Helluva time in Tahoe — Lake Tahoe, NV
South Lake Tahoe was as picturesque as we'd imagined but the abandoned development site which lay between our hotel room at Harrah’s and the lake was a reminder of the savage economic downturn. At the top of the boom, the plot was being built into a huge convention centre until the developer went broke more than three years ago, leaving an awful eyesore, even worse than the two gaudy casinos standing like sentries on the Nevada/California state line.
Following a recommendation from a local, we headed to the Aprés Wine bar. You wouldn’t know from its location (in the corner of a rather inauspicious shopping centre) but this is a seriously good wine bar with great tapas-style food and adorable barmaid; a must visit if you’re ever in South Lake Tahoe.
The owner/manager, J.P., is a great bloke who is, literally, a student of wines around the world (he did a university course – where do we sign up?). After a few glasses of vino plus some interesting dishes (like strawberry bruschetta), we were blown away by the best dessert wine we’ve found over here (so far!); Dolce, from the Napa Valley.
After that, we headed to Harvey’s Casino for what turned out to be a moderately entertaining comedy show (you can’t expect too much on a Wednesday night) and a couple of games of Blackjack with a charismatic dealer named David who dubbed himself 'Father Christmas from Hong Kong’ after one particularly lucrative hand for the table.
The next day involved a gondola ride up to Heavenly ski resort, stopping for some classic happy snaps on Malcolm's Deck. Then Janine headed off for a haircut by a larger-than-life American 60 year old while Greg investigated the property market (and Blackjack tables) further.
We ate dinner at a fancy restaurant with only seven tables called Café Fiore. This is probably one for special occasions only but we're making the most of a strong Aussie dollar...
