Flavor Studio and Chef/owner Araceli is my hidden gem. Tucked in the warehouses south of the airport is this unique shop, caterer, and dining experience. I think since spring I have been here at least twice a month. I have enjoyed wine paired dinners, vodka flights with caviar, whiskey flights and snacks, and tonight........grilled cheese and wine. As only chef can. The simplest of childhood foods, Chef Araceli elevated to a new adult craving. Then, with Katie's wine knowledge, were accompanied with the perfect wines. El Matador- romesco, Iberico ham, grilled green onions, idiazabal, and queso Iberico on a perfectly grilled bread paired with Cava. My tastebuds were transported back to Spain. Mmmmm Peachy- fresh peaches with just the right amount of rosemary were grilled, then melted in with Munster and pork belly. And the fabulous earthy epoisses. Accompanied by a light Chablis Premier Cru. Intermission salad was a delightful light creation of arugula, pine nuts, Parmigianno, and lemon. Truffle Shuffle- when you thought chef couldn't top the previous bites. Rich savory caramelized onions and mushrooms, micro greens, fontina, and caccio Al tartufo. Just had to be paired with a barolo. Strawberry Delight- kept the theme. Grilled croissant bread layered with strawberry coulis, Nutella, strawberries, mascarpone and mozzarella. And a beautiful light brut rosé. I love a grilled cheese, but this dinner really spoiled me. No simple cheese and white bread will ever be acceptable again. I require a fresh country style, sourdough or oo la la a croissant bread. Topped with layered of various cheeses from around the world. Served with a lovely glass of wine. read more

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This definitely falls into the category of "hidden gem" Technically, it is and event space and not a restaurant, but Chef Araceli Barrera has pop-up dinners and other public events at her cozy event area housed in an unassuming row of commercial businesses. I recently had the opportunity to attend a pop-up dinner in collaboration with two other local chefs to create a very special seafood dinner. The food was outstanding and for a "tasting" menu it was quite filling. I was the DD that evening so only had a sip (or two) of the exquisite wines that were paired with each dish. Chef Arcelia paired me with a lovely flavored Pellegrino. I can't say enough about the good food, the friendly ambiance, the good service and overall good coordination by chefs Chapin, Butterfield, and Barrera. read more

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This is quite an interesting place. Facility is owned by Araceli Barrera and it's more of an event place than a regular restaurant. Check their website, they do a lot of Pop Up dinners with various chefs and I understand there is an occasional Happy Hour. The place is small .. only seats about 18 people comfortably. The house was full last night as we enjoyed a Seafood Summer Night, celebrating Donna B's 60th birthday. It was the start of a long weekend of celebrations created by Debbie P. Last nights dinner was prepared by Araceli Barrera, Chef Jonathan Chapin and Darlyu Butterfield of Reno Recipes. You usually have to register online to attend, but once you are there you have the options of adding the full tasting menu of wine, or if you prefer you can share a specific bottle of wine. Do not believe they serve by the glass, but they did have a few non alcoholic options. We had five courses last night: 1st : Crudo-Nectarine-Agua Chile (very thin sliced raw scallops) 2nd: Crab Salas-Kaluga Cavier 3rd: Hamachi CollarGreens-Truffle Beurre Rouge 4th: Crusted Halibut-Corn Jus-Basil Oil-Potatoes-Roe 5th: White Chocolate Ice Cream-Fruit-Caviar (yes, there was truly caviar on top of the ice cream). Everything was excellent as were the wines they were paired with (misplaced my wine list .. but it should be in my photos). Looking forward to another visit. Keep your eye on the website and sign up for e-mails. read more

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We went for Raclette Friday - or was it Fromage Friday? We were there for a few hours enjoying CHEESE and more CHEESE and great wines in a pleasant atmosphere. I cannot wait to go back. Enjoy oozy, melty French Raclette cheese with baguette, cornichons, roasted potatoes, apple, and charcuterie. Such a great meal! read more

The Flavor Studio - Raclette night. Yum. - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Reno, Nevada

The is has to be some of the best food in Northern Nevada. The themed dining experiences are fabulous. A recent Grilled Cheese dinner was over the top good, something everyone should experience. The dining room is small so make sure to make reservations. They also have luxury food items, caviar, waygu etc... to go! read more

If anywhere took covid in stride, it's this place!!! They used to do large hosted fabulous dinners with pairings galore!! Now, since none of that can happen, they figured out an amazing way to stay afloat and thrive in those wacky 2020 world!! Sign up for their emails! Weekly they will post what their meals for the week are, you can purchase a meal for your family, pick it up and enjoy! The meal comes with all the sides, and even suggested wine pairings(that they will sell you too if you want!) Everything is fresh and fantastic, the menu is constantly changing! And they selections are always unique!! Perfect for a romantic at home date night!! Weekly they include a rib meal, if you don't know what to order, get the ribs! They are amazing! Oh and as an added bonus, they have an insane rotating cheese menu!! You remember all the artisan cheeses from wedge cheese shop... this place gave them a home when their landlord kicked them out!! So get ready for all the best cheeses in the world coming straight to your living room! While I can't wait for the hosted dinners to come back, I love the to give options they invent weekly! You must order in advance, so sign up for their emails, and get ready for your weekly drool fest. read more

The Flavor Studio - Tequila tasting!! - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Reno, Nevada

