Christy Hill Tahoe City

My husband and I recently arrived in Lake Tahoe. I had heard about Christy Hill, one of the area’s most exclusive restaurants, located in Tahoe City. It has an impeccable reputation and many locals consider it to be the best restaurant on the lake.

Christy Hill Tahoe City

The history

This historic establishment has been around since 1980 (originally founded in Squaw Valley). Its original owner, Debbie Macrorie, sold Christy Hill to local restaurateurs Robyn Sills and Ed Coleman in 2010. Throughout the years, the quality of the cuisine and the level of service were maintained at the highest benchmark. Then, when Robyn and Ed were ready to retire, they in turn hand picked the current owners, Alex and Amanda Looby. The couple has worked in the culinary industry for a combined thirty five years. They have continued to run the restaurant with the highest quality standards, successfully maintaining its renowned legacy.

The View

As we walked through the door, my jaw dropped when I saw the view of Lake Tahoe from the dining room. It was breathtaking. Owner Alex Looby greeted us and led us to our table. He obviously takes great pride in nurturing his restaurant and looking after his patrons. From my experience, the cuisine of restaurants with amazing views rarely surpass the quality of the view. However, in this circumstance, I would soon find that the cuisine was equally exquisite.

Wine Director and certified sommelier, JB Budny came by to say hello. He has curated an exceptional wine list to compliment the cuisine. Our server Brittney was both warm and knowledgeable, as we discussed the seasonal menu. Soon enough, an artisanal hors d’oeuvre was brought out to get us started. Situated on a large wonton soup spoon was a petite duck foie gras, with Fresno chill coulis, adorned with a peeled red grape atop a house made bread crostini…delish! This was a sign…it was going to be an extraordinary meal.

Appetizers

Our culinary adventure continued with Wagyu Beef Tartare (truffle aioli, pickled porcini mushrooms, cured egg yolk, spring onion, potato chips). The delicate appetizer offered a slight essence of truffle with layers of distinct savory nuances.

Next the English Peas Agnolotti (lemon ricotta, pecorino pepatto, morel, duck prosciutto) arrived – a light and wondrous plate of pasta. The fresh peas were a scrumptious addition, and the sauce was gentle yet brimming with flavor. The duck prosciutto offered a briney bit of tang to this delectable spring pasta.

Then the Grilled Octopus made its entrance. The presentation alone was a work of art. This was perfectly cooked, so tender, and the squid ink mojo was an ideal companion. The saltiness mixed with the grilled octopus and the fingerling potatoes made for a perfect combo. In addition, the golden frisée as well as the preserved lemon brought even more texture and sweetness to the dish.

Entrées

For our entrées we chose Day Boat Scallops (celery root purée, fennel, asparagus, salsa verdé) as well as the Teres Major Wagyu Steak (black garlic demi-glace, parsnip, braised cabbage, scallions)

These were both beautifully plated. The first entrée offered a lavish soirée from the dish to my tastebuds. The golden seared scallops were delicately cooked and subtle, as they sat upon the sensuous celery root purée. The firm and flavorful asparagus, situated under the scallops, were positioned as minions, lifting up the day boat scallops like royalty. I especially loved the fennel and salsa verde.

The Wagyu Steak was perfectly seared and displayed as sliced gems above a black sea of demi-glace. It formed a mountainous terrain leaning into a mound of delicious creamed parsnips on one side. Delicately charred cabbage commanded the other side of this dish. The combination of the steak, the parsnip as well as the cabbage was just glorious. While I enjoyed this scrumptious meal with each bite, I also took in the brilliant view, each complimenting the other.

Dessert

As our time at Christy Hill came to its end, our server Brittney, brought us the signature dessert. A gleeful surprise resulted, as I took my first spoonful of the now famous Chocolate Croissant Bread Pudding (crême chantilly, chocolate shavings 2021 Banyuls, Domaine La Tour Vielle, “Rimage”, France). The crisp outer layer of the croissant gave way as I plunged my spoon through the creamy layers of the Chantilly topping and the pastry…it was so decadent! I had nearly forgotten about the other dessert we ordered. The salted caramel ice cream was a lush companion, a simple complimentary distraction from the over-the top bread pudding. However, make no mistake. The bread pudding was spectacular on its own. The creamy vanilla whipped Chantilly on top brought us to dessert heaven.

As we gathered up our belongings to depart from the restaurant, I turned for one more look at that stunning view. What a night…the view, the ambience, the service and the cuisine…all so extravagant. This was a magnificent culinary and visual experience.

Kudos to Executive Chef Luis Vallin and also Sous Chef Kyle Key. Visit the website for hours, and to reserve a table; Christy Hill, 115 Grove St, Tahoe City, CA, 96145; https://www.christyhill.com

CLICK HERE to find out more about the Lake Tahoe area. ETG recommends visiting the official Lake Tahoe website at https://visitlaketahoe.com