This season's record snowfall is reason enough to plan a trip to Lake Tahoe soon, but the delicious year-round food is another. On a road trip from the mountain towns of North Lake Tahoe to Sacramento, California Dream Eater mixes snowy activities with the best local cuisine.
Day One begins in Lake Tahoe with breakfast at Tahoe City's Fire Sign Café, where he samples the indulgent banana bread French toast with blue raspberry sauce. Next, he ventures to Northstar Resort for some ice skating followed by a “Dirty Snowman” cocktail: a blend of hot chocolate, hazelnut liquer, vanilla vodka, and Irish cream. He also stops by locals' favourite West Shore Market Deli for lunch (try the loaded veggie sandwich) and takes the aerial tram up to Terrace Restaurant & Bar at Palisades Tahoe (formerly Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows), where drinks come with a panoramic mountain view.
To finish his day in the mountains, Dream Eater goes disco tubing at Palisades Tahoe followed by dinner at Truckee's Moody’s Bistro Bar & Beats, where he enjoys a New York Steak with a live music background. After a very full day, he spends the night at Cedar House Sport Hotel to rest up for a full day in the capitol city.
The next morning, Dream Eater drives down the mountain to Sacramento, where he starts his day with a Gibraltar (two shots of espresso, foam, and whole milk) at local roaster Temple Coffee, followed by cream-filled classics at Marie’s Donuts. To get a sense of Sacramento's artistic side, he does a self-guided skateboarding mural tour of downtown, which you can also do on a bike or two legs.
The surrounding Central Valley is California's biggest agricultural hub for a variety of produce, including almonds. You can taste a variety of flavours at the Blue Diamond Growers Nut & Gift Shop. After sampling his way through Blue Diamond, Dream Eater heads for more tasting at Ruhstaller BSMT. The downtown taproom offers 14 rotating taps, which often include small-batch R&D beers. Other stops in Sacramento include Shoki Ramen House for a healthy "bowl of dreams," Bottle & Barlow for cocktails and a haircut, and Mother for a super-seasonal vegetarian meal. Before he leaves town, Dream Eater takes a tour of the cutting-edge Golden 1 Center.