By Priya Hutner ·
Owner Chris St. Martin with Chef Donovan Webb and co-owner Ryan Dierks.
I sat down with owners Ryan Dierks and Chris St. Martin of the newly opened Truckee Tavern and Grill to share a meal recently. The ambience is warm, woody and super cozy. Classic rock music gives the restaurant a nostalgic aura.
Pasta with fresh vegetables ·
Chef Donovan Webb brought out the Tavern’s housemade pasta entrée prepared with seasonal vegetables and served with a housemade Ricotta cheese. I mixed the dollop of Ricotta into the pasta and vegetables. Creamy, yet light, with a hint of nutmeg, this entrée was delightfully delicious. The vegetables and pasta were cooked perfectly al dente.
There was a home-style, yet elegant simplicity, about this meal that I really enjoyed.
We also shared the Scallop entrée served on a bed of spring greens with crisp fried green onions that was excellent. I could have eaten a bowl of crispy green onions.
The Tavern uses local organic products whenever possible, with greens and carrots from Gary Romano of Sierra Valley Farms and heirloom tomatoes from Greg’s Organics. Proteins served are hormone free.
Scallops on a bed of spring greens ·
The menu offers unique variety of appetizers, salads and side dishes like Coal-Roasted Zephyr Squash, Mac and Cheese and Creamed Rainbow Chard. Entrees include NY Strip, Rib Eye and Chicken from the grill, as well as a number of seafood entrées.
Try out the Early Night Bite from 4:30 to 6 p.m. featuring Meatball Mondays or Bacon and Bourbon Tuesdays, featuring deep-fried Bacon Corn Hog, made with homemade pork belly bread and served with a fig jam bacon dipping sauce and discounted bourbon. Wednesday is $2 Oysters and $1 off a glass of wine, and Thursdays is Burger and Beer night, order a Grass Fed Cheeseburger and any domestic bottle of beer for $16.
There is even a reverse Happy Hour from 8:30 to 11 p.m. geared toward folks in the restaurant business, but, of course, everyone is welcome to hang out. The bar is fabulous with a wide variety of affordable wines and organic and biodynamic wines choices. There are more than 50 craft whiskeys and 25 small batch-distilled gins.
Specialty cocktails include the Silver Mirror prepared with gin, rosemary, elderflower lemon and bitters. The Wilke Cup is made with rye, basil, maple and fernet, an ode to the merchant who owned the building where the Tavern sits today. In addition, there is a secret cocktail list, but no one’s supposed to know.
Truckee Tavern and Grill located at 10118 Donner Pass Road is open for dinner Sunday to Wednesday from 5 to 9 p.m. and Thursday to Saturday until 9:30 p.m. Bar opens at 4. For more information, call (530) 587-3766 or visit truckeetavern.com.
