When it's time to get the hell out of Dodge, Reno seems as good a bet (pardon the pun) as any. Bob is constantly receiving offers from the Siena hotel for free stays. The beds are as comfortable as the Ritz-Carlton in San Francisco and, as Bob likes to say, "It's out of town." Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, and traditionally I cook a 22-pound turkey. (That's it, pictured at left, about ten years ago..and the lighting is wretched--the bird wasn't that dark. But I was that slender. Do you think I look psycho? You try holding a 22-pound bird while someone sets up their camera. "Take the picture! Take the picture!" Audrey Hepburn fans unite.)
This year, we just wanted to escape.
The drive through the San Joaquin valley was beautiful. The November sky was moody and grey, and we passed dozens of vineyards that held golden-green leaves on their vines. One pretty little farm, on the banks of the Mokelumne River, just outside the Sacramento County line, caught my eye: orchards, rice paddies, beautiful trees grown up around the farm house...I've been Googling for hours, trying to find out more about it. I wonder if this could be the place.
(Photo appropos of nothing, but when's the last time Logan went to a farm? A week or so ago, when we visited Jasmine at Everett Family Farm. Logie kissed the cow!)
We had a mission in Reno: to find a cowboy hat for Logan, so he could more thoroughly inhabit the cowboy persona while watching his favorite dance scene: "Everything's Up to Date in Kansas City" in the musical, Oklahoma. I did my homework and located the three top-rated western wear stores in the city, and we stepped out of our normal realm to visit those. Cowboy gear! Boots! Nudies! Spurs, ropes, jackets, and hats. Oh, it was fun.
And we got the hat.
So. Food. Farms. You think there's any chance that in a city filled with casinos and Brobdingnagian buffets, there exists the kind of restaurant to which I've grown accustomed (and accustomed to spotlighting on my blog)?
The answer: a resounding "yes!" (Note: I have no photos.)
I had done my homework: I'd gone to Trip Advisor, MSN CitySearch, About.com, and IgoUgo. A few names kept popping up, and the one that intrigued me most was "4th Street Bistro." I read everything I could, and Googled some more. I liked what I found: seasonal, regional, local.
Then, over a glass of ZD Cabernet Sauvignon (swoon), I asked Jamie, the bartender at Enoteca Wine Bar (highly recommended: 35 wines by the glass and then some), in the Siena, if she knew the place. "Oh, I love it there!" I told her I'd read that the service was on the formal side...she said, "Well, for Reno, I guess that's true." Bob said, "In Reno, that just means your waitress doesn't call you 'honey.' " She laughed and agreed.
We arrived at 7:00 p.m., ready for something good, but frankly, I anticipated a bit of the disappointment I'd had at Region, in San Diego, which I wrote about in May. ("I would say that the meal was a little on the 'all too similar range of tastes,' and wish there had been more distinction between the dishes. Also, things were on the salty side.") But I was nonetheless hopeful: I'd read that the chef, Natalie Sellers, had worked extensively in the San Francisco Bay area, and brought some of those sensibilities with her.
I had also read a review that said the portions were small. Armed with this knowledge, we ordered an appetizer along with our entrées: a Dungeness crab, roasted artichoke tart with mornay sauce and Meyer lemon oil ($11.50). And because we could, we both ordered duck, but different preparations. Bob heard the word "confit," and opted for the special, which I don't remember the entire description ($22). I ordered the roasted breast of Sonoma County Liberty duck, with Tuscan kale, maple yam purée, with apple-green tomato chutney ($25).
Our appetizer was delivered by Carol, one of the owners. She apologized for the absence of Dungeness crab, saying they'd been affected by the strike in San Francisco, and told us that Alaskan king crab had been substituted. Is this ever a problem with me? Alaskan king crab? It is not. She also said that the puff pastry that constituted the base for the tart was one of the only pre-packaged items they used. Well, the tart was the only weak spot in the entire evening. I supposed I just don't think puff pastry is very interesting, or at least I think, "Oh, I could do this at home." Don't get me wrong: the flavors were good, but nothing was really zinging and distinct about it. It was good enough, but not spectacular.
