic was also pretty low on flavor. The pork belly itself was good, but the puree it came with was bland and cold. The pork belly was also inconsistently cooked among the 3 we had for the table, some were substantially more cooked than other. Mussels were somewhat ok, need some more work imo and again served with (not to sound like a broken record) bland bread. For the steak, kitchen must have gotten word that we were adding salt to everything cause it all came salted and was solid. Desserts did not sound worth it and given the lack of flavor on most everything else we did not try them.
For what we paid, the food overall was bad.

Rob L.

Very small restaurant with only a handful of tables. The service was impeccable and knowledgeable. Kept just the right time between visits to see if we needed anything. No specials but the food was top notch and a little larger than we expect from higher end restaurants. The Brie is breaded which we should have realized by the name but the accompaniments we fresh and delish. The fish and the steak were perfect and the curry mocktail was surprisingly good. They offered a palette cleanser which I was not a fan of. Definitely one of the best Flagstaff restaurants!

Nathan F.

Five star dining in all respects. Excellent atmosphere, first class service, wonderful drinks, and delicious food.

I highly recommend recommend the mussels.