The 26th Annual Lake Tahoe Autumn Food and Wine Festival, considered one of Lake Tahoe’s premier gourmet events, is scheduled for September 9 -11 at the Village at Northstar in Truckee, California.

Friday, September 9

The always hilarious, annual rite of passage is the 8th Annual Village Grape Stomp and Vineyard Luncheon. Costumed teams furiously stomp fresh-from-the-vineyard grapes competing to extract the most juice.

Saturday, September 10

Day two of the festival showcases some of the best culinary programs in the region, including three free outdoor seminars held in the heart of the Village at Northstar.

• “Outdoor Grilling” with Mark Estee, chef and owner of Moody’s Bistro & Lounge and Burger Me
• “Cookin’ Hard Rock Style” by Chef Jason Gronlund, senior director of culinary and executive chef for Hard Rock Café International
• “Cuisine Unique Cooking Demo” hosted by Douglas Dale of Wolfdales’s Cuisine Unique

Saturday’s events include matching bold California wines with American BBQ food at “Some Like it Hot” with Chef Lars Kronmark, “Thai Spring Rolls” hosted by Nothing To It Culinary Center (a great opportunity for budding chefs to cook alongside their parents) and a festival favorite, the Gourmet Marketplace Wine and Brew Walk.

Sunday, September 11

Day three is the pinnacle of the festival with the Culinary Competition and Grand Tasting. It’s a gastronomic dream as 30 of the area’s finest restaurants, caterers and chefs from the Lake Tahoe region are paired with premium world-class wineries charged with creating the best marriage of food and wine.

For a complete list of festival programs, event descriptions, cost and to purchase tickets, as well as book deals on lodging, head to www.TahoeFoodandWine.com.

By, Cody Haener

Check out the results from Reno Magazine’s Best of Reno 2011: Dining. From the Best New Restaurant to the Best Romantic Dinner to the Best Girls Night Out, these 26 restaurants will go above and beyond satisfying your taste buds.

Click on the image to start flipping through their online magazine to view the list.

Sitting on the exact location where Reno began in 1859, the newly renovated River Room in the historical Riverside Hotel is now open for business. Chuck and Jan Shapiro, owners of the thriving Wild River Grille, expanded their business into the space previously occupied by “Dreamers Coffee”.

The River Room has now doubled the size of the Wild River Grille, known for its creative cuisine, extensive wine list and picturesque spot along the Truckee River.

The River Room will continue the Grille’s tradition of live music, entertainment and exceptional hospitality. The new operation will employ up to 50 people during peak season, creating 20 new jobs. The new venue features vibrant décor that celebrates the history and significance of the site. Oversized images from the Nevada Historical Society frame the windows and an enormous image of the old Reno Arch covers the back wall. A fresh and creative menu accompanies the new space.

In the evening you can expect classic infused cocktails, martinis and the new “Ring Toss”, the River Rooms Signature Drink. (Homage to the Reno legend of newly-divorced women tossing their rings into the Truckee River from the Virginia Street Bridge.)

The menu also showcases a tempting array of small plate options and desserts such as brie potstickers, short ribs, and espresso mousse. “In the coming months we will also include a daytime cafe offering fresh sandwiches, salads, pastries and espresso.” said Chuck Shapiro, Owner of Wild River Grille and the River Room.

“Since 2007, we have been a proud part of the urban renewal going on in Reno,” said owner Chuck Shapiro.  “Our patrons enjoy a restaurant where they can meet up with friends to enjoy great food and drink, while celebrating the art and music renaissance of the Riverwalk. We are very excited to offer an additional space for dining, entertainment and relaxation.”

The building, a Frederick DeLongchamps design and on the National Historic Register, was saved from demolition and renovated in 2000 by the City of Reno and Artspace Projects of Minneapolis to create live/workspace for local artists. “We are delighted that the Wild River Grille has decided to expand into the space,” said Will Law, Chief Executive Officer of Artspace. “It is a successful example of a local business that strives to serve the needs of the community within and around the Artists Lofts.”

Check out the River Room at 17 S. Virginia Street or call 775-284-7224.

Are you looking for a way to unwind this weekend? Grand Sierra Resort (GSR) and Charlie Palmer are hosting the first Napa’s Backyard May 14 – 15, a culinary event celebrating Sierra Nevada’s access to the country’s most abundant growing regions. In other words, it’s an event filled with great local food and wine.

