Adjoining the charming Christy Lodge, this rustic restaurant serves tasty seafood, beef, poultry, lamb, and pork dishes in simple, European-influenced preparations. Have a pre-dinner cocktail on the covered, glassed-in deck — perfect whatever the weather — before settling into the dining room for a culinary treat. Choose from appetizers like roasted asparagus with prosciutto and walnuts, or shrimp and scallop skewers. Entrees range from grilled ahi in papaya vinaigrette to a grilled Angus strip steak in red pepper relish. Desserts include creme brulee and various fresh fruits. Call before you go — the restaurant is often closed for private parties.
Recommended for Group Friendly because: Graham's can be rented out for weddings and special events.
Christina's expert tip: Graham's has been in the Squaw area for over 50 years.
Nestled halfway up the mountain just minutes from the bustling casinos of downtown Stateline and the Heavenly ski resort, this cliffside restaurant offers a spectacular view of the entire Lake Tahoe basin. The Chart House has been in this area since 1961 and serves excellent seafood, succulent steaks, salads and soups. Several entrees include Snapper Hemingway, Shrimp Fresca and the slow roasted Prime Rib. They also offer a daily selection of fresh fish, an extensive collection of fine wines and whiskies, and decadent desserts like our famous Hot Chocolate Lava Cake. The Chart House also has a huge selection of wines and champagnes for a special occasion.
Recommended for Group Friendly because: The Chart House has a room that can be rented for private events.
Christina's expert tip: This is the place to take that special date or for a special occasion. Dress is smart casual.
This restaurant in the center of Carson City (the capital of Nevada) is one of the best places to eat in Carson City. This popular and lively restaurant and bar serves excellent BBQ, pizza, salads and steaks. Try the Q for Two, a massive platter of sausages, ribs, cornbread and coleslaw for two people. Join the Fellowship of the 101 if you think you can taste all 101 bottles of their stellar beer selection. If you are a martini lover, this is also your place. What Red's is best known for is their decor. It looks like an antique shop exploded all over the restaurant and you could be dining under a 16 foot oil painting, a 19th century horse carriage, a wagon wheel chandelier or a huge set of elk antlers.
Recommended for Group Friendly because: Red's offers a back room for large groups and special occasions.
Christina's expert tip: Red's accommodates large groups very well with several large tables and separate rooms that can be rented out. The decor is a hoot!
This marvelous restaurant is located in the clubhouse of the Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course. The views of the lake and golf course are outstanding from any table. First-class food and service make for an enjoyable dining experience. As with most restaurants at the lake, seafood is always a specialty. However, this eatery also serves exotic dishes such as Roast Loin of Elk and an excellent Ostrich Medallion appetizer. The wine list has a bountiful assortment with prices in the moderate range. The Edgewood is available for special events including weddings, rehearsal dinners and receptions. They also cater local events and parties.
Recommended for Group Friendly because: Edgewood large booths also have views of the lake and the golf course.
Christina's expert tip: Edgewood is on a golf course and has one of the best views on the lake.
There are actually two Red Huts in South Lake Tahoe. The newer building is right in the middle of town, while the older Red Hut is just West of the newer building. Each of the Red Huts has great and affordalbe diner breakfasts and lunches, shakes, burgers and sandwiches. However, most locals go to the original Red Hut Cafe for their popular waffles like the Pecan or Coconut Waffle, omelets (like the Western Omelet with Ham, Cheese, Onion, and Bell Peppers), their short stacks, fresh eggs, hash browns and hot oatmeal with brown sugar. The newer Red Hut has a soda shop.
Recommended for Group Friendly because: The newer Red Hut in South Lake Tahoe has a large dining room for groups.
Christina's expert tip: Go to the original Red Hut to hang with the locals and to the new Red Hut in SLT for a larger menu and more space.
Himmel Haus is a German restaurant and bierhaus featuring a wide variety of German and Belgian biers and wines with a simple menu of Bavarian-inspired food with a local California twist. The menu includes locally made and sustainably harvested ingredients. The bier menu includes Pilsner, Helles, Hefe Weizen, Dunkel Marzen, Bock and Doppelbock as well as Belgian biers like Lambic, Blond, Wit, Ale and Trappist biers like Chimay and Rochefort Ale. Himmel Haus has special events all week including movies nights, live music, open mic night and trivia night. Their summer BierFest is popular as well as their Oktoberfest celebration.
