|
|
 |
| SW Aviator Magazine is available in print free at FBOs and aviation-related businesses throughout the Southwest or by subscription. |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
The web's most comprehensive database of Southwest area aviation events.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Featured Site:
|
|
|
|
|
A continuosly changing collection of links to our favorite aviation related web sites.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Search by:
|
|
|
Or enter a keword:
|
|
|
Post a FREE Classified Ad
|
|
|
|
Chase’s Bar & Grill
|
|
The Big Easy by the Big Lake
|
Story and Photos by Cindy Paulsen
Chasing down a great fly-in dining destination? There’s no need to search any further than Chase’s Bar & Grill at South Lake Tahoe. Located right on the field with great runway views and enchanting fare, this New Orleans getaway transported to the Sierra Nevada pines is the perfect aviation secret find.
 The real secret to Chase’s is not just the meaning behind the name (there’s a couple of stories you might persuade owner-restaurateur Mike Weber to tell) but in generous portions of great New Orleans down home cooking with California flair. As Weber himself says, "This is not just your $100 Po’Boy; this is the way Grandma would have cooked if Grandma grew up in New Orleans." Mike is a successful business owner and entrepreneur who has been in the area for over 20 years. After selling his restaurants in town, he was persuaded to revitalize the airport restaurant. Open since February, Mike’s culinary wizardry has blended time-tested Creole family recipes with new age cuisine resulting in a tony neighborhood restaurant that welcomes the weary traveler.
Assisting on the day of our visit was Pandee, a classically trained chef and captivating personality, who whipped up a sampler selection of dishes off the menu for us to enjoy. We started with the New Orleans Shrimp Boil with Chase’s famous cocktail sauce. Having declared myself a spice-lightweight, Pandee purposely went easy on the horseradish in the sauce for me. This peal & eat shrimp was so fresh, it had me looking out the window searching for the tall masts of shrimp boats. The accompanying cocktail sauce was almost a salsa, so rich and thick with finely chopped veggies. We went on to another appetizer, Crab Cakes with roasted red pepper tartar sauce and lemon. The crab was scrumptious with not a single speck of hidden shell, but a lot of kick. The spell of Chase’s really came over me then, charming me on to try foods and combinations I never dared before.
Next came "The Wedge" salad – a quarter-cut head of crisp Iceberg lettuce with chunky blue cheese- crumbles dressing, Cajun croutons, and candied pecans. A superb alchemy of flavors and textures, I was overwhelmed with the deceptive simplicity of this taste-filled salad. A Shrimp Po’Boy with bacon & spicy slaw followed. The shrimp, again, was just-caught fresh and, combined with the bacon and cayenne infused coleslaw encased in a crunchy-outside/soft-inside roll, was like munching on a BLT with zinging shrimp.
Vegetarians can feast on an alternate Po’Boy made with blackened or grilled portobello mushrooms. Now, it wouldn’t be the Big Easy without gumbo, jambalaya, and red beans and rice. Chase’s serves up Seafood Gumbo for those looking for a mellow flavor and Gumbo with Chicken & Andouille Sausage that is on the spicier side. Their "Veggie" Gumbo is made with vegetable and tomato stock, black-eyed peas, mustard greens, collard greens, and other southern favorites. The Jambalaya is full of mystery and the red beans and rice is packed with spicy punch. More offerings not to be missed include Mother Dear’s Meatloaf with debris gravy or tomato basil garlic sauce (Tuesday’s Blue Plate special), blackened or pan fried Catfish, and Creole Mustard Chicken Breast. The "big dish" entrees are served with a choice of griddle potato cake or cheese grit cake and a vegetable. We tried the grit cake, which had a magically subtle cheesy flavor that actually made the grits taste great.
 Our Nawleans feast was finished with House Made Banana Pudding that really did taste homemade, and Bread Pudding with Bourbon Sauce that had plenty of plump, juicy raisins and a distinctly bourbony flavor (believe it or not, it was non-alcoholic, so perfect for flyers). Absolutely delicious, they disappeared like magic.
Our selections at Chase’s varied between subtle and fine, to hearty and bold, displaying true finesse with seasonings and flavors, yet enough spirit and zest to firmly establish bayou roots. With mysterious sauces and indefinable combinations of spices, the real secret of Chase’s Bar & Grill is how this Louisiana transplant had stayed a secret at the little airport by the big lake.
Chase’s Bar & Grill (1901 Airport Road, Suite 105, South Lake Tahoe) is open every day starting at 11:30 a.m. for lunch and from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. for dinner (summer hours). The menu ranges in price from $8 for lunch to $20 for dinner. Chase’s offers a great runway-side outdoor dining deck as well as comfortable indoor seating. Due to California State law, Chase’s is a total non-smoking restaurant, even in the bar area. Chase’s is available for brunch, lunch, or dinner bookings for fly-in groups and clubs. Call Mike Weber at 530-544-9080 to make arrangements. Mike has a vast knowledge of the area and local business connections, and is happy to suggest overnight and extended stay accommodations and activities.
|
Click here to return to the beginning of this article. |
|
