Keeping you informed of Northern Nevada and Tahoe/Truckee’s local food-and-drink news.
The year 2022 certainly closed with a bang. We have plenty of openings, closures, and accolades to report. As we enter the next year, many of those anticipated new businesses have officially begun welcoming guests, and the ones that have closed left open spots for fresh developments on the horizon.
OPENINGS
We have a long list of new eateries to try. And hitting them all sounds like a solid New Year’s resolution, if you ask us.
Perenn Bakery is expanding. The well-known bakery already has a couple of Reno locations, but the owners’ newest venture Claio will be a Greek-influenced restaurant centered on rotisserie cuisine, in the Mayberry Landing shopping center. At press time, the plan was to open its doors by year-end 2022.
The Flocchini family, which owns Sierra Meat & Seafood in Reno, along with Eric Halstead, former owner/head butcher of Village Meats in Incline Village, opened a new business in The Village at Rancharrah on Nov. 12. In addition to offering a full-service butcher shop with an abundant selection of fresh meat and seafood, at Armando & Sons Butcher Shop, you’ll find a pantry and craft burger and sausage bar, where chef Aaron Zender, previously of Alibi Brewing in Incline Village and Truckee, serves patrons delicious burgers and hot dogs.
After months of renovations, Abby’s Highway 40, a bar with a 122-year history on East Fourth Street in Reno, reopened on Oct. 21. Much of the establishment, owned by Piper Stremmel and husband Chris Reilly (who also own The Jesse Hotel & Bar and Estella up the street), and their business partners, Dash and Nicky Gopinath, remains the same but with some updates (see Edible Traditions to read more).
The Pink House in Genoa closed briefly in the fall and reopened under new ownership. After Lois Wray, the original owner, decided to sell, a new family (residents of Genoa since 2015) moved in. Ike and Stephanie Marr took over operations and opened to the public on Oct. 28. Much of the business remains the same, including many members of the staff.
Colin and MaryBeth Smith are the power couple behind Sparks’ Roundabout Catering and a smattering of other Reno businesses, including Smith and River restaurant in Reno, The Café at Roundabout in Nevada Museum of Art, and Tannenbaum events center. Adding to their portfolio, The Meadows, an events venue, opened on Inglewood Drive in Fernley on Oct. 1, providing 12,000 square feet of space, including an outdoor patio with fire pits, a large kitchen, an on-site bar, and state-of-the-art equipment.
In July 2022, Buck’s Canteen opened on Eastlake Boulevard in Washoe City in the old Postal Café location, with a casual-fare menu. The new owners also took over the bar next door, Washoe CAMP Saloon.
CLOSURES AND FAREWELLS
Unfortunately, we had to bid adieu to many restaurants at the end of 2022, from new ventures that never quite took off to old favorites, leaving us with heavy hearts.
Hidden Bistro, tucked above European Fitness Center in Reno, closed its doors in 2022, having only just opened in January 2021. The man behind the restaurant, best known in the community as Chef Oscar (Ayala), cited an increase in rent as his reason for closing. He has since taken his talents to Old Granite Street Eatery in Reno.
Record Street Brewing Co., which was one of several new businesses to come from the revitalization efforts taking place on Fourth Street in Reno, also closed in 2022, after just two years in business.
Nom Eats, which started as a food truck in 2014 and expanded into the West Street Market in Reno alongside Thali restaurant and The Pizza Collective, closed in 2022. The vegan restaurant shut its doors after eight years in business.
Pizza Reno said its final farewells after the Oct. 22 Zombie Crawl, letting the storied event be its final hurrah. On Facebook, owners cited building renovations as the reason for its closure.
Faces NV, a nightclub known for its entertaining drag shows, called it quits on Nov. 4. The owner cited issues with building ownership as its reasons for closing.
Many know about Ice Age Meals from TV’s Shark Tank. Nick Massie, owner of this food-delivery business based in Reno that sell prepackaged, paleo-nutrition meals, announced a fundraising effort to save its kitchen facility in West Reno. The plan was to pay off a considerable amount of debt by selling off a large inventory of remaining meals. The kitchen closed in December, and the company will transfer its remaining inventory to its North Reno warehouse. The business will not prepare any new meals until the warehouse can be remodeled to include a production area, which Massie hopes will happen in 2023.
Rounds Bakery’s owner team made the decision to close after seven years in business under the most recent ownership. The brand was established more than 30 years ago.
Dish Café and Catering in Reno announced its closure on Facebook in September 2022, after 21 years in business, with a heartfelt thank you to the community. It’s with great sadness that we also say goodbye to two important figures in our food-and-drink scene.
Peter Rathmann, co-owner of BJ’s Nevada Barbecue Co. in Sparks, passed away in November, after a long battle with cancer. Peter is survived by his wife, Roberta, and his son, Jay, who ran the restaurant with him, along with grandchildren and other family. Jay also is the president of the local High Sierra Chefs Association, an organization to which his father introduced him.