Recommended for Group Friendly because: Himmel Haus has open mic and trivia nights all week.
Christina's expert tip: The Warm Braided Br�tchen will take you back to northern Germany.
Scusa Italian Ristorante has been serving authentic Italian to the Tahoe are for years. The restaurant has a large selection of appetizers (including the dynamite Lobster Ravioli), salads, fish and pasta dishes and classic regional and coastal Italian food like Lasagne, Salmon Scaloppine with lemon-caper butter, Calamari and Scampi. The bread and desserts are baked in-house daily. Scusa also has many vegetarian options and whole wheat or gluten-free pasta dishes. Their pasta dishes include Seafood Fettuccine, Sausage Linguine Bolognese, Cappelini with homemade sauce and Spinach Pasta Mediterranean with eggplant, artichoke hearts, peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, olives, feta cheese. Most of the dinner dishes start at around $16 to $18 and most appetizers like the Fresh Baked Mozzarella and the Frito Misto Scusa are under $10. Scusa also has a huge wine list featuring regional and Italian favorites as well as domestic and imported beer.
Recommended for Group Friendly because: The large dining room at Scusa is perfect for parties.
Christina's expert tip: Scusa also has an al fresco dining area with live Jazz on the weekends.
The Best Pies & Pizzeria restaurant is located right in downtown Truckee and features massive thin crust pizzas, Italian dishes and a lively atmosphere and affordable prices. Their speciality pies include the Garbage Pie with sausage, pepperoni, canadian bacon, mushroom, olives, bell peppers, onions the Pesto Pie with Sausage and fresh tomatoes and the Filetto Di Pomodoro Pie with sausage and basil. Each of these pies are around $20. You can also order items like their popular Garlic Knots, Cheese Calzone, Chicken Parmigiana and Spinach and Goat Cheese Rolls or Pasta with a side salad. Best Pies has a kid's menu and a full beer list.
Recommended for Group Friendly because: Best Pies has some large tables and booths for groups — and some really large pizzas to share.
Christina's expert tip: The Best Pies Signature Pie with the cherry peppers, mushroom, pepperoni, garlic and parsley sauce is awesome.
Eat indoors or on the restuarant's beautiful patio. They have all kinds of dishes to seduce your taste buds. Choose between crispy Baby Back Ribs grilled with jerk spice, and served with house made barbecue sauce or Jerk-spiced Fried Rock Prawns with Cajun tartar sauce. Order a Braised free Range Rabbit Cassoulet with Andouille sausage, garlic, rosemary and white beans, or simply opt for a Cheeseburger with waffle fries. Here, the wine and beer lists are extensive. The Cottonwood is filled with skiing and railroad memorabilia from Truckee's days as a railroad town, this casual restaurant, bar, and lounge provides customers with great views of Truckee, charming ambiance, and lovingly-prepared Californian-American fare.
Recommended for Group Friendly because: The Cottonwood dining room has large round tables for groups. The bar is great for chatting.
Christina's expert tip: The bar of the Cottonwood can get crowded and rowdy on Friday and Saturday nights. This is not a quiet and romantic restaurant.
Hacienda del Lago is known for both its margaritas as well as it's great view of the Tahoe City marina and the lake beyond. Their menu is not too bad either. The Hacienda serves up traditional Mexican food like Chile Colorado with juicy cubed beef in red chile sauce, Carne Asada, Tacos and Enchiladas�all served with fresh guacamole, rice and your choice of beans. Check out the sizzling Fajitas del Lago. For only $13 you get marinated strips of beef or chicken saut�ed with bell peppers and onions. The signature margaritas include the Escalade with Cazadores Reposado 100% Agave tequila mixed with house made margarita mix with fresh lime juice and Grand Marnier, Eli's Marg with Chimayo, 100% Agave tequila with Triple Sec, a splash of lime and a splash of sweet and sour. They also serve up the classic margarita and a great selection of tequila.
Recommended for Group Friendly because: Check out Hacienda del Lago's group-friendly taco and fajita bars.
Christina's expert tip: The "Sneaky Bandito" margarita is 46 ounces. Get a designated driver.