$$$$Price: Very Expensive • Contemporary American • Truckee
Our meal for four at the Dining Room @ Village Lodge was very good. The setting is beautiful, the service friendly and professional, and the food was solid-some terrific, some disappointing. The dining room is quiet, relaxed, and friendly.
Our pretty table looking out on the snow was pretty and comfortable. We ordered cocktails while looking over the menu, and it took a while to deliver from the bar. In the mean time, home made incredible Parker rolls and a tasty amuse bouche from the chef arrived.
Salads were fresh and terrific - one baby lettuce, and one chicory. Our three appetizers - hamachi crudo, scallops, and octopus- were worthy, especially the crudo and octopus (tender, with charred edges). All fantastic so far.
The entrees were slightly disappointing. Fresh California halibut was fine but so overcooked that it was dry and tough, too bad! The risotto was a bit bland and starchy, probably because the flavoring ingredient was pumpkin. Mushrooms, asparagus, or other veggie would have been less novel but tastier bases. We asked for parmesan, which our server brought quickly with no complaint.
Last, we got the duck breast, which was advertised as "confit" but was more like a regular duck breast (I am used to duck confit as the leg slow-cooked and tender, so may not understand what "confit" means with breast). Anyway, the duck was solid. We did not try the Brick Chicken or fresh sugo pasta, but neighboring diners commented favorably about them.
We skipped the $95 australian wagyu steak. On a menu where other entrees are $30-$50, a $95 steak stuck out. And from 10,000 miles away? A $60 California or Nebraska steak would have been snapped up. The high price and superrich flavor of wagyu didn't excite us.
Overall a good meal. More simple California comfort dishes would be better for us.
The wine list is an "A" by the way. Short and with many excellent whites and reds for normal restaurant prices (and a few over the top prices).
