Tahoe Help

[rickmartin]

I was just given an all expense paid trip to the north shore of Tahoe (Incline Village). I will be a dumb tourist unless I get some serious e-gullet help. My wife and I enjoy non-tourist, of the path eats but still want the local atmosphere and experience. Ethnic foods are a must, but anything recommended by a local we will put on our list. We will be staying at the Hyatt Regency with all meals complimentary and I hope to not have to take advantage of my hosts hospitality. Thanks in advance for any help.

Oh yeah, local beer too. Thanks.

RM

Edited June 8, 2004 by rickmartin (log)

[Edith Meyer]

On the north side of the lake, Dragonfly is a Pan Asian restaurant in Truckee that is quite nice, and Cottonwood has a great atmosphere and decent food. Rosie's Cafe is a great local spot for breakfast, in Tahoe City. I don't think there's a brewery on the north side, but South Lake Tahoe has The Brewery, with its Bad Ass Ale. Great hiking all around the lake - tons of small lakes tucked in the mountains and great views everywhere. Enjoy your stay!

[pmathus]

the Plumpjack Inn at Squaw Valley is good if you want an upscale meal.

[lizard]

Pianeta in Truckee is a terrific Italian place that we love. Great wines and seasonal menus. Its always packed, so reservations are a must.

Seriously, it rivals some meals we've had in our hometown of San Francisco.

[rickmartin]

Thanks for all the help. I'll be sure and report back on our experiences at Tahoe. It sounds as if Trukee is the place to visit.

RM

[tanabutler]

Café Fiore is good. It's in Incline Village.

It might even be worth it to get over to Reno, for two reasons. (It's only an hour away.)

Go to La Vecchia

My write-up from last year:

We started with the Fritto Misto appetizer ($9): deep-fried calamari, shrimp, asparagus and zucchini served with basil aioli. It was perfect.

My friend, Lori, ordered Rigatoni Alla "Norma" ($14.50): Homemade rigatoni tube pasta with fresh garlic and oregano tomato sauce, tossed with fresh soft mozzarella and fried eggplant. The tomatoes were zingy-fresh, and everything was perfectly cooked.

Bob, my husband, ordered Ravioli di Pesce ($15.75): homemade ravioli filled with seafood, served with a creamy tomato-vodka and lemon zest sauce. The ravioli were orange, and the sauce was bright and enormously flavorful.

I went against type and ordered something wintery, which I probably shouldn't have done but I just couldn't resist. I got the Linguine Patricia ($15.75): homemade linguine with shredded roasted duck, finished in a red wine-cream sauce and Parmesan cheese. As it turns out, the owner's name is Patricia, and she was delighted with my choice. It was rich and very satisfying—but I probably should have gone with the tomato items.

None of us could finish our meals, and the leftovers were great for dinner last night.

Bob and Lori drank a really good, earthy chianti, and I had Ferrari-Carano fumé blanc with the appetizer and chianti with my duck entrée. They serve hefty pours, and all the wines we chose were $6.75/glass.

The decor is stylish but not snooty, and the service was just perfect. Our Ecuadorian waiter knew everything, and was helpful and friendly, but not obstrusive.

The owner, Patricia, opened the place with two chefs when she moved to the US with her husband, who has a business in Reno. Unable to find real Italian food as she knew it, she found two chefs and made what she wanted. She is young, perfectly groomed in the Italian way (perfect shoes, perfect figure, perfect make-up, tasteful gold jewelry): she was also very happy that both Lori and I had been to Italy and loved it so much.

We just went there again. Let me endorse, resoundingly, the seafood ravioli. I was perishing with jealousy until he shared his sauce with me. It's fabulous. Go on a night when Patricia is there, if you can.

Also, and trust me on this, the new seafood place at the Peppermill, Oceano, is just great. I had an oyster sampler for only $7.50 that was as good as anything I've had in San Francisco. Also, to continue with that theme, an oyster po-boy that was delicious and huge. Bob loved his crabmeat/shrimp sandwich. It was a ton of food. Next time, we'll split the po-boy and order an appetizer instead. Or maybe eat at the sushi bar.