Reno is just a short drive from the heart of wine country and also home to Tahoe Ridge Winery, a Nevada born and bred winery. The weekend’s event will feature 20 wineries from Northern California (T-W-E-N-T-Y!) and several events and competitions that will provide behind-the-scenes access for guests to toast and taste their way through Napa’s Backyard. Proceeds from the event and silent auction will benefit C*A*R*E Chest of Sierra Nevada, a northern Nevada nonprofit agency serving individuals in need by providing medical resources, free of charge.

Schedule:            Backyard Brawl

6 – 9 p.m. Friday May 14 in the Summit Pavilion at GSR

Tickets are $60 per person; VIP tables available by calling 1.829.CARE, prices vary.

The Backyard Brawl is a tasting match-up to award the best food and wine pairing. Sixty of the finest wineries from Northern California will be paired with 20 different dishes created by Charlie Palmer chefs. Join the brawl to see who wins “top pairing” in the People’s Choice and media categories. 

Backyard Crawl

11 a.m. – 2 p.m. Saturday May 15, poolside at The Beach at Grand Sierra

Tickets are $30

Fifteen local mixologists will blend their favorite libations for the Backyard Crawl competition sponsored by Tito’s “All American” Vodka. Rain or shine, guests will sample Hog Island Oysters, BBQ favorites and try their hand at mastering the art of the perfect cocktail with a build-your-own fresh-market Bloody Mary bar.

The spirit of abbondanza prevails at Briscola, Charlie Palmer’s newest restaurant at Grand Sierra Resort. Under the direction of Executive Chef Dave Holman, small plate offerings, including Parmigiano rice cakes, and hand-cut fresh pastas accompany main course dishes that take a light approach to classical Italian cooking, from grilled lamb chops with eggplant caponata and creamy polenta to crispy barramundi with fennel and tomato stuffing.

Briscola, a traditional Italian card game, inspired the club-like comfortable decor.  A creamy, off-white paint palette softens rustic exposed brick walls, and scattered lighting diffused through linen shades creates a warm, welcoming ambiance. In characteristic Roman-style, the dining room with vaulted ceiling is almost like eating in a wine cave, where an over-sized wooden table used as meat station takes center stage. The fire-truck red replica of a vintage manual Berkel meat slicer guarantees that salume and prosciutto are hand-cut and arranged to order.

Palmer, known for his support of small label wine makers, carries out the la dolce vita theme with a selection of Italian wines as well as California bottlings of grapes with Italian descent.

Bricola’s menu includes Italian favorites at affordable family prices. Pastas start at $7 and entrees at only $15. Kids will love the spaghetti and three-cheese lasagna, while you enjoy a glass of classic Chianti with your Crispy Chicken or Veal Parmesan.

House Specialties:

• Antipasti including a house salad (mixed baby greens and Balsamico), arugula (asparagus, tomato and Parmigianino), caprese burrata, heirloom tomato, basil and 18-year Balsamico and Caesar (romaine, marinated tomatoes and white anchovies).
• Hand-cut fresh Pasta dishes include pappardelle (braised rabbit and apricots), chitarra (shrimp, scallops, mussels and clams glazed in a spicy lobster broth) and fettuccini.
• Main Course options take a light approach to classical Italian cooking, like grilled lamb chops (eggplant caponata and creamy polenta), crispy barramundi (fennel and tomato stuffing) and a Florentine-style sirloin.

Hours:
Dinner
Sunday to Thursday: 5:30pm to 9:30pm
Friday to Saturday: 5:30pm to 10:30pm

Lounge
Monday to Sunday: 5:00pm to 12:00am

Phone: 775.789.2456
Reservations: OpenTable.com (recommended)

Video: Pasta Making in Briscola’s Kitchen
Briscola sous chef Rocky Woods demonstrates fresh pasta making techniques

The Team of Atlantis Casino Resort Spa’s Culinary Artists have just opened the all new Atlantis Steakhouse! Meticulous design of the Atlantis Steakhouse is rivaled only by the love poured into the preparation of it’s menu, nurtured to bloom as a vast selection of single servings, compositions and three-course Prix Fixe selections.

Oysters Rockefeller to start? Would you like them ‘Classic Rock’ or ‘Progressive Rock,’ with Tasso Ham, scallions and a fresh mornay sauce? Fruits, vegetables and seafood are hand-picked for freshness, and arrive from various seasonal locations, while fine steak and chops are prepared to your specification after aging for 4 weeks.

The Atlantis Steakhouse seats 160, and offers all dining options whether you’re sitting around the 1,100 gallon aquarium in the lounge or in the private Cove.

