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