Keeping you informed of Northern Nevada and Lake Tahoe/Truckee’s local food-and-drink news.
Summer was busy for the restaurant scene, which means that as we settle into fall, we may still be playing catchup with our updates on all the new food-and-drink establishments taking up residence in Reno-Tahoe. Now fall looks as if it’ll be busy, too, based on rumors swirling about newly signed leases, business sales, and more.
Here’s the latest news.
NEW BUSINESSES AND HAPPENINGS
Summer brought a slew of new businesses to Northern Nevada. July saw the long-awaited opening of Nashville Social Club in Carson City. Local owners Kitty McKay and John Procaccini completed a full remodel of the space to give the building a more authentic Nashville vibe. After a weekend-long soft opening, during which tables were available by reservation only, the eatery opened to the public for lunch and dinner service Wednesdays through Saturdays and a Saints ’N’ Sinners-themed brunch beginning on Sundays.
Dolce Caffé celebrated its grand opening in Mayberry Landing on July 1. The three owners — Claudio and Giuseppa and their daughter Melissa Iturriaga — purchased the space from Don Holtzer, longtime owner and pastry chef of Franz’s Backstube Austrian Bakery. The family knew Holtzer for a long time before his retirement and have continued to honor him and his creations with their new café. Their menu includes many of the Austrian favorites the community has come to love, but with a new dough recipe that makes it Dolce Caffé’s own. The family added about 20 Sicilian menu items as well.
On Aug. 6, Music N Mimosas, a lounge on Sierra Street, celebrated its grand opening. The business offers what owner Danny Martinez calls Reno’s Best Brunch Party, featuring music, food, and, you guessed it, mimosas. To book a VIP table, make a reservation online. The business currently is open during the daytime, though nighttime service is planned for the future.
Old World Coffee Lab, the Chris Garrison-owned business with a location in Carson City and two spots in Reno, opened a fourth store on Las Brisas in Reno in June. The new location features the same menu as its Midtown shop but with an open concept that allows guests to become spectators of the roasting process.
For years we have heard about The Phoenix landing at The Outlets at Legends, and in July the time finally came for its doors to open. The Sparks restaurant — a barbecue joint serving ribs, burgers, steaks, seafood, and more — held its soft opening on July 8 and 9. Diners will enjoy live music at the venue as well, including country, rock, and blues, along with theater shows. The owners previously ran the now-closed Hellfire Saloon on South McCarran Boulevard in Reno.
Speaking of The Outlets at Legends, Legends Bay Casino in Sparks opened on Aug. 30, the first Reno-area casino to be built from the ground up in more than two decades. Inside, three restaurants will serve visitors: Duke’s Steakhouse (a Reno outpost of the famous Carson City restaurant), LB Grill, and a Food Truck Hall with multiple dining options.
The timing couldn’t have been better for Darkshot Coffee to unveil its second location. The coffee spot that grew a following inside the Reno Renaissance Downtown Hotel chose a spot in the parking garage near the Reno Aces ballpark to serve its dedicated clientele, whether or not it’s a game day. The shop opened in mid-July.
The Mountain family — with patriarch and matriarch Philip and Shannon Mountain — decided to open a brick-and-mortar business in which to house their garage-hobby-turned-brewing business that started in 2018. Slieve Brewing Co. opened in September on Morrill Avenue and already has earned a number of awards for its prized beer. The Gaelic word Slieve translates to “mountain” in English, a clever nod to both the family’s name and its Irish roots.
On July 14, the couple behind Roundabout Catering, MaryBeth and Colin Smith, opened their newest restaurant, Smith and River, in the old Campo location that restaurateur Mark Estee first opened on the Reno Riverwalk. It’s on prime real estate, right on the Truckee River, and features great indoor and outdoor seating and delicious dishes and drinks.
WHAT’S CHANGED?
We’ve also discovered a few notable food scene changeups. For example, there was a lot of buzz surrounding the opening of Centro South at The Village at Rancharrah in Reno last March, but ultimately the menu wasn’t well received, and in June owner Alberto Gazzola changed up his staff, replacing executive chef Cameron Atkinson with Geoffrey Caliger, who was executive chef at Reno’s Liberty Food & Wine Exchange. Caliger revamped both the lunch and dinner menus, trading out the small, overly complicated tapas-style dishes for modern American-style offerings. Caliger’s menu features high-quality, shareable small- and medium-sized plates as well as full entrées and daily specials. Locally sourced ingredients, quality, and freshness being Caliger’s focus, the menu offers a selection of fresh fish, Piedmontese beef, and other dishes prepared with Asian and South American influences.
Local Beer Works in Midtown changed hands in May. Rick Silva took over the establishment (opened in January 2020) from previous owners Tina Nielsen and Ashley Johnson.
After 44 years, Roger Diedrichsen retired as owner of Pizza Barn. He sold his Fallon location to Jennifer and Barry Vasquez, and the community celebrated with a farewell party on June 30.
ON THE HORIZON
We’re always keeping our ears to the ground on exciting developments. Here’s what we’re following at the moment.
Reno Public Market confirmed nine food vendors for its fall opening. Get ready for an eclectic line-up: Pink Taco, Wok & Roll, V’s Churro Bar, Nash and Proper Chicken, A La Parrilla Latin Food, Bone Appetit BBQ, Miches Vatos, Los Cipores Salvadoran, and BurgerNV Main Vein Coffee Co., Batch Cupcakery, The Hungover Crab, Marcolino’s Italia, Bite Me Food Truck, Crepes & Craft, Biggest Little Boba Shop. The vendors will be located in the center of the market, in its Food Hall.
