Weekend Getaway - Lake Tahoe

Our first weekend getaway after moving back to the Bay Area and what a great destination! I honestly cannot remember the last time I was in Lake Tahoe. The lake brings back so many memories from my childhood and I am so happy I was able to spend time in this amazing place with Joe.

We were fortunate enough to stay at the Ritz-Carlton Highlands property and it was absolutely stunning! Even after hitting a bit of traffic getting out of San Mateo on Friday night we still made it by 11PM - just in time to climb into that glorious Ritz-Carlton king size bed and fall into a deep slumber...

Our morning started early with breakfast at the hotel restaurant, Manzanita. We figured we should get started with a big breakfast in preparation for the hike we had planned. Joe went with the Filet Mignon Breakfast Burrito while I decided on the Fried Egg Sandwich on Sourdough with apple smoked bacon, gruyere cheese, arugula, and fresh tomato - YUM. Both portions were huge but so good. Joe's breakfast burrito consisted of scrambled eggs, cotija cheese, cilantro and of course - filet mignon (add some hot sauce and it was pretty close to perfection). My breakfast sandwich was full of flavour and the eggs were cooked just how I requested - over easy. The fresh tomato really added to the sandwich and helped "lighten" it up.

After completely over-indulging at breakfast it was time to hit the road and get started on our hike up to Spur Trail Lookout just down the road from the hotel. I completely forgot how much the altitude affects your breathing but we made it to the top in no time and got to enjoy this lovely view!

 

We returned to the hotel with plenty of time to relax and enjoy the spa before our massage appointments at 3PM. The spa has a separate "adults only" heated lap pool that looks out onto the mountain where you can order drinks and food while taking in the scenery. Apparently the main pool fills up with kids during the summer so this is a nice escape for guests who want some quiet time. In an attempt to "eat light" before our treatment we decided to split a meal at the pool.. minor detail tho - the meal we split was the 24-hour smoked brisket sandwich with a side of "tater salad" and "tossed greens with spicy chipotle dressing". The sandwich comes with a bucket of 4 different homemade BBQ sauces so you can pick and choose to your liking. My personal favorite was the honey smoked sauce. Definitely recommend this sandwich - they know what they're doing with the brisket! A quick nap in the sun and it was time for our 80 minute massage. I went with the Signature Ritz-Carlton and added on a foot therapy while Joe opted for the Hot Stone - both are highly recommended and a perfect mid-afternoon activity. 

Before dinner we ventured to the lobby bar where Joe ordered his usual Old Fashioned and I tried the "Mountain Mule" a fun take on the infamous Moscow Mule that is trending in all types of bars nowadays. We enjoyed our pre-dinner cocktail at the courtyard fire-pit where the hotel also serves up smores in the evening. 

I was really looking forward to dinner, especially after such an amazing breakfast experience but unfortunately I have to admit, it was sub-par. We started with a butter lettuce salad (standard) and the crispy pork belly with white cheddar grits, housemade kim-chi and parmesan chicharrons (excellent). No complaints on the starter front - both were excellent. The housemade kim-chi went perfect with the pork belly without overpowering it by being too sour or too spicy. I hummed and hawed over what to order as my main course: Salmon with fava bean mash, wild mushrooms and pea shoots or hand made Tagliatelle with asparagus, mint, meyer lemon, pecorino and brown butter. Both were a little boring but after the huge breakfast and brisket sandwich for lunch I wanted something on the lighter side. Our waiter assured me the Salmon was served medium rare with a pink center - so salmon it was! To my disappointment the salmon was over cooked when it got to the table but the fava bean mash had a lot of flavour (lemon zest and olive oil) and the mushrooms went well with the dish to my surprise. Joe decided to go all the way on the red meat front and had the 12-hour Bordeaux Braised Short Ribs over creamy polenta and pine nut and fennel gremolata. Extremely rich but melt-in-your-mouth goodness. I definitely had buyers remorse and plate envy looking across the table at his dish. Our waiter could sense my disappointment (I'm pretty bad at hiding my emotions) and sent us their signature Molten Chocolate Cake with Salted Caramel Gelato which 100% made up for the over cooked salmon faux pas. The picture unfortunately doesn't do this dessert justice so if you ever dine at a Ritz-Carlton restaurant and they offer this item - order it. 

 Waking up the next morning I felt fantastic - Joe on the other hand was struggling to pull himself together. Too much red meat is not a good thing and he was feeling the side effects of his meal choices the day prior. We went down to the in-house coffee shop (they serve Blue Bottle Coffee - win!) and got some smoothies and coffee to hold us over while we played a round of Bocce Ball in the courtyard. Added bonus of this hotel - in the summer they have a Bocce Court, Corn Hole and Frisbee Golf! I was hungry for some substance after Bocce so we split an egg sandwich from the coffee shop. Scrambled eggs, american cheese and thinly sliced deli ham on an english muffin - the simplicity was exactly what we needed. If it ain't broke - don't fix it. 

To end our weekend getaway we lounged at the pool for a couple hours talking about how we want to come back and visit this hotel again very soon. While we talked we also ordered more food - shocker. I couldn't pass up the opportunity to order the Pork Ribs from the Backyard BBQ kitchen which by the way will absolute kill it in the winter. It's a ski-in, ski-out BBQ kitchen located in the center of the hotel courtyard - amazing! According to the hotel - "The Backyard Bar & BBQ features a 'blues, brews and BBQ' concept

with the menu offering traditional barbeque favorites" - Apres ski perfection if you ask me. Back to the ribs - YUM is all I can say. Yum, yum, yum ... fall off the bone, finger-licking good. There is a nice dark crust on the outside and the meat is oh so tender. I highly recommend ordering the "slaw" to accompany the ribs - it's vinegar based so it balances out the richness of the BBQ sauce and pork ribs. The home-made kettle chips with rosemary seasoning are an added bonus since you get to pick 2 sides with your order. We decided on splitting the half rack which was plenty of food considering all the food we ate in the past 24 hours. But if I was ordering lunch after a morning of skiing or hiking I would definitely go for the full rack. Well worth it.

So all in all I would say our first "USA Getaway" was a success! If you're looking for a quick holiday out of the city then Tahoe is a great place to go. Being up there for the weekend reminded me of what a special place Lake Tahoe is and I can't wait to go back.

We even got to stop by my parents place in Petaluma on the way home and enjoy my moms famous "Prosciutto and Pea" shell pasta. Recipe coming soon ...

Cheers!