South Lake Tahoe: Base Camp Pizza Co.

Subject: FOOD/DRINK

Place: Base Camp Pizza Co.

Locale: Heavenly Village, South Lake Tahoe, CA

Base Camp Pizza Co. Website

Visits: 1 (05/23/16)

Food:     4 out of 5 on the Fork-O-Meter

Venue:   4 out of 5 on the Fork-O-Meter

Beverages:  4.5 out of 5 on the Burp-O-Meter

Will I return?: Yes, for any future stays/visits in South Lake Tahoe.

NARRATIVE:

I previously mentioned that I have drawn on locally-broadcast programs to gather ideas for new spots to visit. Especially for the entire Lake Tahoe area I have relied on Meghan Burke's "Tahoe Life" as well as Dreu Murin's "Ultimate Tahoe Adventures" for inspiration. Both programs include in-depth segments featuring restaurants and based on a Dreu Murin segment, we found ourselves at Base Camp Pizza Co. during a day trip with family.

The Heavenly Village in South Lake Tahoe, where the base station for the Heavenly Gondola is located, has a wide variety of shops, restaurants, and activities located within an easy to walk venue. Linda and I have seen several restaurants come and go in this location over the years, including one under the Wolfgang Puck flagship of eateries. Not everything that works in the world outside of Lake Tahoe necessarily works locally. On the contrary, it seems that more often, it is the locally-flavored places that make an impression and succeed locally. This would appear to be the case for Base Camp Pizza Co.

Base Camp Pizza Co. holds a rather large footprint in the heart of the Heavenly Village center. For sunnier days, there is a large open-air section of tables and chairs. On this colder, rainier day, a covered, heated, open-air patio is also an option. There was live music provided under the covered section and several folks were happy to sit, drink, eat and listen. We on the other hand, great-nieces in tow, decided to eat indoors.

Covered, heated outdoor eating with entertainment

Plenty of different types of seating indoors: booths, tables, bar, etc. The vibe is "mining camp meets farm fresh". Camping lanterns overhead, lumbered walls, etc - you get the idea. Our party of 6 (including the munchkins) were quickly greeted, quickly seated, and had our server introduced right away. The server, although young, had good intuition and seemed to sense when we were ready to order a drink, food, etc. He was quickly attentive, but remained in the background until needed. The rest of the staff seemed to meld together well and were constantly moving about, helping each other bus tables, fill glasses, etc. Nice to see the enthusiasm. I also was pleased to see the "open kitchen" concept in play here. 

My niece's husband and I were both quite pleased to see an fairly extensive chalkboard of various draft beers from which to choose (did I ever mention I kind of like beer?). I love when I see a chalkboard offering versus a static display of beer. This to me implies that at least SOME rotation of handles occurs, thus meaning different choices at different times - variety is the true spice of life! Base Camp also offers wines, a full bar, yada, yada, yada.

Let's chat about food. Okay, initially the menu is not extensive. At closer glance, it is more than adequate given it is after all, a pizza place primarily. If you are providing less choices, make them GOOD choices. Base Camp hit the mark for us. Although tempting, we decided against appetizers, with the knowledge that we were hungry for pizza after a day of hiking in light rain.

Luckily, BCP offers all of their pizzas in a "personal" size - sounds small, but each personal pizza equates to four nice-sized slices. We all managed to chew through ours, but those final slices went down a bit slower than the first three. Each of our pizzas were different: Base Camp Pizza, Big Mountain Pizza, Pear & Gorgonzola Pizza, and Smoky BBQ Chicken Pizza. All quite unique, all quite good. The time from ordering to table was minimal, and that in itself is impressive in that the restaurant was bust the entire visit. 

The "Big Mountain"

The "Pear & Gorgonzola"

The "Smoky BBQ Chicken"

The "Base Camp"

All four of us adults thought the crust was just right, the toppings were very fresh, and the portions for the price were very good. A little on the pricey side for "just a pizza" but given the quality of the food, appropriate in my opinion. My great-nieces shared a bowl of "penne pasta with butter", and were happy "campers" (pun time). I believe there were at least six different kiddy options in the menu, including pizza.

