Northstar at Tahoe recommendations?

[cortez]

I'm going in late June to Northstar at Tahoe for a wedding. Prior to the wedding day, I'll have 2 1/2 days to explore the area -- 2 dinners, 2-3 lunches or breakfasts.

Any Chowhound recommendations for Northstar, Truckee, Lake Tahoe or Squaw Valley? Looking for fun, delicious places -- any ethnicity is ok and price point is flexible.

Thanks for your help.

[enbell]

We love Plumpjack Cafe at the base of Squaw Valley Resort. Moody's and Dragonfly in Truckee are great as well.

[cortez]

Thanks Enbell.

We have pencilled in Moody's for lunch on the way to Northstar and PlumpJack for another meal during our trip. Many thanks.

[nancyhudson]

ditto, ditto, and ditto - if you can squeeze in Dragonfly, definitely do that. Speaking of "squeeze in" Squeeze In" in Truckee is AWESOME for breakfast...do it!!

[RevrendAndy]

Moody's and Plumpjack are some of my favorite restaurants around the lake. Mark Estes, from Moody's opened Baxter's at Northstar this last winter. We tried it a few nights ago and it was fantastic. Besides great food, they charge about 20% over retail on their wines. Right next door is a very hip place called the Chocolate Bar, originally a Reno incarnation. Make sure to try a Chocolate Martini. Great because it's chocolatey but not very sweet.

[zook]

We're heading up to Northstar later this week and searched the boards for rex and was hoping by reviving this thread, we'd get some updates on the area. TIA

[RevrendAndy]

We love Baxter's at Northstar. It's one of the best restaurants around. I don't know what you want to spend for dinner but the new Ritz opened with superstar chef Traci des Jardins. I imagine the food will be great but come at a high price. I won't be able to try it till next summer. Make sure to have a chocolate martini and sit in front of the firepit at the Chocolate Bar.

[zook]

Thanks, Rev. I've got a rez at Baxters and plan on trying the Ritz. Anything with chocolate is a winner in my book, so I"ll be sure to stop by the Choc Bar. I just wanted to make sure nothing had changed since the last round of posts on this area. I'll report back after our visit.

[RevrendAndy]

Things change slowly in Tahoe.

I noticed the menu at Baxter's has changed since fall but the pork platter is still listed and is marvelous and quite porky. If they offer the cheesy truffle fries, go for it. Bon Apetit. Please report back.

[zook]

