Fire on the Lake, Canandaigua

I didn't think when I resumed this blog that I'd be falling behind so soon, but here I am. Before I get back to my road trips, let me get to something closer to home.

My wife and I recently went to Fire on the Lake in Canandaigua.  It opened in September 2024, and it's been on my to-do list since then.

Fire on the Lake is housed in a modern building near the lake with high ceilings and tall windows facing the lake. Nice space.

We ordered  at the counter and found a table, where the food was delivered. I guess that makes it "fast casual." 

We decided to split one "Canandaigua" pizza, described as topped with basil. Stracciatella cheese, red sauce, extra virgin olive oil, cherry tomatoes, roasted garlic, and flaky salt. 

(We also split a Caprese salad, which was very good, but I'm not here to write about salad. But trust me, it was good.)

While waiting for our pizza, we were able to watch it being baked on a video screen in the dining area, showing the pizza oven, which was pretty cool and is something I'd like to see adopted by more pizza restaurants. 

The pizza was quite good. I had a few quibbles with it, though. Well, one quibble, which I'll get to in a moment.

Upon arrival at our table, the pizza looked great. A bit heavy on the toppings perhaps, for a thin-crust pie, but it's hard to complain about "too many" toppings.

Those toppings were indeed tasty. You could've put them in a bowl and I would've happily made a meal of them. The cheese was soft and creamy, the tomatoes were sweet, and the basil was cooked just enough to be wilted. Add the olive oil, garlic and salt, and what's not to love?

Which brings me to the crust. It had some charring underneath, but it wasn't crisp, and it wasn't particularly flavorful or texturally interesting. To me, for a pizza to cross the line from good to great, the crust has to be good enough to stand on its own, sans toppings, and this didn't do it for me. It wasn't bad; it just fell a little short.

I think the chef may have taken note of my interest in the pizza-making operations, or maybe he just does this, but he came to our table to see how we liked the pizza and to answer any questions. 

I learned that the oven is kept at 750 degrees, that it uses a revolving deck, and that he keeps a close eye on the pizza to know when it's done. It typically takes about two and a half minutes for the pizza to be ready to come out. 

He also told me that the dough they use is not made in house, but comes from an outside supplier. I asked him if he thought that worked well, and he said that it's a matter of getting to know the dough: how to work with it and how it will bake depend on a lot of factors and the pizza maker needs to know from experience how to bring it to its best.

This was good pizza, baked by someone with an obvious passion for pizza. Given my tastes, the pizza fell a little short of greatness, but I don't mean to damn it by faint praise. I've stopped assigning letter grades but Fire on the Lake certainly falls on the side of the line that says, "Go. Check it out." 

Fire on the Lake

58 Lakeshore Drive, Canandaigua 14424 

 (585) 412-6116

Wed. - Sun. 1–9 PM