Chef Chris Watkins CREATING MAGIC AT STELLA

BY PRIYA HUTNER

We completed our meal with homemade cheesecake topped with berries marinated in champagne and a mandarin puree over crushed graham cracker. It was a fantastic way to finish off one of the most delicious meals I’ve had in Tahoe.

“I was born to cook. I love to learn. I love to play. And I ask what can I do next. I love learning and creating,” said Watkins.

Wood-oven-roasted Bone Marrow.

preparing. Ruiz decanted the Brunello Di Montalcino to breathe, then poured a lovely Pouilly-Fume to start our culinary journey. Watkins came back with three different kinds of oysters on the half shell, on a bed of rock salt with seaweed and red peppercorns served with lemon and mignonette sauce.

The oysters were divine. Watkins then delivered his Dungeness Crab special with hearts of palm, fermented cucumbers and crab tamale, bathed in a yuzu butter and squid ink sauce. It was phenomenal.

“The complexity of the crab is incredible. The sweetness of the crab and texture combined with the radish, cumber and avocado was just delicious,” said Osborne.

Ruiz opened an Italian bottle of Ceretto Langhe Blange Arneis and we dined on a delicious Hamachi Crudo, seasoned with nutritional yeast and seasoned seaweed salt. Watkins also bought out his Spanish Octopus dish, prepared crispy purple potatoes from Tahoe Food Hub, charred sake cucum- ber and greens served with Pine Cone Kitchen black garlic aioli.

“The octopus is a nice blend of flavors. The crunchiness of the crispy potatoes with the richness of the octopus and the sweet blend of flavors, create a contrast of textures and delicious flavor profiles,” said Lagatta.

I love dining with friends who love food. Olsen came over to check on us and make sure everything was fine. Panseared scallop with wood-oven maitake mushroom and brown butter sabayon was next on the menu and tasted divine. The dining hall started to fill and it looked like it would be a decent crowd for a Wednesday,

Watkins brought out the Wood Oven Roasted Bone Marrow served with homemade parker house rolls and a white anchovy chimichurri sauce. It was rich, fabulous and terrific.

Watkins finished with his Flannery Beef NY served with roasted garlic potato gratin, a beet and cippolini agrodolce, topped with a Madeira herb cream sauce.

We ate, drank and enjoyed our Stella experience, made even more palatable by sharing the evening with good friends, good food, excellent service and Chef Watkin’s delicious creativity. Clearly, Stella is one of the top restaurants in Tahoe in my opinion.

The restaurant is open daily for breakfast from 7 to 11 a.m. and Wednesday to Sunday for dinner from 5 to 9 p.m. | stellatruckee.com n

Tahoe Brewfest Tickets On Sale

The sixth annual Tahoe Brewfest will return to Ski Run Boulevard in South Lake Tahoe on Aug. 26. The event celebrates all that is special about the area’s mountain culture: the beer, crafts, environment and community. Beer lovers from all over the world are invited to enjoy a day of craft brews with live music, food trucks and fun. Tickets are on sale now; VIP admission tickets are $75 and early bid general admission are $45. | tahoebrewfest.com

Noodle House Opens In Olympic Valley

Resort at Sq**w Creek in Olympic Valley has opened Iron Road Noodle House. The new restaurant’s menu features a variety of Asian dishes, including three ramen options — pork tonkotsu ramen, vegetarian miso ramen and wonton noodle soup. Diners can also select ramen add-ons including a soy pickled egg, chashu pork, wood-ear mushrooms, nori and more. Additionally, the restaurant is featuring a signature handcrafted cocktail menu, as well as a selection of beer and sake options.

The restaurant is located at the base of the hotel’s Resort Chair Lift connected to Palisades Tahoe. It is open daily between 11 a.m. and 8 p.m. | (530) 4127034, destinationhotels.com

Cookbook Celebrates Local Latino Cooks

In September, during Latinx/Hispanic Heritage Month, the Truckee Library Latino Cookbook Project was created to celebrate cooks of the Latinx community. Nataly Zarate gathered recipes from the community and gave them to Truckee Library staff to create and publish the cookbook, which is available at Nevada County library branches. There are six copies available at the Truckee Library. | library.nevadacountyca.gov

Wine Walk Tickets On Sale

Tahoe City Downtown Association will host the Tahoe City Wine Walk on June 10, with event tickets going on sale March 1. The event is part of the Tahoe City Food & Wine Classic, which includes the Grab Your Glass kick-off event on June 9 for all ticketholders.

The event will sell out. Volunteers and sponsors are now being sought to support the event, which is one of the primary fundraisers for TCDA. Email katie@visittahoecity.com for more information. | tcfoodandwine.com