Great Gold
North Lake Tahoe · Italian · $$ · 11025 Pioneer Trail, Truckee, CA 96161 (530) 562-9510 www.greatgoldtahoe.com
For years, one of my favorite tables in San Francisco was Flour + Water in SoMa — a kitchen defined by technique, obsession for product, and pasta that made you want to cancel your other plans. Everything that came out of that kitchen was purposeful and delicious.
When the pandemic forced restaurants to pivot or close in 2020, the Flour + Water team made a decision that changed the Tahoe dining scene forever. They came here. Lucky us. The result is Great Gold: a confident kitchen serving thoughtful starters, pastas that celebrate local summer produce and grilled meats served with that same obsession for product but with a casual, Tahoe style.
Standouts include a tomato bread that wouldn't be out of place anywhere on Arthur Avenue, juxtaposed with a quintessentially California Caesar brimming with sunflowers, chicory, and kale. Hand-thrown pizzas with a side of buttermilk dip. Rigatoni heaped under a long-simmered ragù rich with short rib. Pork saltimbocca with a hint of sweetness that's not unwelcome.
The room itself is quintessentially Tahoe: an industrial farmhouse vibe with lots of windows highlighting happy patrons. Carefully curated Italian wines on tap. Locals with their dogs on the patio. Steezy.
The highest compliment I can give a Tahoe restaurant is that it wouldn't be out of place in San Francisco. In this case San Francisco came to us — and we are much better for it.
Don't miss: The rigatoni with short rib ragù. And order the charred broccolini with bagna cauda — it's better than it has any right to be