28 Nov Hungry Like the Wolf
Wolf by Vanderpump throws open its glam doors on Lake Tahoe’s South Shore
Launched at Harveys Lake Tahoe Hotel & Casino in Stateline this past spring with the glitz and fanfare befitting one of the original Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, Wolf by Vanderpump is reality TV star Lisa Vanderpump’s 37th restaurant.
The British-born Bravo staple owns eateries in LA, Las Vegas and Paris with her husband, Ken Todd. Their West Hollywood hotspot SUR serves as the set for the long-running employee-drama-fueled Vanderpump Rules; her newest show, Vanderpump Villa, follows similar staff life-work theatrics at a French chateau and airs on Hulu.
Located off Harveys’ casino floor adjacent to another television show empire outpost, Gordon Ramsay’s Hell’s Kitchen, Wolf by Vanderpump’s highly decorated sparkly space is the result of a collaboration with designer Nick Alain, with whom she has partnered in a home furnishing line.
Multiple chandeliers are outfitted with antlers, branches and icicle-like dangly glass, some slowly rotating; a fireplace, faux trees and furry accents add to the lodge-like vibe. In addition, Steampunky metal elements, including a pair of cages containing white marble wolves, flank the 47-foot marble-topped bar, purported to be the longest in the Tahoe Basin. It is all very intentionally and Instagrammably eye-catching.
“I wanted it to feel like it was part of Tahoe—you open the doors and everything feels like it was pulled out of the mountain,” said Vanderpump at the April opening of Wolf.
Indeed, the buzzy restaurant—the main dining room and bar can accommodate some 200 guests—is frequently filled with groups gathered to quaff an artfully composed and presented cocktail. Popular drinks include the Huff & Puff, made with whiskey, brown sugar, blood orange, cherry clove and cinnamon bitters, then sealed in a bottle with hickory smoke and delivered in a metallic wolf’s head holder and poured at the table over a large cube. The Lake Effect is mixed with gin, ginger liqueur, sage, sweet matcha, lemon, Fever Tree sparkling cucumber, aquafaba (the liquid generated by chickpeas often used as an egg white substitute) and basil blossom.
Wines include some 20 pours by the glass, including several from Vanderpump’s own label (is there anything she doesn’t do?). Her daughter Pandora had a hand in the bar list.
For food, start with one of the dishes designed to be social and sharable: The signature pull-apart herb and Gruyere cheese bread arrives on a wooden board with hot honey and whipped lava salt butters. Fan-favorite “Wolf Bites” include golden fried chevre cheese balls, prime rib sliders with provolone, Havarti, horseradish cream and crispy onions, and lobster ceviche. Feeling splashy? A half ounce of artisan caviar is crowned with 18-karat gold flakes and comes with creme fraiche and hand-cut potato chips.
Among the entrees, popular dishes include the colossal shrimp tacos—a trio of battered Argentinian prawns with avocado, slaw and spicy harissa aioli, arranged on a slate-style platter. The Wolf signature double smash burger piles a pair of Snake River Farms 4-ounce wagyu patties with pickles, aioli, Havarti, Muenster and crispy onions, and the 6-ounce grilled filet gets Cognac butter, potato gratin, bacon-wrapped asparagus and Bordelaise sauce.
Ken’s Guinness fish ‘n’ chips is prepared with beer-battered Petrale sole, braised petit pois with pea tendrils and caramelized onions. On the lighter side, the herb-dusted wild salmon is finished with charred orange beurre blanc, toasted breadcrumbs, scallion salsa verde, braised garbanzo beans and cherry tomato.
Fancy something sweet? Dessert offerings include the rich and chocolatey “ganache Tahoe pine cone,” cast-iron skillet s’more, fruit cobbler and icing-drenched cinnamon rolls, along with boozy milkshakes and dessert cocktails.
Chef Clinton Davis, whose experience includes stints at Seattle’s Ethan Stowell restaurants Tavolata and Staple & Fancy, works with high-end area purveyors, including Bonanza Produce Co, West Coast Prime Meats and Sierra Gold Seafood. Plans include a twice-yearly menu update.
Guests can also expect occasional visits by Vanderpump, who has been back to Wolf a couple of times since opening. Take note—that extra sparkle emanating around the restaurant some night might just be a real live star.
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