August 4, 2004 Tahoe's Calmer Side A California town offers all the beauty, but not the glitz, of its Nevada neighbor. "Tahoe City, population 2,017," the welcome sign proclaims on Highway 89. It has that relatively small pool of year-round residents—and you can drive through it in just a couple of minutes. But this is the kind of town that feels a whole lot bigger most of the time. It's a place that pulls in ski bums from around the world in winter, and where, on a sunny summer weekend, you can wake up to find 3,000 cyclists from around the country as they bike the 72-mile circumference of Lake Tahoe for the annual "America's Most Beautiful Bike Ride." The added numbers, however, are always dwarfed by the majestic local scenery of Lake Tahoe, the highest alpine lake in the United States. There are tall mountain peaks, still snowy even in midsummer, vast swaths of pine-covered forest, and, of course, the wide, sparkling blue expanse that is the lake itself. This is the place Mark Twain once described as "a noble sheet of blue water . . . as it lay there with the shadows of the mountains brilliantly photographed upon its still surface." In the modern-day picture postcard from Tahoe, boats plane over the surface, sending rippled wakes to pebbly beaches along the shore, where lakeside restaurants have popped up over the years to take advantage of the view. People who want a certain kind of glitzy casino night life tend to head to South Lake Tahoe and the Nevada state line; those who seek a quieter lake experience come here to the opposite shore. Perched on the northwest bank, Tahoe City is the launching point for a host of outdoor activities: mountain biking, hiking, climbing, kayaking, canoeing, windsurfing, fishing, camping. Afterward, you'll find excellent food in lodging that runs the gamut from rustic state park campsites—Sugar Pine Point has 2 miles of rocky beaches—to swankier digs such as the Mayfield House, a six-room bed-and-breakfast on a quiet residential street a block and a half from the lake. The Mayfield House, owned by Stan Scott and Colleen McDevitt and run by Marjorie Woodbridge, is a charmer of a place. Built in 1929, it surprises with its attention to detail. We arrive late on a Friday night to find the stone cottage lighted in welcome, with slippers in the entryway, cold drinks in the breakfast nook, chocolates in the candy dishes, and the wine rack stocked. And in the bedroom, the Mayfield version of a mint on the pillow: homemade fudge brownies. In the inn's Americana Angler suite, an old wooden canoe paddle stands in as a curtain rod, and the bedroom walls are covered with framed maps and diagrams of sailing vessels, fly-fishing rods, and an old painted blue-and-white sign that reads "BOAT RENTALS." Books and magazines are everywhere, and colorful rugs warm the hardwood floors. Every room is different: The Julia room is filled with architecture books, and the Alpine Alcove room has a steam-shower bathroom. There's lots of old stuff, but it's "cool" old stuff—well-curated might be an apt description. Despite being filled with knickknacks, the house escapes the florid look associated with many traditional bed-and-breakfasts. The eye to the modern—including amenities such as wireless Internet access—is attributable in part to Woodbridge. "I would say 75 percent of the people here on the weekend are from the Bay Area," she says. "We try to make it easier for them." The breakfast alone is worth the trip: a plate of California-fresh cantaloupe, raspberries, and strawberries topped with sweet vanilla yogurt, followed by nutty French toast and maple syrup paired with scrambled eggs and scallions. There are five rooms inside the main house and a separate cottage in the backyard, with a breakfast patio that's ideal for warm summer mornings. Eager to set out for a day hike, we head to Alpenglow Sports, a local outdoor store, for a detailed map and some trail recommendations. After driving down to check out the panoramic views at Emerald Bay—and the crowds at the trailhead—we opt for a 9-mile round-trip hike on the quieter, tree-shaded Meeks Creek Trail to Lake Genevieve, the first in a series of alpine lakes. After the initial mile or so on a dirt track road, the trail begins its steady 1,200-foot ascent into Desolation Wilderness, a 63,960-acre nature preserve managed by El Dorado National Forest and Lake Tahoe Basin. The climb up to Lake Genevieve is not too steep, which makes it ideal for trail running and moderate hiking, and the cover provided by the towering fir, pine, and cedar stands is welcome on a hot sunny day. Bubbling creek waters roil and gush along the way—perfect for a quick dip of the feet or a splash on the face—and bright green moss adds a splash of color across fallen conifers. The landscape changes strikingly over 4 1/2 miles: Flat marshes and meadowland are followed by the bleached carcasses of felled trees, and finally, dramatic granite boulder fields