Looking for a great place to have that “special occasion”?  Give them a call, they aim to please, and I have never heard them say no to a special request.

Atlantis Steakhouse
To Make A Reservation Today, call 775.824.4430

Sterling’s Seafood Steakhouse at the Silver Legacy Resort Casino presents a Ferrari-Carano Jazz Dinner featuring music from CeCe Gable on Thursday, July 9 at 6 p.m.

Chef Neil Campbell will pair the five-course meal with selections from Ferrari-Carano vineyards. The inclusive meal is $99 per person.

The first course is a Lollipop Colorado Lamb Chop surrounded in blueberry, a balsamic butter sauce (PreVail, West Face, ’04.) The second course is a Chilled Leek, Chive and Potato with English Clotted Cream (Fume Blanc, ’06,) followed by a Butter Lettuce and Double Cream Roquefort Cheese Salad (Alexander Valley, Chardonnay ’06.)

For the main course, guests will enjoy a Filet of Fresh Chilean Sea Bass with Lobster Crust, Butternut Squash Risotto and Caviar Sauce (Tre Terre, Chardonnay. ’06.)

Dessert is an Apricot Chocolate Ganache, Almond Pecan Nougatin and Chocolate Mascarpone Cream in a Hazelnut Sweet Dough Shell (Eldorado Noir, ’06.)

For reservations, guests can call Silver Legacy at (775) 329-4777.

This year the Atlantis Casino Resort Spa proudly hosts the 9th Annual Reno/Tahoe Winter Wine & Ski Expo.  On Thursday, January 29, Atlantis’ Grand Ballroom will be bustling with more than 50 wineries, microbreweries and local restaurants. Area ski resorts will be represented as well, and you can make a bid in the silent auction with more than 150 items from ski and snowboard gear, exceptional wine, fabulous dinners to luxury room stays!  The Winter Wine & Ski Expo kicks off at 6pm, you must be at least 21 years old. Tickets are $55 in advance or $65 at the door.  Get your tickets today at the Atlantis Gift Shop, Bobo’s Mogul Mouse, Whispering Vine or by calling (775) 824-4467 or toll free at (888) 551-7007 or online at www.heuga.org

All proceeds from the Reno/Tahoe Winter Wine & Ski Expo will help fund The Heuga Center for Multiple Sclerosis. The Heuga Center for Multiple Sclerosis, a nonprofit organization, leads the way with comprehensive programs that empower people and families living with MS to transform and improve their quality of life.

Participating Wineries Include:

• Ayama – South Africa
• Azamor – Portugal
• Basket Case Wine – Washington
• Bin 36 – Central Coast, CA
• Black Kite Cellars – Anderson Valley
• Bodegas Luis Alegre – Spain
• Calistoga Cellars – Napa Valley
• Carol Shelton Wines – Sonoma
• Corison Winery – Napa Valley
• Destino – Napa & Sonoma
• Eagle Eye – Napa Valley
• Elyse – Napa Valley
• Eric Guerra – Sonoma
• Field Vineyards – Sonoma
• The Four Graces – Oregon
• Four – Heraldsburg
• Four Vines – Paso Robles
• Godwin Family Vineyards – Alexander Valley
• Gregory Graham – Lake County
• Kathy Lynskey Wines – New Zealand
• Kukkula – Paso Robles
• Laird Family Estate – Napa Valley
• LaZarre Wines – Santa Marin Valley
• Londer – Anderson Valley
• Magnanimus Wine Group – Mendocino County
• Martin Estate – Napa Valley
• Mendelson Vineyards – Napa Valley
• Mettler Family Vineyard – Lodi
• Miner Family – Napa Valley
• Miro Cellars – Sonoma County
• Mount Aukum Winery – El Dorado County
• Mueller – Sonoma
• OLE Imports
• Opolo Vineyards – Paso Robles
• Petroni Vineyards – Napa Valley
• Quilici – Italy
• Ric Forman Wines – Napa Valley
• Rocca Family Vineyards – Napa Valley
• Round Pond – Napa Valley
• Sandholdt – Central Coast
• Sawyer Cellars – Napa Valley
• Schulz Cellars – Napa Valley
• Six Masters – Australia
• Slack Jaw – Lodi
• Suhr Luchtel – Napa Valley
• Talisman Cellars – Sonoma
• The Varietal – Global Distributor
• Tobia Vineyards – Napa Valley
• Twisted Oak – Calaveras County
• Villa Martina – Italy
• Vineyard 7&8 – St. Helena
• Windsor – Central Coast
• Watershed – Australia