Michelle Shea, the matriarch of the Shea family, which owns Shea’s Tavern and Homegrown Gastropub in Reno, died unexpectedly in autumn.
Our deepest condolences go to both families.
NOTABLE MENTIONS
Here are a few noteworthy updates from the Northern Nevada food-and-drink scene.
The City of Reno announced in October 2022 that a rule that was strangling trivia events at local bars and restaurants has been (mostly) resolved. While a cabaret license still is required for all business owners wanting to hold trivia events, the fee now is much more reasonable, at about $130 a quarter. What changed is that a cabaret license used to trigger the need for a conditional use permit, costing bars and restaurants an additional $4,000 to $5,000 in zoning fees. That rule was removed in the fall.
In other zoning code news, a change in the definition of the brewery class of business was approved in Carson City on Oct. 20. The city ordinance allows breweries and tasting rooms to be zoned as tourist commercial properties. The request came from Mark Begich, who owns Carson Hot Springs and is the landlord for both Shoe Tree Brewing Co. and Sassafras Eclectic Food Joint in Carson City. The change in the designation allows Shoe Tree’s owners to expand onto a neighboring parcel zoned for tourist commercial, doubling beer production and creating a new tasting room for the award-winning brand.
Speaking of Shoe Tree Brewing, the Carson City- and Minden-based beer business took home another award on Oct. 8. The brewery won bronze at the Great American Beer Festival, the nation’s largest commercial beer competition, for its Pro-Am competition, in which commercial breweries team up with home brewers. The brewery shared the award with Carson City resident and homebrewer Eric Coffman. The winning beer was a Rheinland-Altbier, a rare German-style ale.
Schussboom Brewing Co. in South Reno also took home an award from GABF, winning a silver medal for its Bear Bait in the fruit wheat beer-style category. The brew is described as a wheat grist beer with the lemon-drop variety of hops and infused with wildflower honey and tart raspberry.
Sweets Handmade Candies, located in the Redfield Promenade in Reno and on Donner Pass Road in Truckee, changed hands. Owner Becky Cavender sold the operation to her business partners, Preston and Michelle Lillo.
There have been some anniversaries worth celebrating recently. Reno’s most notable French restaurant, Beaujolais Bistro, celebrated 20 years in business on Nov. 9. Brasserie Saint James in Midtown also had a big anniversary, reaching 10 years in business on Oct. 17. And Minden Meat & Deli celebrated its 10-year anniversary on Sept. 28.
Finally, Yelp Reno has announced accolades from its year in review, highlighting two Midtown eateries: Two Chicks in Reno as the most reviewed restaurant in The Biggest Little City in 2022, and DOPO Pizza & Pasta in Reno as the most photographed.
TRUCKEE/TAHOE NEWS
Just over the hill is a plethora of additional news. Truckee and Tahoe have their own announcements for 2023.
The Soaring Ranch shopping center in Truckee is home to food businesses Raley’s and Truckee Brewing Co. (which opened in summer 2022). It was recently reported that some new foodie favorites will move in during phase two of the center, which is expected to break ground in spring of 2023. Leases are available now for the anticipated spaces, but one business has already signed on: international restaurant RAKKAN Ramen. It started in Tokyo in 2011 and has since expanded to cities across the U.S.; now it’s ready to call Truckee its newest home.
Famed Tahoe City Italian restaurant Bacchi ’s Inn, which once counted celebrities the likes of Diane Keaton and Al Pacino among its clientele, closed its doors on Sept. 11 after 90 years in business.
Tahoe City also lost Blue Agave in July 2022 after 27 years of serving the community. Owner Steve Topol said the business wasn’t able to survive the hits caused by COVID-19 and the subsequent staffing shortages.
In May 2022, Boathouse Restaurant at the Beach Retreat & Lodge in South Lake Tahoe suffered a kitchen fire, which impacted the attached Timber Cove Pier. After repairs, the restaurant reopened in September 2022.
Lake Tahoe landed itself in the national spotlight, and not for its stunning views or epic skiing. Instead, it’s the food that lured Casey Webb, host of the Cooking Channel’s Man v. Food, to the shore. The episode began airing on Oct. 18, featuring Fox & Hound and Cold Water Brewery & Grill, both at the south end of the lake.
The family behind Lake Tahoe AleWorX in South Lake Tahoe is expanding its portfolio with a different sort of establishment. Owner Luca Genasci and his team have taken over The Lake House, which dates back to 1983 and is located on Emerald Bay Road. This fine-dining restaurant is bringing the vision of executive chef Jimi Nakamatsu to life. One notable addition since the ownership change is an outdoor patio expansion that doubles seating capacity.
That about sums it up. It’s safe to say 2023 is already off to an exciting start, with more burgeoning businesses promising to keep our plates full all year long.
Nora Heston Tarte is a longtime Reno resident. You can follow her local exploits and travel adventures on Instagram @Wanderlust_n_wine.