near Lake Genevieve. We don't encounter many other hikers, but most of the ones we do see are accompanied by their dogs, who are only too happy to frolic in the creek bed and lake. Back in Tahoe City, it's a cool drink by the lakefront that we crave, and we head straight to the busy patio of Sunnyside Restaurant for a beer and a frosty house margarita. Weekenders in sunglasses and polo shirts arrive by the boatload, their faces rosy after a day on the water. It's happy hour, and the crowd is in high spirits. We escape the hullabaloo to join the children and dogs wading in at the rocky beach just below the bar. There's a sign marked "NO ROCK THROWING," but the juveniles in us can't resist staging a quick stone-skipping competition across the cold, glassy water. Later, we head to dinner at Christy Hill, an elegant 22-year-old restaurant lauded for its top-rate wine offerings and its fresh, contemporary California menu. Looking out over the lake from the dining room's panoramic windows, we see kayaks for rent, Jet Skis bobbing in the marina, and people strolling on a nearby pier. There are any number of fabulous weekend things to do with Tahoe City as a base camp. But as we ponder the wine list and watch the sky and its watery mirror turn from blue to pink, we're content knowing that this is one of them. Christy Hill offers a panoramic view of Lake Tahoe and dishes such as Hawaiian white sea bass broiled with tomatoes and delicate flavors of garlic, ginger, and soy. TRAVELER'S TASTE Tahoe cuisine is as lovely as the scenery. Many people know Tahoe as a world-class ski destination, but the place truly blooms in the summer, when food and the rest of the outdoors come into focus. The Thursday farmers market at Tahoe City's Watermelon Patch shouldn't be missed, and you can always get excellent home-style fare at local spots such as Rosie's, Fire Sign Cafe, and Hacienda del Lago, which serves up spicy salmon fajitas, three varieties of chimichangas, and other tasty Mexican dishes. Other restaurant settings range from the unique - a dinner and dancing cruise on the glass-bottom paddle-wheeler Tahoe Queen, for example - to the upscale, and Christy Hill is a veritable institution when it comes to inventive California cuisine and classy lakefront presentation. The restaurant is 100 feet above the lakeshore, with an outdoor deck lined with flowering window boxes that is open for summer guests. The dining room inside is an intimate space; just a dozen tables fill the main area, with an additional six tables for bar seating near the front door. White walls and clean lines clear the way for the food to assume the starring role. Despite its longtime status as the benchmark for fine dining on Lake Tahoe's north shore, Christy Hill retains a modern freshness due to the ever-changing seasonal menu and the restaurant's large floor-to-ceiling plate-glass windows, which illuminate and enliven the small interior. Accompanied by an award-winning wine list strong in California cabernets and chardonnays, the French-influenced menu includes impeccably prepared seafood (the Hawaiian white sea bass is just right broiled with tomatoes and delicate flavors of garlic, ginger, and soy, topped with cilantro and scallions and a touch of sesame) and meat dishes (top choices include pork medallions sauteed with capers and shiitake mushrooms in a lemon garlic beurre blanc). The entrees are strong, but the appetizer creations shine. You could certainly make a meal of the small plates alone, and we are careful to sample the lot of them. Specials such as warm amaranthus salad - the waiter describes the young green as a spinachlike leaf - arrive topped with pine nuts, red onions, shiitake mushrooms, yellow cherry tomatoes, and dusted with Parmesan cheese. The dish is superbly flavorful and hard to top, but the chef makes a first-class effort with the grilled fish tacos, which are delicate, flaky, and lightly spicy. And the ahi sashimi plate is arranged beautifully, the red slices of tuna tender to the point of melting in your mouth. "We get berries, tomatoes, lettuces, as much as we can from the Thursday farmers market in season," said owner Debbie Macrorie, describing the bounty of fresh food available. "Things have changed dramatically in the last 20 years. ...We get meat and seafood shipped three times a week from the Bay Area." Mirrors behind the bar seating make the space seem larger, providing some breathing room for customers awaiting tables. Softly lighted wall sconces add to the mood, and an attentive, competent young staff rounds out the experience. With the stellar lake view from the dining room, the kitchen has to work hard to compete for its customers' attention. But Christy Hill's continually novel and flavorful cuisine gives Tahoe a run for its money. Christy Hill, 115 Grove St., Tahoe City. 530-583-8551. Open Tuesday-Sunday 5:30-10 p.m. Entrees $20-$39. |
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