Word on the street is that Piper Stremmel, owner of Estella Tacos y Mezcal and The Jesse hotel on Fourth Street in Reno, recently purchased Abby’s Hwy 40, one of locals’ favorite dive bars just down the street. Details are scarce at the moment, but we’ve heard rumblings of an Airstream being permanently placed on the property to sell dumplings. And seating for both the bar and Airstream kitchen will be provided on the renovated patio. She also is working on creating a restaurant inside the building.
Sprouts Natural Foods Café has served the South Lake Tahoe community for 32 years, but now Reno fans can look forward to its second location coming to the corner of Veterans and Steamboat parkways in South Reno. However, the Reno outpost will have a new name, Tahoe Natural Café, so as not to cause confusion with the Sprouts grocery store nearby. Today, the South Lake eatery serves vegetable-forward breakfasts, lunches, and dinners made with natural and organic ingredients, plus coffee, smoothies, and juices. When the café opens in Reno (likely early 2023), it’s expected to serve a similar menu. While the building isn’t completed yet, the management already is accepting applications for employment.
The Reno Experience District, also known as RED, at the old Park Lane Mall site will welcome two more businesses to its retail space. Both Hub Coffee and HeyDay Barber are expected to open once construction on the retail building is completed.
Inside The Bluebird nightclub on Reno’s Fourth Street, The Liquid Library Elixir Bar soon will be serving up non-alcoholic beverages. Stay tuned as we gather details about an opening date.
NOTABLE MENTIONS
Look who’s making waves and celebrating accomplishments in the Reno/Tahoe food scene!
A new face has joined the Nevada Farm Bureau. Douglas County’s Woody Worthington, former marketing and sales manager of the now-closed Bently Ranch in Minden, has become the bureau’s director of agriculture education and advocacy.
Among his chief goals is meeting with Northern Nevada schools to grow the Ag in the Classroom initiatives and, hopefully, add new programs to schools that currently don’t offer ag education.
Atlantis Steakhouse and Bistro Napa both received recognition for their quality, diverse wine lists once again, each taking home a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence in 2022. While earning the award any year is a major feat — only 1,782 restaurants worldwide were crowned this year — the accolade is especially impressive due to the Atlantis Casino Resort Spa’s restaurants’ long reputation for consistently earning the award.
The steakhouse celebrated 22 straight years of recognition, while Bistro Napa earned the nod for the 21st time. While Atlantis is no stranger to winning awards, these represent the longest-running winning streaks for the hotel giant in Northern Nevada.
Happy anniversary to the Great Basin Community Food Co-op, which is celebrating 17 years of business in Reno this September!
A big accolade came down from the U.S. Open Beer Championship in Oxford, Ohio, as Shoe Tree Brewing Co., with locations in Minden and Carson City, was named the second-best brewer in the country. It’s not the first time Shoe Tree has been recognized in the competition, but it is the first time it has cracked the Top 10.
Hungry in Reno announced a new effort that kicked off in August: Hungry Holidays. The program will feature local food-and-drink deals related to historic food holidays. August was a great time to start, with National IPA Day, International Beer Day, National Rum Day, National Cuban Sandwich Day, National Whiskey Sour Day, National Burger Day, and National Sandwich Month all falling during that month.
We are saddened to report that Dave Preston died on Aug. 3 in Las Vegas. He worked as a Reno food and wine journalist for 42 years, as well as a social anthropologist, food historian, chef, chef educator, and local and national radio and TV cooking and dining show host (including a Saturday morning show, Weekend Magazine, on KOH radio). He served on national boards of the American Culinary Federation and the International Food Service Executives Association and the local ACF High Sierra Chefs Association chapter. He dined on six continents and wrote more than 1,000 articles, including a few stories for this magazine. He lived in Northern Nevada since 2001, when he moved from San Francisco. Edible Reno-Tahoe publishers fondly remember interactions they had with him at local food events. He was a great writer, a huge lover of food and wine, and a kind and genuine gentleman. He will be missed.
Truckee/Lake Tahoe News
In Truckee and Tahoe, we’re celebrating even more good news, including a new eatery from a big name in food and beverage.
Doughnuts and ramen may sound like an odd combo, but it’s working for Northstar California’s newest eatery. The Truckee establishment White Rabbit Ramen + Donut comes to the ski resort from Scott Baird, a visionary from San Francisco known for his creative menus. Trick Dog and 15 Romolo are just two establishments on which Baird has hung his hat, helping him bring in an impressive number of awards and accolades from the James Beard Foundation, Esquire, Food & Wine, and more.
The Farmacy in Truckee, part of the Tahoe Food Hub, has long been known for making local food accessible to the masses, with a farm stand that specializes in grub sourced from local farms, ranches, and specialty food producers. As part of the food hub’s efforts to reach more residents and visitors, The Farmacy’s hours have been expanded from four days per week to six. Located at the Truckee Airport, its shop hours are 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. Mon. and Sat., noon – 6 p.m. Tues. – Thurs., and 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. Fri.
The Ritz-Carlton, Lake Tahoe welcomed a new executive chef to its property. Ernesto Alvarado has an impressive culinary background, with more than 25 years of experience in the industry. His humble beginnings as a dishwasher quickly ballooned to great success at various luxury resorts, including The Ritz-Carlton, San Juan in Puerto Rico, Kimpton Seafire Resort & Spa on Grand Cayman, and Omni Barton Creek Resort & Spa in Austin, Texas, before landing in Lake Tahoe at The Ritz-Carlton.
In this food-and-drink scene that never slows down, gathering the details to keep you in the know is a constant challenge — but it’s one we’re always up for! Rest assured that when we know it, so will you. Until next time, keep eating, drinking, and celebrating local.
Nora Heston Tarte is a longtime Reno resident. You can follow her local exploits and travel adventures on Instagram @Wanderlust_n_wine.
