restaurants

Nothing like returning to your hometown with a bang in the midst of the biggest thing to happen in South Lake Tahoe in quite some time. Jonathan Snyder, a 1991 graduate of South Tahoe High, returned to his roots Wednesday as the Executive Chef at the newly opened Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.

Snyder greeted the media on Wednesday during the media tours of the hotel, restaurants and casino.

Experience some of the best South Lake Tahoe restaurants during the 2015 TahoeSouth Restaurant Week beginning on Friday.

Twenty-four restaurants will have special menus available from January 9 through January 16, giving diners the chance to enjoy meals at local favorites for a discounted price.

If you have driven anywhere in South Lake Tahoe this week, you'll know that droves of visitors have decided to come to town for the holidays. With both Christmas and New Years Day on a Thursday many have made their visit a four or five-day long weekend.

Highway 50 from Meyers to Camino has seen heavy traffic in both directions. According to travelers, Sno-Parks at Strawberry and near Echo Summit caused traffic to come to a halt as far away as Kyburz as dozens of cars lining both sides of the highway.

Finishing touches are being put on the new Cold Water Brewery & Grill as General Manager Debbie Brown prepares to open this weekend.

Months have been spent remodeling the former Swiss Chalet Restaurant, installing beer brewing equipment, brewing beer, developing a menu and creating a new South Lake Tahoe experience.

If you haven't made it to Azul Latin Kitchen yet it may be time to schedule a visit for lunch, dinner or a cocktail. The decorations are the bar are very creative and homey, including furniture hanging on the wall and crates as the light fixtures.

Azul opened in the Heavenly Village several weeks ago but they just had their official ribbon cutting and grand opening ceremony on November 7. Many people from the South Lake Tahoe business community stopped by to enjoy the food and drinks, many for the first time. A band played near the fire pit outside.

How to give customers a great experience will be the focus of a workshop given by the Lake Tahoe South Shore Chamber of Commerce and City of South Lake Tahoe on Wednesday, October 1.

In a time when customers expect even more from those they choose to business with this subject is very important for all South Lake Tahoe business owners.

ixteen booths will showcase unique collaborations of flavors and styles distinct to the Sierra Nevada region at the 5th Annual Sample the Sierra, Lake Tahoe’s only farm-to-fork festival. This food and wine festival brings together local chefs and restaurants with neighboring growers and producers to create delectable samples expertly paired with wine, beer or spirits. The collaborations truly showcase the diverse talent present in this inimitable region.

Northstar California Resort invites golfers and foodies alike to compete in the first annual Tees and Tastings tournament Thursday, August 28. The tournament will feature a two-game, nine-hole tournament with four beer and cuisine pairings throughout the front green of the Northstar Golf Course. Winners will receive tickets to the Wine & Brew Walk event, which takes place Saturday, Sept. 6 during the 29th Annual Lake Tahoe Autumn Food and Wine Festival.

Tees and Tastings Schedule

South Lake Tahoe's Horizon Resort Casino is going to be a Hard Rock Casino & Hotel by the end of 2014 or beginning of 2015.

This comes amid local speculation and rumors that have been circling the community since the Horizon's closure this spring.

The new casino has a facebook page and website already.

Hard Rock Lake Tahoe is undergoing $60M in renovations and redesign that will highlight rock and roll and will also serve as a live music venue.

The Lake Tahoe Community College hosts an evening of food, wine and world class entertainment at their summer event, The Taste of Gold. It will be held in the Demonstration Garden at the Ledbetter Terrace on Saturday, July 12 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

it is a great event held on a perfect summer evening and is Tahoe's BEST outdoor wine and food party! All proceeds benefit the LTCC Foundation, which supports student scholarships and academic programs.

The Annual Boys & Girls Club of Lake Tahoe Spirit of Spring Fundraiser was held on Tuesday, May 13 at Edgewood Tahoe from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
All proceeds from this evening of food and wine will benefit the local kids -- helping them be great!

Guests were treated to name vintages, cordials and beer for the evening courtesy of Southern Wine and Spirits and appetizers buffet courtesy of Edgewood Tahoe.

It was once a plumbing supply store. It was once Johnny's Basque Restaurant. It was once the Vali-Hi. It was once the China Wok. For a short time, it was Godfather's Pizza. Most recently, it was a series of Chinese buffets. But that was then.

The building was torn down last week to make way for the future home of SUP Tahoe and South Shore Bikes.

The Annual Lake Tahoe Boys & Girls Club of Lake Tahoe Spirit of Spring Fundraiser will be held on Tuesday, May 13 at Edgewood Tahoe from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

All proceeds raised during this evening of food and wine will benefit the local kids -- help them be great!