The entrées on the other hand...just wonderful. Beyond wonderful. I thought of Lori Regis at Boulette's Larder, and of what I'd written about my first meal there. I cited Terry Thiese on women chefs. Both of our dishes were so well-prepared. And ample. On the chilly autumn evening, they were the perfect comfort food. You know it's a good meal when you're still thinking about little details days later. I can't take my mind off the lentils that came with Bob's duck leg. I even asked the waitress to find out what she could about them. Very simple: black beluga lentils, a mire poix, thyme, garlic and parsley. They were earthy and herby and aromatic. And I want a 55-gallon drum of them.
My own duck breast was as good as any duck I've ever had...the maple yam purée and the kale provided a perfect balance, and Bob and I shared happily. It was a lot of food, but we cleaned our plates. The bread and butter, too—wonderful bread. It might easily be homemade. We had a glass or two of wine, but I didn't write down what they were...I just wanted to experience the place without getting too analytical or anal about collecting memories.
Our waitress was brand-new, and I guess I'm a challenging customer, because I asked her things that probably don't get asked a lot. She said, "This is good: every time you ask me something, I'm learning something." We didn't mind her newness: she was trying really hard, and it was nice.
When we had finished and paid, I asked if I might thank the chef, and was ushered into the kitchen. I don't know if this is a common request, in Reno or anywhere, but Chef Sellers couldn't have been more gracious. I told her how important farms are to me, and she told me that she has a farmer who grows just for her restaurant! (Mewaldt's Family Farm: Bill & Korena Mewaldt, are in Fallon.) The baby beets with Bob's confit were from the farm.
Gentle reader, should you find yourselves in Reno, and despairing at the gluttonous buffets, hie to 4th Street Bistro. (Alas, they have no website, but maybe I can do something about that. Ahem.)
I e-mail Chef Sellers for some more information about the restaurant. She wrote: "We have been open for 5-1/2 yrs. Moved here from the Bay area where we lived for 13 yrs. I attended the California Culinary Academy in S.F. in 1988. Externship @ Chez Panisse in 1989. Worked at Stars & Stars Cafe 1989-1994- was the chef in the Cafe when it closed. Worked at Bizou, Cafe Cheneville in Oakland and then was the Executive Chef at the Warwick Regis hotel in the theater district in S.F. from 1996-2000 when we moved here. Carol worked as a server at Bix for 10 yrs."
CONTACT INFORMATION:
4th Street Bistro
3065 W. 4TH St, Reno, Nevada 89503-8808
- Cuisines: French, Contemporary
- Average price*: USD30
- Tel: (775) 323-3200
I'll be back. This place is worth a detour from Tahoe, if you ask me. Plus they're farmy.
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Traveling around the internet through my blog subscriptions, I found some treasures.
• Shuna, at Eggbeater, has a great post about writing recipes, ingredients first and quantities second. It makes such good sense: this is the kind of stuff that ought to be taught in schools.
• Bakerina has a beautiful John Leaf Whittier poem on pumpkins on her blog for Thanksgiving.
• Speaking of pumpkins, Nosh has a recipe for small roasted herb pumpkins with onions.
• Speaking of Thanksgiving, Baggage Carousel gives us a lovely Wendell Berry poem, "The Wish to Be Generous." (Thank you for that, Kelly.)
• Derrick, obsessed with food, writes about the mandarin orange over at SFist.com, with recipes and trivia.
• Finally, a true delight. Cheese Diaries writes about Chef Nicci Tripp of Theo's, and how he makes his own cheese. You'll get bounced to the Santa Cruz Sentinel, where Anne Pinckard is an intern. I predict she gets picked up by a big paper, and soon. Great work, Anne: you rock. (And if someone can tell me how to do a Trackback, I wrote about a dinner at Theo's here.)
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THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: "Trying to determine what is going on in the world by reading newspapers is like trying to tell the time by watching the second hand of a clock." —Ben Hecht
Thanks for visiting.
Now I'm really bummed that I didn't come to Reno with you two! Drats! I clicked on your beautiful farms photo page (again!) and, as always, was so impressed with your lovely work. On a cold, rainy, and blustery day in California, those pictures warm my heart. Good sustenance and inspiration for next year's crop.
Posted by: Cynthia | 01 December 2005 at 08:42 AM
I love Reno! Will try 4th Street Bistro on next visit. Do you have to drop big gambling money to get free room nights at Siena? When I checked their prices seemed steep.
Posted by: Greg | 04 December 2005 at 07:50 AM