I recently ordered one of their Vietnamese grilled chicken to-go meals for dinner. The ordering process was so simple, if you subscribe to their email list. They send me the monthly menus, I respond to order, and Laurel usually responds within a few hours or less. When I arrived to pick the food up, they had a table setup and my wine ready for me, I just paid (added on a few cookies for dessert) and the food was brought to my car hot and ready a few minutes later. When I got the food home and dished it out, the portions were extremely generous and everything looked and smelled beautiful. The Asian salad was simple yet delicious with fresh crunchy lettuce, almonds, and noodles and a light Asian dressing. The chicken was grilled to perfection and the rice was cooked perfectly. I would have liked the veggies cooked a little longer with a pinch more salt. But overall the meal was delicious. Laurel and Mark made a wine pairing selection for me and it paired PERFECTLY.& never would have thought to Pair red wine with Vietnamese food but it was absolutely divine. And the COOKIES. The cookies that I added on at checkout were moist and delicious, I wanted to eat 3 more! Overall, the ordering, pickup, and dining process were all pretty seem less and I've been excited to order another dinner ever since! read more

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Sister location of Laurie Pine Luxury Living, this location is more of an office and cater to professional chefs. They do have a few packaged items for purchase but you have to call. Small selection of truffle items (mustard, salt, seasoning, oils, etc), alcohol, and caviar lined the shelves on your left when you first enter as well. We wanted to go to Laurie Pine to get foie gras but they were closed for Memorial Day. However, we were directed to this location when we called one of their listed numbers. Purchased a package of 16 pcs flash frozen foie gras that were individually packaged in 2oz portions for $135. They can sell in half the size as well if you don't want the whole package. The friendly employee was kind enough to also to offer to wrap the package in an insulated bubble wrap. Will definitely be returning! read more

The Flavor Studio - $135 flash frozen foie gras - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Reno, Nevada

Five big, bright stars for The Flavor Studio. I attended their raclette dinner last year and was blown away by the creative food pairings and family style atmosphere. It was an excellent experience and I can't wait to attend more of their events. Most recently, I did an order pickup of their rib dinner and WOW! The food is incredible and they make the ordering process so easy. You get a high caliber meal for a very reasonable cost. I highly recommend! read more

One of the reasons I drive to Reno. Despite the loss of Laurel the quality remains high. Picked up some great wines on this visit too.

Delicious, fun, and educational experience. The spread changes, but tonight was pairings of sushi, soy sauce, and sake. Wonderful from start to finish. The sushi was fantastic, and the Sakes were all completely unique in taste and experience. I learned something new with each pairing! So many different reasons to give this place a try. read more

Very friendly service and a lot of great specialty items that usually chefs get, but sold to the public. Great assortment of foie gras, truffle salts, truffle oils, special aged asian dipping sauces, and aged balsamic vinegar. You can definitely be your own personal chef and good a great luxury meal with the items here. read more

I have had the great pleasure of attending many parties and events hosted by Laurel. The food and presentation have always been exquisite. Laurel is a master chef and is very well informed. I've enjoyed watching the expansion of her business to include her many diverse and yummy cheese offerings. read more

The Flavor Studio is well named - all its dishes have distinctive flavors and are perfectly seasoned, as well as being absolutely delicious. The wine pairings are also lovely matches to the food, and good values. Since Covid restricted on-site events, The Flavor Studio has offered pre-ordered take out dinners several times a week. I regret not having discovered sooner that is is a treat to bring home a scrumptious meal, all set to go. After Covid I will continue this practice; The Flavor Studio serves the best food in Reno! read more

So I really thought this caterer/wine tasting establishment was a wonderful place after experiencing their Italian wine and pasta night. My friend and I had the Italian wines, met great people at our table and ate their freshly made pasta! I was in heaven! Laurel, the owner, along with her wine expert counterpart, Mark, gave us a wonderful presentation of food and wine and even let us taste wines that were not on the menu! Fastforward to this month- my son's 8th birthday party. A pasta making and tasting party! I thought the concept would be great! So did the owner Laurel. The party started out wonderfully. Their chef Araselli showed my 16 kid party goers and 18 parents how to make pasta in their kitchen (which is located two doors down in the same building). From dough to machine it was fun to watch. The kids even were able to kneed the dough. But when the kids went to sit down at the dining table this is where the chaos started. Araselli tried to cook little batches of the pasta and plate and send out to each child and parent. This whole process took over an hour to cook and individually plate up just pasta, meat sauce (meat sauce was pre made). And some kids wanted just butter and pasta. As I wondered what was taking so long I decided to go check the kitchen out. Kids and parents were starring me down wondering where the food was. While the kitchen is located down the street in the same complex, Laurel started to bring pasta dishes to the very hungry kids. I jumped in to help plate and serve! I found garlic bread and at least brought that out. And then we were able to bring each plate from the kitchen outside down the walkway into the dining area. So after more than an hour we got the kids and some of the parents served. After reflecting back, i would have thought they would have cooked a huge pot of pasta and put it on the table. Since it was a cooking party, then they could have shown the kids how to plate food and be done with it. But we had to wait, or try to wait, over an hour for pasta. After the pasta was had by most, we cut the cake and were done. I was initially charged $600 for up to 20 kids and some parents trying a bit. I spoke to Laurel the day before and told her I would like to have the parents have a bite of pasta. She said this was extra. I agreed. So the extra (which was only about 10 adults) I was charged another $150! And then tax. I was not aware I was getting taxed on this flat fee party? So in the end, it was over $900 for a party that I was not satisfied with. I felt bad for the chef that was cooking the whole time so I did give her a $90 tip (why the total was $900.) So, in the end, my son did have a good time (he decided to help out in the kitchen too.) But mommy was overcharged and had to pitch in for a party that should have been planned better. Laurel even told us this was her first kid party. And I was told she was under staffed. But it was known I was bringing 16 kids and at least 16 adults before this whole thing started. Will I go back? No. read more