What a combo!

For anyone staying in the Stateline area near the larger casinos, or just visiting for the day as we were, Base Camp Pizza Co. is a worthwhile diversion. 

We shall return!

-BG

Verdi, NV: The Sasquatch Tavern & Grill

Subject: FOOD

Place: The Sasquatch Tavern & Grill

Locale: Verdi, NV (775 Highway 40 W)

The SasquatchTavern & Grill  YELP link

Visits: 2 (most-recent was 04/30/2016)

Food:     4 out of 5 on the Fork-O-Meter

Venue:  3.5 out of 5 on the Fork-O-Meter

Beverages:  Only water this time, seriously!

Will I return?: Definitely

NARRATIVE:

Not really sure why we had not revisited this little gem off the old Highway 40 just a couple miles from home. We happened to be at a rained out Reno Aces baseball game the other night with several friends, one of whom mentioned about the great fish and chips at the Sasquatch. This comment was not taken lightly by me given that this neighbor spends a lot of time across the pond in Great Britain. Everyone knows that really good fish and chips are found over there...so, we simply had to try them out!

Although I had a really long day bowling (correction, attempt at bowling) at a big tournament down in Carson City, I arrived home hungry and ready to go out. Linda knew about my perked ears regarding the fish and chips story, so off we go!

The Sasquatch falls into one of my favorite categories - a unique, local-only restaurant. Although I understand them to be either managed or owned or both by the same folks who run the Flowing Tide Pub local chain, this one is completely unique. It is a medium sized establishment, holding perhaps 40 patrons tops in my quick opinion. There is a table/booth area, a bar seat area, and maybe two or three high-tops near the bar. Perhaps ten video poker machines are embedded into some of the bar seats, smoking is NOT allowed inside (hooray!). There is also a canvas canopied outdoor seating area to one side and I believe smokers are allowed out there -- that works for me. The only thing I might say could be offputting to some would be the rock and roll (although out of my era) music piping into the bar area and permeating around the place. Did not bother us however.

Two young ladies were working all of the dining areas and taking drink orders. They were quick to tend to us although today we were H20 lightweights. Our food orders were taken right away. We were both pleased at the quick turnaround on the food, and it was all served promptly (hot = good). Since I had already inhaled some fries and a cheeseburger at the bowling alley for lunch, I opted instead for the three taco plate. Linda on the other hand was determined to score the highly-regarded fish and chips plate.

Trio of Steak Tacos

I have to say that even with a borderline appetite after a long day, these tacos were outstanding! I chose the steak version (chicken, shrimp, and fish are the other proteins available) and I quickly tackled this drippy trio of joy. The steak was nicely grilled and sliced and literally filled each flour tortilla. They add a nice chipotle cream sauce, pico de gallo and a little cheese. I was a little worried about a potential soak through on the tortillas that would push me into fork mode, but that never happened. A great dish for me.

Fish and Chips!

The real story of the meal was the fish and chips, and the Sasquatch came through big time. Out came this very appetizing plate of nicely battered whitefish (likely cod). The coating was golden brown and very even in appearance. There were four (4) nice sized filets laid atop lightly battered chips (okay, fries you blokes). I enjoyed the creamy coleslaw off to the side more than Linda did --- but I am into that creamy stuff balancing out the tartness of the tartar sauce, etc. on the plate. She was overall pleased with the dinner, and outside of some coleslaw left on the plate (I was a bit full by now), there was not much left for any vultures floating over Verdi.

There was no question between us about the quality of the food at Sasquatch. Both dinners were belly fillers, and the value matched the price just fine for us. There are many more things we spied on the menu that will bring us back in search of another great meal at a unique place.

BIGFOOT RULES!
--BG