Hidden Gem: The 5-Star Dinner Restaurant You’ve Never Heard Of
By day, a low key cafe at a trailhead. By night, something else entirely…
Ever wondered where the best food can be found in the small town you’re staying in during your vacation? Every town has a sleeper of a restaurant, a place that no one would expect to knock out amazing food with 5 star style plating. In Lake Tahoe, Incline village has a place like this and we would like to share it with you.
When the sun is shining, this place cranks out amazing breakfast and lunch food for those who are about to hike the flume trail, go to monkey rock (see our other blog about that) or walk the 6 mile round trip east shore trail that starts right outside their parking lot. We could go on and on about the daytime offerings, but let’s be real, we’re here to share the secret dinner menu that is available during the wintertime on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
Full disclosure, we weren’t asked to write this or compensated for this write up. We just really wanted to share our experience and encourage you to go if you ever get the chance. Incline has some good dining options, but they don’t change much through the year. Tunnel creek only does dinner on a limited basis and the menu changes almost every week. The Chefs they have in the kitchen come from various backgrounds and expertise’s so each dish they offer is done to perfection. Did you order the ramen? It will be the best Ramen you’ve had in the states (probably). Classic steakhouse dinner? You’ll swear you were just served at a 5 star restaurant. Needless to say if you go and just let the night happen, you’ll have one of the best dinner experiences in Tahoe.
We got there a touch early and opted for Bar seating (as is our style) and started chatting with the bartender. The daily menu was put down in front of us and we immediately were excited. I opted for a starter of Bone Marrow and Ashley started with the nights featured Martini. The bone marrow was absolutely amazing and melted in your mouth. Served with a side of fingerling crostini’s, it was simple but so savory.
We ordered the main courses, and all three of us went completely different directions. Ashley ordered Ramen, I ordered the Braised Boar Shank, and our friend Kaydee ordered fish. Actually, what she ordered was a roasted fish but wait for the photo!
Her reaction when the plate was placed in front of her was priceless! She didn’t know she was getting a perfectly cooked whole fish! To be fair, it didn’t say that either but Ash and I had a good laugh about it. Side note- it is the perfect to dish to share with someone if you’re on a date.
Ashley got her ramen and proceeded to go dead silent as she tucked into her dish. When she gets that quiet, it means the food is REALLY good.
In her words, “if you’re a fan of traditional ramen you MUST give this a try. It was full of flavor, cooked to perfection and the broth was absolutely perfect!”
Couldn’t have said it better myself.
When the boar came out, I couldn’t help but laugh. The shank stood well above the edge of the bowl and the aroma was mesmerizing.
I was so excited to try this. As the chefs told me, you can get a filet anywhere, but how many times can you get a boar shank?
My Boar Shank was cooked perfectly, with meat flaking off the bone and paired perfectly with a base of sticky white rice, roasted baby carrots, wilted bok choy and micro cilantro.
We all agreed that we had eaten wayyy too much food so we skipped dessert but if it was anything like the dinner offerings, I’m sure we would have been glowing about that too.
The whole dinner was amazing, from the conversation, to the service, to the presentation and more. Tunnel Creek really knows how to show off once the sun goes down.
Should you find yourself in Incline Village this winter, be sure to stop by tunnel creek and get the word on what the dinners would be like that week and make sure you carve out the time to go. It will be one of the best meals of your entire trip, we promise you.
As always, thank you for reading and stay tuned for the next article!
Cheers!
