
The South Shore’s top restaurants and eateries have been paired with local wineries, breweries and spirits for Lake Tahoe’s largest farm-to-fork festival, Sample the Sierra, on Sept. 15 at Bijou Community Park.
Attendees will have their taste buds treated to more than 20 vendor pairings, with delicious food plates made from locally sourced ingredients to be washed down with the regions’ finest local wines, beers and spirits. Among the highlights includes last year’s Best Tasting Experience winners, The Lake House and Bella Grace Vineyards, being paired together again.
Nine restaurants have been paired with local wineries. Including the aforementioned Best Tasting Experience winners, this group also includes:
- Tahoe Pourhouse and Findleton Estate Winery
- The Loft and Lewis Grace Winery
- Primo’s Italian Bistro and Lava Cap Winery
- Riva Grill and Crystal Basin Cellars
- Blue Angel Cafe & Catering Co. and Boeger Winery
- Cafe Fiore and Madrona Vineyards & Rucksack Cellars
- Revive Coffee and Wine and Mediterranean Vineyards
- Hard Rock Hotel & Casino and Everhart Cellars & Hart 2 Hart Vineyards
Seven restaurants have been paired with local breweries, while Lake Tahoe AleWorx and Cold Water Brewery & Grill will provide their own craft beer to match their food plate.
- Fox & Hound and South Lake Brewing Co.
- Stateline Brewery and Restaurant and The Brewery at Lake Tahoe
- Ten Crows BBQ and Outpost Brewing Co.
- MacDuff’s Public House and Sidellis Lake Tahoe
- The Cork & More and Tahoe Mountain Brews
- Lake Tahoe AleWorX
- Cold Water Brewery & Grill
One of the most unique pairings is local handcrafted, organic popsicle maker Tahoe Pops and Tahoe Blue Vodka. Two wineries, Rosa-Lucca Estates and Calaveras Wine Alliance, and two restaurants, Edgewood Tahoe and Frescana Mexican Bistro, and The Hangar Taphouse & Bottle Shop are currently unpaired
While the food and drink pairings headline Sample the Sierra, that’s not all you’ll find at the festival. Sample the Sierra also features the annual Sierra Chef Challenge (the Chopped-style cookoff), live music from multiple local bands, and a great lineup of local crafts, artisans and art.
Sample the Sierra will be held Saturday, Sept. 15 from 12-5 p.m. at Bijou Community Park. Early bird tickets, $40 for full tasting and $30 for non-alcohol tasting, are still available for purchase.