Tahoe City, CA — In this outdoorsy, unincorporated lakeside town of roughly 3,000 residents, where traffic lights are few, you might be surprised to learn that one restaurant — just one — actually features big-city valet parking. And it’s complimentary, no less.
But at Savoie, it’s a necessity, given that since its opening in July, diners have been clamoring for reservations as far as six weeks in advance. When the doors open on any given night, there’s usually a queue of 40 walk-ins hoping to snag a seat, too. Even before it opened, Food & Wine magazine had already dubbed it one of “the most anticipated openings of the summer.”
In fact, when I was invited in as a guest of this fine-dining restaurant last week, a camera crew from Chef’s Warehouse was in the house, filming a documentary, as part of the restaurant supply company’s inaugural behind-the-scenes series on restaurants.
The attention and accolades are no surprise, not when you realize the French-California restaurant was opened by celebrated veteran Michelin-starred chef Mark Sullivan and his wife, pastry chef Allison Sullivan.
The two met at the Village Pub in Woodside, which Mark opened in 2001 with the Bacchus Management Group, of which he is still a partner. He helped steer the Village Pub, and subsequent restaurants, Spruce in San Francisco, and Selby’s in Atherton, to Michelin-star fame. After leaving the Village Pub, Allison went on to work at Michelin two-starred restaurants in San Francisco: the Fifth Floor, helmed by Laurent Gras; and Masa’s in San Francisco, under the tutelage of Ron Siegel. Later, she apprenticed at Pierre Herme in Paris.
Even while at the Village Pub, Mark always dreamed of one day opening a restaurant in Tahoe. It’s a place especially dear to him because he grew up going there with his parents and grandparents.
Savoie opened in the old Pfeifer House, a property originally built in 1935, that was various restaurants for about 84 years before finally closing in 2019.
Turns out one of the restaurant’s regulars was Sullivan’s stepmother and father. When Maureen Sullivan saw the “for sale” sign one day, she bought it and enlisted Mark and Allison to bring it back to life. During the pandemic, the couple and their sons moved permanently from the Bay Area up to Tahoe to oversee the renovations.
Little did they know that it would take seven long years to open Savoie, named for the historic Alpine region of southeastern France. Every time the construction crew went to work, they would discover yet another problem — a crumbling foundation, trees and branches in between walls, and so much more.
The building had to be redone from top to bottom. But the Sullivans kept the original footprint, as well as some historic touches such as “Maurice the Moose,” whose taxidermy head now watches over the bar area.
Although so much of it was made anew, “We still wanted to keep the original charm and character,” Mark explained.
One look tells you they succeeded in that mission. The 118-seat restaurant is both elegant and cozy with a stone fireplace, antler chandelier, black-edged glass doors, coffered wood ceiling, and white tablecloths draped over tables adorned with bud vases of wildflowers. The look reminds me of the old Restoration Hardware esthetic — before it morphed into the more bougie RH.
Dinner is a la carte. An optional tasting menu is expected to be introduced in the coming months. The spacious kitchen also features a large butcher-block table in the pastry area that doubles as a chef’s table, which small private groups can book.
Service is warm, attentive, and far crisper and sharper than you’d expect in this casual mountain town, and more like that of a well-tuned restaurant in a metropolitan city.
Every night, there are a few specials, including usually caviar service. Savoie adds new life and a touch of whimsy to this classic. The osetra eggs top blini — but ones that are like mini Japanese souffle pancakes. This fluffy foundation is adorned with what looks like a tiny sunny side-up quail egg, but the “white” is actually yogurt cream and the “yolk” a creamy cured egg yolk. Diced pickled onion adds a touch of sharpness to this mouthful of creamy, salty, buttery luxuriousness with a dose of fun.
I am never one to turn down bread, so the brioche ($12) was a must-order for me. Glossy and burnished, the brioche buns were rich and buttery tasting, with the dreamy texture of a down pillow you just want to lay your head on.
Produce from the Tahoe City farmers market gets showcased in a shareable dish of crudites ($18), composed of chilled, crunchy strips of green, purple, yellow and red peppers; zucchini, green beans, turnips, and cherry tomatoes. The accompanying creamy sauce verte is deeply herbaceous with a delicious salty bite of anchovy.
The pate en croute ($36) is dressed to impress with a golden pastry encasing a coarse pork farce with a rim of Madeira gelee. Black truffle is finely grated over the slice, which is served with cornichons, mustard, and a few leaves of frisee.
The kitchen sent out a Salad Savoyarde ($24) to go with. With crisp leaves and herbs dressed in an Alpine honey vinaigrette, it makes you remember just how satisfying the simplest of salads can be when done right.
Chef Mark also sent out a split portion of raviolettes ($36). Neat little rounds of thin, supple pasta get filled with velvety fromage frais, then napped in a cherry tomato sauce made with olive oil that’s somehow light yet potently powerful in sweet, tangy summer cherry tomato taste. All I can say is: Get to Tahoe City pronto — before tomato season ends — just so you can taste this dreamy dish.
When it came to pasta, I admittedly doubled-dipped this evening, ordering the “pasta of the day” ($45) for my entree, as well. How could I ever resist the thinnest, most tender tagliarini tossed with Vache Rosse Parmigiano (from the milk of the ancient Reggiana Red Cow breed that’s richer in protein and butterfat), then finished at the table with a shower of finely grated black truffle?
Unlike so many other truffle-cheese pastas, this one was not overwhelmingly creamy, rich, and heavy. It actually ate relatively light, letting the pure sharpness and nuttiness of the cheese come through without competing with the earthy warmth of the truffles that remained the star player.
My husband opted for the “daily roast” ($75), a showstopping double-cut, bone-in pork chop that was grilled over blazing hot binchotan. A cross of Duroc and Iberico breeds, this behemoth had a glorious rim of fat. It was finished with a Madeira-mustard sauce along with roasted apples and cabbage for a true taste of early autumn.
A side of ratatouille Provencale ($15) was sent out from the kitchen to accompany everything. The chunks of eggplant, peppers, and tomatoes were tender yet still maintained their integrity, not cooked to mush like too many poorly executed versions.
For dessert, Allison dropped off a sample of her strawberry sorbet. So fresh and vibrant with berry flavor, it almost acted as a nice palate cleanser.
Then, the piece de resistance — what had to be the best creme caramel ($18) that I’ve ever had. So often this classic French dessert is marred by air bubbles or a too-dense texture. Not this one. It has the loveliest languid texture — so smooth, silky and voluptuous that it just caresses the palate. Caramelized honey and royal fir infuse the custard, offering up irresistible toasty, floral, and wintery notes.
Cocoa-dusted chocolate truffles and candied citrus peels ended this sweet evening.
Whether you come to Tahoe to hike or cycle, ski or snowboard, sight-see or chill, make it a point to dine at Savoie to polish off your stay in the most resplendent way.