Dining on Lake Tahoe: Evergreen

From Reno-Tahoe

This past Saturday I found myself in Reno, NV with a day to explore the area before having to catch a red-eye flight back to the east coast. Given that I'd already seen plenty of the casino where I'd been attending a conference and downtown Reno didn't have much to offer, I decided to drive out to Lake Tahoe and take a lap around the shoreline.

The lake has a circumference of 72 miles, so circumnavigating the lake in the space of several hours is quite do-able. Starting out at Incline Village, NV in the morning and driving clockwise around the lake (with lots of stops for photo ops, of course) brought me to Tahoe City, CA just in time for lunch. The weather was beautiful and I was hoping to find a restaurant where I could look out over the lake while dining.

I found a great lunch spot in Evergreen, which bills itself as "a casual restaurant...with a view of Lake Tahoe from every table." Given that much of the vegetation ringing the lake is indeed evergreen, the view of the lake certainly isn't unobstructed, but combined with people watching along the main street and a friendly waiter, there was plenty to keep me entertained while I ate my lunch. I had the special of the day - beef chili with onions, cheese, and an artistic piping of sour cream - and found it to be the perfect meal for a day on the lake. The chili was made with both red and black beans, plenty of beef, and was spicy without being overly hot. The menu also included many other delicious sounding appetizers and entrees (roasted young beets, grilled portobella mushroom sandwich with goat cheese and roasted peppers, sauteed duck breast with roasted plums and wild rice), for those looking for a larger meal. If you ever happen to be out in Tahoe and are looking for a place to eat, Evergreen is definitely worth a try.