The decor is just surreal, like an underwater neon dream. Big and sensationalistic neon against black reflective surfaces. Psychedelic, even.

Highly recommended. Seriously. I expect we'll go there for lunch or dinner every time we go to Reno. The staff was crackerjack, with the exception of a little nitwit hostess who tried to tell me (former head busser at TGI Friday's) that there were no tables available for twenty minutes because that's how long it would take to clear one off (and you could plainly see thirty empty tables behind her). I could have turned her into a balloon animal, but instead I just went over her little pinhead to the manager. If you're going to lie, do it convincingly.

[tanabutler]

NOTE: Oceano website with menus.

[Stone]

i think Plumpjack in Squaw is the best choice for decent food. I've heard there are some good higher-end places hidden in North Lake Tahoe. I never really looked for them, so don't know. I find everything else to be very disappointing. It's o.k., but there's little by way of real, good simple food. Rosie's in Tahoe City is popular, and I've eaten there a bunch of times. Almost every time, however, the food was cold. Nawty Dawg is decent bar food. There's a good pizza place down in Homewood (can't remember the name. It could be Pianellas that someone else mentioned.) There are two swiss-style places. I understand that one is pretty good (fondue, etc.) and one pretty bad. I haven't been to either. The River Something at the bottom of Alpine is o.k.

Avoid Sunnyside. It's not good.

Edited June 13, 2004 by Stone (log)

[dls]

I guess I'll be the third to recommend Plumpjack in Squaw. That's where I normally stay when I'm in Tahoe and usually eat there several times during each visit. Not high-end life altering cuisine by any stretch but very good and about the best you're going to find in the area. There are a couple of other pretty decent places in Tahoe City but I'm blank on the names. I'm sure that the people at the Hyatt can give you a few good recs.

[lorea]

I've usually been kind of disappointed in food in Tahoe, until I found these two places:

- Sunday brunch at Siena hotel (Reno) - It's wonderful, seriously. I haven't been back in a while, but every time I went for brunch, it was delicious! Their St. Honore is to die for.

- All-you-can-eat sushi at Waterwheel (South Lake Tahoe) - seriously! I laughed when I first heard about it, but when I went, I was really impressed. The sushi is very fresh. Each group of people gets assigned their very own personal sushi chef that will make anything you want (try their rolls...they have some very tasty inventions). But DO avoid the horrible Chinese food there in the sit-down area - the sushi is at the bar.

[merle]

Rick: will you have transport so you can make it to Reno?

Here's a report from my last trip.

Basically: Beto's for Mexican, Kyoto for Japanese. Dish is a good breakfast spot. (addresses are in the link)

I never did find anything amazing in Tahoe itself -- but I don't tend to like going to expensive restaurants, nor am I big on the "steak and seafood" craze, which would only leave casinos... of which Reno has a bigger selection...

[Carlsbad]

I admit I haven't been to the north shore of Tahoe in a few years, but there is no way I would leave such a beautiful spot to go to Reno for dinner.

[hollywood]

Upper Truckee, you're the one,

You make meal time lots of fun...

[rickmartin]

Okay, back from my Tahoe trip and I have some info to report.

Stayed at the Hyatt Regency in Incline Village which was spectacular. The beach is cushy and pampered. There was about one server for every 4 people. Food was about what you would expect from a hotel.

We went to the local grocery and bought some picnic items including some Truckee Bakery bread which was incredible. Had lunch on the beach.

Later that evening we ate dinner across the street from the hotel at a place called Austin's. It was surprisingly good. I would say it was upscale comfort food with a decent wine list and excellent casual service. I could tell there was a hard working chef/owner in back sweating away for his customers and employees. I like those places. Plates at the table were: steamed artichoke(overcooked), pork chops, blackened ribeye and others.

Went to Truckee the next night. Had appetizers at Dragonfly and was very impressed. They serve a sake cup of miso as an appertif. It was perfect.

Had more apps and dinner at Pianeta next. It was a very memorable meal in flavor, but especially atmosphere. I had the pork tenderloin with polenta and wilted red chard. I highly recommend the place if you are ever in the area.

I apologize for writing so quick but hungry customers await.

RM