Your $40 ticket gets you in the door and treated to name vintages, cordials and beer for the evening courtesy of Southern Wine and Spirits and appetizers buffet courtesy of Edgewood Tahoe.

Four auction packages all valued over $1,000 include travel and lodging packages, restaurants, activities, entertainment and more.

After months of building, remodeling, planning and prepping, Sonney Bruning has opened "Sonney's BBQ Shack" in South Lake Tahoe.

"We've redone everything from the plumbing to the beer chiller, from the furniture to the floors," Bruning said while taking an unusual break right before the restaurant's soft opening March 22.

The Lake Tahoe South Shore Chamber of Commerce is having a ribbon cutting ceremony on February 11 for Tahoe Restaurant Delivery & More. The 11 am ceremony will highlight the delivery service and showcase their vendor's menus as well as have samples on hand.

The vendors include Beach Hut Deli, Overland Meat & Seafood, Natural Foods Bakery, Yama Noodles and Sno-Flake Drive In.

It started off as any week at Caesars Tahoe leading up to the Super Bowl. Decorations, parties, betting and hype. Only this year was different. It is January of 1985 and the Super Bowl was being held fairly close to Lake Tahoe at Stanford in Palo Alto. Due to the proximity, a group of VIPs was invited to Caesars Tahoe for a few days of pre-Super Bowl fun before flying to the game with a casino host.

Helen Keller wrote those words many years ago yet they continue to be very relevant today. As I look forward to 2014 I also like to reflect on another one of my favorite quotes, this one from Ghandi, "you must be the change you wish to see in the world."

As a community that is in the midst of change, we can be reminded of these quotes as we move forward and live in a town we're both proud of, and a vibrant part of.

Bob and Tammy Hassett, current operators of Camp Richardson and Meeks Bay Resort have been selected to run the concession at Round Hill Pines Resort according to Cheva Heck of the U.S. Forest Service. The current lease is held by the Forvilly family and is set to expire on December 31, 2013. Frank Forvilly has operated Round Hill Pines since 1971 and just found out yesterday that they weren't awarded the new contract.

A South Shore Lake Tahoe woman won $1.4 million at MontBleu Resort Casino & Spa Wednesday, Oct. 16, which is the largest single win in the property’s seven year history.

The lucky Tahoe local, in her 30s who wished to remain anonymous, hit the big payload on the IGT Wheel of Fortune® progressive slot for a total of $1,407,656.68 Wednesday evening in the High Limit Room. The winner played $100 before hitting the jackpot.

My daughter and I had been planning our annual Apple Hill trek for several days when I decided to change it up a bit. Since my free time is so rare I figured why not include a visit to our favorite little town Sutter Creek? And then, since we're doing that, might as well throw in a drive down beautiful Highway 4! Since the portion of the road we'll be covering is closed after the first big snow we had to do it! The day was plotted on a map in my head with some verification on google maps. The map said our little trip was going to take 5 hours and 10 minutes and cover 225 miles.

With a vote of 3 to 2 in favor, the City Council today voted to ban single use carry out plastic bags in the South Lake Tahoe city limits. This issue was passionately debated by council members and the 8 citizens that offered their comment during today's City Council meeting. The city council is expected to finalize the ordinance later this month. The ban will take effect in grocery stores and farmers markets three months after adoption and will apply to all retail establishments after one year. Pharmacies,restaurants, and non-profits are exempted.

Despite smoky skies, South Lake Tahoe was still a hot spot this Labor Day Weekend. The 4th Annual Sample the Sierra festival brought in masses of people to taste the unique flavors of the Sierra Nevada. The kickoff Winemakers Dinner at Bumgarner Winery spoiled attendees with a five course meal prepared in the wood fired oven with each course appropriately paired with one of Bumgarner’s fine wines. Saturday’s Sip & Shop at Après Wine Company drew more than 20 people to taste C.G. Di Arie wines and gourmet cheeses.

Lake Tahoe — Big Blue, as it is referred to by many — is North America’s Largest Alpine Lake and the Jewel of the High Sierra … and the Reno Tahoe Territory of the Nevada Commission on Tourism and Bike the West invites you to experience the adventure of riding your bicycle around her 72-mile shoreline by participating in the Annual Tour de Tahoe – Bike Big Blue.

Ski Run Boulevard Farmers’ Market is held every Friday afternoon through Sept. 6 between Larch and Birch on beautiful Ski Run Boulevard.