Fall 2025 | Edible Traditions

Vive la France!

Delving into more than a century of French cuisine in Reno-Tahoe.

I’m not sure that I’d classify myself as a Francophile, but I did study French, explored France from the Marais to Arles, and maintain I make as good a French onion soup as anyone. French restaurants have been popular here over the years.

Celebrity chefs now are hot commodities, but this isn’t something new. As long ago as 1910, the talented Mrs. Amalia Malagoni managed the Alta Dining Room on Center Street in Reno, calling it the only French-American restaurant in Nevada. By 1912, it morphed into a French-Italian restaurant, beginning the trend for short-lived French eateries. Soon after, G. Barbaris, fresh from the Barnum Café in Oakland, took over a long-term lease at the Alta. Hot on its heels, in 1913, the Commercial Hotel added a “first class French restaurant.” Neither establishment lasted long.

Some restaurants had more staying power. The Moulin Rouge Café, touted as Reno’s only French restaurant, arrived in 1943 and celebrated its first anniversary with public officials and notables, including Gov. and Mrs. E.P. Carville, Bishop Thomas K. Gorman, and more than 80 guests. Proprietors Jacques Voland and François Ray, along with chef Gilbert Vasserot, oversaw the festivities. Crowning the evening was a “strawberry Romanoff” dessert, served from a huge ice vase, carved from a 300-pound block of ice and illuminated from inside.

The string of restaurants lengthened after World War II, perhaps nurtured by returning soldiers familiar with European cooking. In March 1946, a French/Spanish restaurant opened in Tahoe City. In 1947, Chez Totor, preparing a “real French dinner,” opened on Fourth Street in Reno. By the late 1960s, Chez Maxime arrived on the scene. Located at 1292 S. Virginia St. in Reno, it was described in 1971 by the Nevada State Journal as “a little corner of Paris.” The menu featured classics such as coq au vin, sole meunière, and duck à l’orange. The chef was French native Maxime Gerome, who moved to Reno after years of training at prestigious Canadian kitchens at The Ritz-Carlton and St. Regis Hotels & Resorts. The man knew his sauces and the restaurant was a family affair.

Continental Is the New Buzzword
If you ask longtime Reno residents to name a favorite “departed” restaurant, the name Eugene’s will inevitably arise. Somewhere in mid-century America, the term “continental” was used to lure customers. Although French cuisine remained an important part of Eugene’s menu, it also offered broader options, a good example of eclectic, European-style dishes. In 1950, Eugene Jarvis converted an old ranch house into an elegantly appointed restaurant that was recognized in 1956 by Holiday magazine for “dining distinction.” Joe Patrucco and Gilbert Vasserot (yes, formerly of the Moulin Rouge) guarded Eugene’s reputation for fine foods and excellent service. The restaurant moved in 1958 to a new location at 2955 S. Virginia St. (now part of the Peppermill Resort Spa Casino parking lot). The restaurant was so notable that it was chosen by the City of Reno for its welcoming luncheon for the International Olympic Committee during the Squaw Valley Winter Olympics in 1960.

A significant milestone for fine dining arrived when La Table opened in Reno. The Nevada State Journal wrote in 1980, “You hardly expect to find a cozy French restaurant with an atmosphere reminiscent of a country inn in Northern Nevada, but that is what you will find at La Table, a charming restaurant perched on the hillside on Fourth Street.” The article described the water wheel (still visible after all these years!), fresh flowers, oil paintings, antiques, and the romantic atmosphere. The front-of-house artistry carried over to the kitchen, the domain of chef/owner Yves Pimparel. His dishes included rabbit in mustard cream sauce, duckling with a green peppercorn sauce, and quail with grapes. Pimparel also had an appreciation for culinary history. He purchased pots made from thick copper with steel linings (and considered state of the art in the 1800s) that were used by the famous chef Escoffier. By 2000, the restaurant, sadly, closed its doors. (Another great restaurant — 4th St. Bistro — opened in its place soon after, offering fresh, seasonal, local fare with a French twist. That restaurant closed 20 years later in 2020.)

Readers may remember La Ferme, which operated for about 20 years in Genoa and closed in 2016. And there was La Vieille Maison, a popular French restaurant in Truckee in the ’70s and ’80s.

Today, Francophiles are in good hands, with classic French cuisine ensconced in Reno at Beaujolais Bistro. First established in 2002 when it was located on West Street and now in a charming brick house on the bank of the Truckee River, it carries on the tradition of fine dining. Le Bistro in Incline Village, in business for 34 years, still is serving French fare as well, though without the leadership of its founding chef, Jean-Pierre Doignon, who let it go in 2016. Truckee residents and visitors are enjoying Tangerine French Bistro, which opened in 2023. In addition, Reno’s Belleville Wine Bar, opened by Frenchman Nico Gourdon in 2023, features delightful French small bites and wines.

Despite my satisfactory French cooking skills, it’s always good to know that there’s an alternative to my own home kitchen.