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Reno is in the midst of a palate explosion. It’s like BAM! (as Emeril
says), Reno’s food consciousness has awakened. OK, maybe it isn’t
that alarm-clock abrupt, but our tastes have matured in the last five or so
years.
We sampled new flavors in places like LuLou’s, 4th Street Bistro, and
the White Orchid, and discovered we liked them. We got comfortable with seared
ahi, foie gras, and Moroccan lamb. Now we hungrily embrace new eateries, such
as the Stonehouse (where its little plates are all the buzz), EJ’s Jazz
Cafe (where Cajun goes beyond blackened fish), and Tattum’s (where food-to-go
has new meaning). We look to our venerable trendsetters, The Cheese Board and
Blue Bounty, to keep us gastronomically current. And we clamor for more.
Where did this come from?
The influx of people to Reno from elsewhere, in particular California, has elevated
our palate, say those in the food biz. Don Hamilton, executive chef at the Pepppermill
Hotel Casino, calls it “ ‘the California expectation’ — Californians
are looking for fresh ingredients, light preparations, and changing menus with
new and interesting things on them.”
Another influence: the Food Network, the TV pioneer that opened our eyes (and
palates) to the foodie world. “Customers know their food and the food terms,”
said 4th Street Bistro owner-chef Natalie Sellers. “When I came here, I thought
I’d be educating some palates. But many were already palate-educated because
of the Food Network.”
When Troy and Coleen Cannan opened LuLou’s five years ago, they were determined
to give Reno a culinary taste of what was cookin’ in the world beyond the
Truckee Meadows. At the time, California cuisine, emphasizing fresh, seasonal
ingredients, and adventurous chefs, playing with previously hard-to-get ingredients
from the world’s market baskets, were changing the foodscape. The Cannans
were confident that Reno was ready for something new — “We came in with
our vision of what our restaurant should be,” Coleen said.
Chef Troy had his goals: “I wanted to cook what was interesting, seasonal,
and friendly.” But naysayers said Reno wasn’t ready for an out-of-the-box
dining experience. “Those ingredients aren’t available,” they
said, or “people don’t want that,” or “you can’t do
that kind of food here.”
Oh, really? Check out the action, especially on a weekend night, at LuLou’s
or 4th Street Bistro, which opened a year after LuLou’s with a similar concept.
Both have captured Reno’s epicuriousity.
Another factor contributing to Reno’s epicurean renaissance are the frequent
wine pairing dinners and weekly wine tastings (count them —the number of
wine events listed in the Wednesday Reno Gazette-Journal varies, but it rarely
drops below a dozen).
“People used to ask for merlot or cabernet sauvignon,” said Curtis
Worrall, owner of Whispering Vine, where Thursday wine tastings are legendary.
“But now, instead of a varietal, they ask for wines by their characteristics,
something with black cherry overtones, or something earthy or leathery.”
Before-and-after comparisons dominate conversations about Reno’s changing
palate. When The Cheese Board opened 23 years ago, few thought of it as cutting
edge. It was the only place in town specializing in domestic and imported cheeses,
but Reno’s tastes were timid and narrow — even white cheddar from Wisconsin
was eyed with suspicion. Not anymore: “Our customers love
blue cheeses, triple creams, and aged gouda,” said owner Debbie Branby,
whose cheese counter displays pristine cheeses from France, Spain, and Italy.
The same is true at Blue Bounty where the cheese selection ranges from Monterey
jack to red English Leicester fused with wasabi and spring onion. Adventurous
cheese palates can’t get enough of Drunken Goat from Spain, a goat cheese
aged in red wine, and Purple Moon, a California cheddar aged in cabernet sauvignon.
In the specialty food area, Blue Bounty’s co-owner Dawn Bader keeps busy
tracking down food sources to fill requests for everything from Eastern shore
fish to mustard seed oil.
We’ve become fearless foodie Columbuses, exploring a world of tastes.
“Reno used to be cowboy-steak oriented,” said Hamilton, whose job
includes overseeing the Peppermill’s White Orchid. The haute-cuisine restaurant’s
menu used to be heavy on rack of lamb and filet mignon. Now it’s not unusual
to see skate wing on the menu, sea urchin sauce, and many game selections. “Filet
is still standard, but now it’s Kobe beef,” said Hamilton.
“People aren’t afraid to try different things now,” said The
Cheese Board’s Branby, echoing other restaurateurs. “One of our best
sellers at Café Musée” (the Branby-owned restaurant in the
Nevada Museum of Art) “is a salad with wild rice and goat cheese fritters.
Could I have sold that five or six years ago? No. Maybe as a special at lunch,
but not as a set menu item.”
Reno’s food reputation has been defined by casino fare — $2.99 breakfasts
and all-you-can-eat buffets. These are part of our legacy. But lately, another
place has been set at the table — one reserved for those who appreciate fresh
flavors and interesting dishes thoughtfully prepared by creative chefs.
Yes, our palates have arrived, bringing much more to the table.
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