Polly’s Paladar: Art of the Gather

ONE OF THE MOST EXCEPTIONAL CULINARY EXPERIENCES in the foothills isn’t listed in a Zagat dining guide, bookable on OpenTable.com, or even marked by a sign on the door. It is found inside a cozy, 126-year-old miner’s cabin tucked off Broad Street in Nevada City. Each month, a reservation-only supper club called Polly’s Paladar serves […]

Alice Waters’ local ties: from a forager to a farmer

ALICE WATERS HAS BEEN A CHAMPION of the farm-to-table movement for over four decades. She is a national treasure, as is her Chez Panisse restaurant in Berkeley. We’ve admired Waters since our college days at UC Berkeley in the late ’70s: We’ve eaten at her restaurant on Shattuck Ave. (upstairs and downstairs), interviewed her in […]

Volcano Union Inn and Pub: A gathering place

THE UNION INN IN VOLCANO WAS BUILT in 1880, where it served as a boarding house and saloon for miners and visitors. Now it has been reborn as a delightful pub and four- room bed and breakfast in the picturesque village of Volcano in Amador County. “It’s a true neighborhood pub,” says owner Tracey Berkner. […]

Watch the trailer for Michael Pollan’s new Netflix show: “Cooked”

From best-selling author Michael Pollan (The Botany of Desire, The Omnivore’s Dilemma, In Defense of Food), Oscar-winning filmmaker Alex Gibney (Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine, Taxi to the Dark Side, Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room), and an all-star cast of directors and cinematographers comes the Netflix Original Documentary Series Cooked, which […]

Active lifestyle lodging: Truckee’s Cedar House and Tahoe’s Cedar Crest Cottages

IN OUR GRANDPARENTS’ DAYS, the “grand dames” defined America’s hotel business. Nowadays, active lifestyle hotels are becoming more popular, thanks to the rise in millennial travel. The hotels have European flair and offer innovative food, the latest in technology and locally inspired experiences — from hiking and kayaking to hands-on cooking classes. “It’s a huge […]

Culinary adventures in Nevada County CA

FROM FOOD FESTS TO FARM tours to top-notch cooking schools, our region is capitalizing on the boom in culinary travel. Enjoy a culinary vacation, such as Stella’s underground dinners, or its five-day culinary “boot camp” — both at the Cedar House Sport Hotel in Truckee. Stella Culinary is led by Executive Chef Jacob Burton, a […]

Restaurant Trokay in Truckee: A four-star dining experience

FOUR YEARS AGO, JOHN AND NYNA Weatherson moved to Truckee from the East Coast, where John had graduated with honors from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY; worked as a station chef at a three-star Michelin restaurant in Manhattan; and honed his skills under renowned chefs such as Daniel Boulud. Nyna had […]

Stella at the Cedar House in Truckee: A culinary arts destination

DURING THE PAST FIVE YEARS, STELLA restaurant, part of the Cedar House Sport Hotel in Truckee, has amassed a loyal following, critical acclaim and has been featured in many national publications. Food & Wine magazine named Chef Jacob Burton a finalist for “The People’s Best New Chef Award.” “A lot of Tahoe restaurants are finally […]

Destination dining in the Sierra Foothills and Truckee-Tahoe

GREAT FOOD IS A PART OF EVERY adventure. In our region, imaginative chefs and restaurateurs are invigorating the dining scene, and a growing number are winning rave reviews—from the James Beard Foundation, OpenTable, respected restaurant critics and food magazines. Farm-to-fork restaurants are a way of life in the foothills, not a fad, thanks to an […]

  • Follow us on PinterestFollow us on Pinterest