Steamers Bar and Grill to reopen in South Lake Tahoe under new ownership

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The rustic bar and restaurant known as Steamers Bar and Grill will be reopening under the ownership of Paul Brenner and Heather Cords.

Paul and Heather were customers first. One night in 2019 they stopped by Steamers and were having a cocktail at the bar when they overheard then-owner Kelly Sheehan talking to a patron about wanting to sell. The pair were living on the west slope, with Heather working at the El Dorado Saloon. Paul was in food and beverage in San Francisco before a 20-year career in IT. Before COVID he was working with a hospital network.

That one night in 2019 started the conversation, then COVID hit. Then the Caldor Fire threatened the community. Then it turned into nights working behind the bar and getting to know the customers as they prepared to purchase the business that started decades ago as a personal home before becoming TJ's Peanut Farm, then later Steamers.

They started the process with licensing with the Alcohol Beverage Control (ABC), talking to customers to see what they liked, and what they'd like to see changed. They met with staff and they're staying to work under Paul and Heather.

The name Steamers is a tribute to the original mode of transportation on Lake Tahoe - the steamships. They will bring back old steamer photos, and menu items will bear the names of some of those original ships like the SS Tahoe, the Emerald, and the Meteor among many others.

As they wait for the final permits, the pair have been cleaning, scrubbing, fixing lighting, and replacing the old fryer, and creating a new logo.

"Old buildings have surprises," said Paul of things they've found.

They hope to be open by Halloween.

The hardest part of going through the closed phase has been keeping staff waiting to work and without a salary.

There is a live music space that they will fix up, and they're planning to keep popular activities at the bar, and they already sponsored a softball team. A lot of Heather's customers at the El Dorado Saloon in El Dorado Hills were already Steamers' customers, so she'll see a lot of familiar faces once opened.

Oh, did I mention they're keeping the famous tacos?

Steamed clams will also find a place on the menu, as well as other favorites, along with items for those gluten and dairy free.

For first-time bar owners, Steamers was the perfect size for them and they'll be announcing their opening date on Facebook and their website https://www.steamersbargrill.com/. Many people have noticed vehicles in the parking lot and stopping by for lunch, beer and cocktails. Paul and Heather say it's been tough to tell everyone they're not open yet, but with the final permits almost in hand, it won't be long.

Back when the building that houses Steamers was built, it was the home of Columbus "Flip" Brandi. In those days people bought one-acre parcels on US50/Lake Tahoe Blvd. for $500. He built his business on part of that parcel which was the weekly newspaper Lake Tahoe News (where the cinderblock building that was most recently Verizon was built and will soon be home to Limonada Tahoe, made famous with their lemonade at farmer's markets).

Flip got the nickname for knowing martial arts. He drove the South Lake Tahoe school bus, and long-time local Dave Wakeman said he'd sweep out the bus in exchange for judo lessons. Dave said Flip was also boxer Jack Dempsey's instructor. The house did not survive the big winter of 51/52, just like over 100 other buildings that fell down. It was originally in the shape of a barn and the roof caved in that historic winter. Most fell down in spring because the vast amount of snow kept the walls up and the snow was stacked up to the eaves. Once the snow melted the walls would bow out, then the roof would come down. Flip rebuilt just as many others did.

The business has had several owners, including Victor and LuLu Jacobsen, Barb Carpenter, Tom Miller, Doc Llamas, and most recently Kelly and Dennis Sheehan.

Steamers is located at 2236 Lake Tahoe Blvd., South Lake Tahoe.