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MEALS IN HIGH PLACES
Tips for uncommon dining at our ski resorts.
WRITTEN BY JEANNE LAUF WALPOLE
PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE SKI RESORTS
As our culinary expectations evolve with time, area ski resorts seek to satisfy skiers and boarders with ever-increasing sophistication in on-mountain dining. Mirroring food trends, most resorts now include more healthy and non-allergenic choices in their menus, along with an emphasis on locally grown products.
Since 2007, Heavenly Mountain Resort in South Lake Tahoe has been at the forefront of new healthy trends. Parent company Vail Resorts has committed to serving natural, hormone-free meats and poultry, along with organic dairy products in all of its restaurants and lodges.
Numerous other resorts also are embracing this all-natural philosophy.
“We’ve gotten away from the fried food mentality,” says Alan Davis, executive chef at Sugar Bowl Resort, explaining that resort chefs now even make their own sauces. “Everybody is interested in fresh ingredients.”
Davis explains that since Sugar Bowl has restaurants tucked into the Village Lodge and the Main Lodge at Mt. Judah, he strives to offer variety all over the mountain.
“I’ve been changing some of the old options into French-California cuisine,” he explains. “I definitely go with what’s in season.”
He especially touts the dining room in the Village Lodge, which offers a fine dining experience complete with white tablecloths for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The dining room is a favorite lunch stop for avid snowboarder Tony Peterson, who describes it as one of Sugar Bowl’s best-kept secrets.
“I like to go after 1 (p.m.), when it’s almost empty,” Peterson says. “The jalapeño fries are just awesome.”
Kids’ Needs
Catering to its family crowd, Northstar California’s chefs pay special attention to kids’ dietary needs and potential allergies by offering appropriate options for them on the mountain.
“We offer real food,” explains Kelly Rodriguez, Northstar’s food and beverage director. “We take the time to slice and dice it ourselves.”
In three main locations on the mountain, Northstar chefs offer an eclectic variety of food to guests. As one example, on top of Mt. Pluto you can enjoy a smokehouse experience by feasting on beef, pork, or chicken at Smokin’ Backside at the Summit Deck & Grille.
For a south-of-the-border taste, you can scoot into Chilly Pepper’s Cantina at the mid-mountain Big Springs Day Lodge, where the signature item is a grand tostada salad served on a crispy 12-inch tortilla.
Or for an upscale food court experience with a spectacular view, try the new, multi-million dollar Tahoe-style Zephyr Lodge near the top of the Tahoe Zephyr Express lift. Choices abound with stations for pizza, salad, and soups along with fried, grilled, or Asian foods, with a lot of attention paid to starting with fresh and healthy ingredients.
Squaw Choices
When cruising the slopes at Squaw Valley USA, you can satisfy your hunger pangs at various restaurants at Gold Coast or High Camp. At Gold Coast, you can browse food stations for soups, salads, pizzas, and Asian foods made with fresh ingredients at The Arc or enjoy performance-oriented choices, such as breakfast sandwiches and homemade soups at Funi’s Mountaintop Café. For a more leisurely meal with great views of Lake Tahoe and the surrounding mountains, try Terrace Café at High Camp, where options include homemade roasted pumpkin gnocchi, portobello fries, and Squaw’s signature pheasant soup.
“I go for the Asian noodle bowl at The Arc,” says long-time Squaw skier, Lynn Kennen. “I like that you can pick what you want and they cook it right there for you.”
Comfort Food
Although ski resort guests almost are overwhelmed with the variety of food choices, the demand for comfort food remains strong. Jim Fletcher, a retired banker and volunteer ambassador at Mt. Rose-Ski Tahoe, believes that people on the mountain want high-carb, high-protein foods.
“It’s chili, burgers, and sandwiches,” he says.
To keep himself fueled for a day on the slopes, he often indulges in a large mid-morning brunch of eggs, toast, and hash browns at Mt. Rose’s Lodgepole Café. Peterson also admits he favors traditional comfort foods.
“I’m pretty much a burger guy,” he says.
For a thoroughly local mountain experience, insiders suggest a stop at the Ice Bar at the base of the Sherwood Express lift at Alpine Meadows ski resort, where a tantalizing selection of microbrews and snacks is offered from a hut that’s brought in on skis.
No matter what the weather or snow conditions, skiers and boarders need not worry about having great cuisine at altitude. Area resorts are dedicated to providing a quality experience for all of their guests, which includes a plethora of food choices sure to please the most discriminating palates.
As Northstar’s Rodriguez says, “We want to wow everybody.”
Jeanne Lauf Walpole is a freelance writer and skier based in Northern Nevada who wholeheartedly welcomes the evolution of on-mountain dining.
Wine Time
Last Tracks returns.
Diamond Peak Ski Resort in Incline Village’s popular Last Tracks is a skiing and wine enthusiast’s dream.
At sunset, participants take the last chairlift up to the resort’s mid-mountain Snowflake Lodge, and before skiing or snowboarding down a freshly groomed run they enjoy wine and appetizers. They also soak up the beautiful view from the Lake Tahoe’s north shore.
Last Tracks tickets are available at 2:30 p.m. and folks ski for two hours before the event begins. Participants must ski or snowboard down from the event, be at least intermediate level, and be 21 to attend the wine tasting.
Last Tracks is held on Saturdays starting Feb. 4, 2013 and run through mid-April. Space is limited. Single event tickets are $29. For details, visit http://www.Diamondpeak.com.
