Rosewood serves family favorites in a cozy Tahoe setting.
Adam and Alexa DeMezza practically gutted their Incline Village restaurant’s building when they first purchased it in 2022, converting it from the former home of Birdies Hot Chicken to their cozy, upscale restaurant, Rosewood. About one year later, they celebrated its grand opening, and today, they continue to see community support as both a locals’ favorite haunt and a hotspot for visitors.
Its menu is comprised of modern American food, several steps above what Adam, the former owner of Giordano Bros. in San Francisco, is used to. A self-described “bar guy,” he and his wife created Rosewood specifically to fill a gap in the Incline Village market — a casual place that could serve as a last-minute happy hour spot equally as well as a date-night destination.
“I don’t think there’s anything really like this around Tahoe right now,” Alexa says of the restaurant, which is neither fast casual nor fine dining.
“Our regulars carry us through all the shoulder seasons,” Adam chimes in.
Italian Influence
While the DeMezzas have been permanent residents in the Tahoe area since 2017, they bring a melting pot of experience to Rosewood. Alexa, a sommelier, grew up in Texas before pursuing a career in the wine industry in San Francisco; Adam’s roots are in Pittsburgh and San Francisco.
“We have a really small menu,” Alexa says. “We do try to keep it seasonal, just so it doesn’t get stagnant.”
Customer favorites include chicken and steak entrées, seasonal pastas, a pistachio-crusted halibut, and Italian sides such as arancini, garlic dip, and polenta cakes. One of the standouts is the Mary’s chicken, made with a Dijon jus that tastes just as good spread over the polenta cakes as it does on the meat.
In the spring, typically debuting around Easter, a lamb shank — called “volcano shank” because of its somewhat-vertical presentation — is worth every penny.
The polenta cakes in particular should not be missed. The recipe comes from chef Will Brunk’s grandmother — the winner of a battle between Adam and Brunk, each of whom came to the restaurant with a beloved polenta cake recipe from his respective grandmother. In the end, the consulting chef’s recipe won out.
Brunk is responsible for much of the menu, which includes Italian-influenced dishes. While Adam insists Rosewood is not strictly an Italian restaurant, it does offer some classic Italian dishes, including the rotating seasonal pastas, polenta cakes served with Parmesan and cream, and crispy arancini rice balls coated in breadcrumbs and deep fried.
Caesar salad may be a staple at most restaurants, but here the presentation includes a chopped anchovy as a centerpiece to the dish that is creamy, fresh, and crunchy all at once — a standout menu item that was never meant to stand out at all.
“It’s a from-scratch kitchen,” Alexa says. “Everything that comes out of there is really, really good.”
While the food is an important emphasis, the DeMezzas are equally proud of their bar program. General manager/bar manager Joey Picchi developed it after years of honing his bartending skills in the San Francisco restaurant and bar scene. He was one of the most sought-after bartenders there, leading cocktail programs at some of the city’s best bars, including Oddjob, 620 Jones, and The Midway. His imaginative, market-driven creations garnered recognition in publications such as Wine & Spirits magazine and 7×7 magazine.
Around dinnertime each night, Rosewood comes alive with the chatter and camaraderie among guests. Wine is poured with intent from a carefully curated, Italian-inspired and sommelier-approved list perfected by Alexa. The business is both a bar, raucous and vibrant, with space for families, and Pittsburgh Steelers games on the TV on Sundays — and muted the rest of the week — as well as a venue for high-end comfort food special enough to warrant a night on the town, where conversation is the centerpiece of the meal.
“It pops in here,” Adam says. “When it’s busy, it’s pretty fun.”
Polenta Cake
(courtesy of chef Will Brunk, Rosewood in Incline Village. Serves 10)
1¾ cups heavy cream
3¼ cups vegetable stock
1 cup polenta
2 cups butter
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt
Scant ¼ teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon oil
Bring cream and vegetable stock to a boil. Slowly whisk in polenta. Cook for about 30 minutes, whisking frequently. Stir in butter, Parmesan, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Pour onto sheet pan with 2-inch-tall sides. Chill until firm. To serve, cut into equal squares. Heat oil in pan and sear polenta cakes for 5 minutes per side until golden brown.
Rosewood
930 Tahoe Blvd., Ste. 901, Incline Village
775-298-2678 · Rosewoodtahoe.com