Here's a rundown of our Northstar eating experiences. After a very long day of travel and adjusting to time changes, take out pizza from Rubicon hit the spot. We enjoyed their non-run of the mill salads and pizza selections. Because we ate breakfasts in the condo and lunch on the mountain, our meals out were primarily for dinner. We didn't have a car and were too tired to venture beyond Northstar so we were somewhat limited in our dinner choices; however, that doesn't mean that we didn't eat well. We ate at Baxters twice. Between the two meals and the three of us, we managed to sample quite a few of their menu items. We especially enjoyed the winter fruit salad and dungeness crab tower apps. Two of us enjoyed the hunters trio (boar, vennison and quail) alot, while I didn't care for it finding the boar very tough and grizzly. The char, shortribs, and pork platter were also satisfying. The desserts were big hits. We were pleasantly surprised by the quality of our meal at Mikuni although many of the sushi rolls on the menu sounded very much alike. The chocolate and turtle martinis at the chocolate bar were a nice treat and could become habit forming. We also had a brie appetizer there which hit the spot but was pretty much standard fare. Frustratingly, we returned there another day when they were empty but for one table top. After sitting there for over ten minutes with no one coming by to offer us a menu or try to take our order, we gave up and left. Oddly, upon leaving the waitress came by and thanked us for coming. That caused us to wander over to Olivers wine bar for an apres ski snack. In retro mode we ordered the mushroom fondue and some wine. In appearance it looked like campbells cream of mushroom soup, although the taste was much better than that. The fondue would have worked better if we were given some veggies besides the boatload of baguette slices that came with it. Lastly, we went to Manzanita in the Ritz for our last dinner. Despite the fact that they had called me to confirm our reservation, when we arrived, they had no record of our reservation and seemed flustered as a result. They had us sit at the bar until they could figure out what to do which was surprising in light of the fact that the restaurant was only half full. The bar (as well as the restaurant) is beautifully designed. I won't rehash the menu as it's posted on their website. There are no specials offered, so we felt the choices somewhat limited and for the most part, uninspired. DH had the soup du jour (vegetable) first which he enjoyed, and we both ordered the shortribs which were advertised as coming with horseradish potatoes and an herbal salad. The herbal salad consisted merely of some Italian parsley and frisee on top of the one massive shortrib which sits atop the potatos. I won the short rib lottery in that my portion had no bones and was a huge piece of well cooked meat in a tasty sauce with only a few pockets of fat. DH's on the other hand pulled the short straw and his had 3 bones and thus was a much smaller portion. A pet peeve about the vessel in which the shortrib was served...it was in a plate/bowl that had highish sides which made laying the knife down each time a real challenge to keep it from either falling into the bowl or falling onto the table. It also made it more difficult to scoop up some of the smaller pieces. We shared the butternut squash creme brulee which was a nice twist from the standard version. The service at Manzanita was good but not what you'd expect from the Ritz brand. This may change in all fairness since they have only been open one month. Lastly, whoever selected the uniforms of the waitstaff had little to no imagination. The same person must have been responsible for the design of the unforms for all Ritz personnel as I had the same reaction a day earlier when spending a day at their spa (which was delightful). Overall, because we were a captive audience of the Northstar dining experience since we had no car, we found the dining choices in the village varied and satisfying. However, if we were staying here more than the five nights that we did, we'd be bored with what was here and would definitely need to venture further afield. Thanks for all the input before our arrival. This was our first time visiting this area and will definitely return next ski season for a short visit leaving other ski locations for lengthier trips.

[Foodnut8]

Good notes on Manzanita

Its nice to see more decent food options in Truckee..

Here some pics that give you a feel for the place. It is quite a beautiful restaurant. The warm bread salad, scallops, prime rib are pretty good.
http://www.foodnut.com/509/manzanita-lake-tahoe-restaurant-review-lake-tahoe/

Some pics from Baxter's. We were presently surprise at the quality of food there.
http://www.foodnut.com/336/baxters-bi...

[c oliver]

Just saw these updates. Why were you "presently surprise" at the quality at Baxter's? We haven't been there yet but have been eating at Moodys for years and always liked it.

[zook]

Sorry for the delay in answering your post. Just started looking at these posts again in anticipation of this winter's return trip to Tahoe. I believe you misread my old post...it was Mikuni that we were pleasantly surprised about, not Baxters, and that was simply because we had no preconceived notions about it having read little to nothing about it in advance of our trip. Having said all this, is there anything new in the area to try this time around?

[zook]

What a difference a year makes. Returned to Northstar this winter and gave Manaznita another chance. Very glad we did. This time the menu was more expansive than last year, the service more polished and the food very good. The restaurants in the village maintained their consistency from last year. Baxters and Mikuni still winners. Also, you can't visit Northstar without a visit to the Chocolate Bar for some great apres-ski or after dinner drinks.

[RevrendAndy]

Zook, Baxters and Mikuni are still excellent, as is Manzanita. The Ritz had not been open very long when you were there in January and I believe you will find the service more polished. Wild Goose reopened to the public in Tahoe Vista, after a 2 year private stint with Tahoe Mountain Club. The food is great-contemporary American. Also in Tahoe Vista, I really like Spindleshanks. I particulary like their artichoke, oysters bienzi, and flank steak. In King's Beach, Caliente has great margaritas and excellent upscale Mexican food. They have the best chile relleno ever.

[zook]

Thanks for the update! We will be sure to check them out when we return.