Lake Tahoe and killer espresso martinis

After a very. Very long work week, my partner and I drove from San Francisco to Lake Tahoe on Friday night. We got to Bally’s around 11 p.m., which meant Saturday was our only full day.

The plan was to get to the lake, have dinner at Ciera Steakhouse, and avoid spending half the day waiting around. That lasted until breakfast. Ernie’s had a 45-minute wait, and I was not giving almost an hour of it to eggs.

We got McDonald’s, ate in the car, picked up snacks, and kept moving. Ernie’s does have an online waitlist. I know that now.

Bally’s Lake Tahoe hosted our two-night stay, including self-parking, and provided a $200 dining credit.

Staying at Bally’s

Bally’s was our base for the weekend. The room was comfortable, Ciera was downstairs, and El Dorado and Zephyr were both short drives away.

We came back from the lake Saturday, showered, and went downstairs for dinner without getting back in the car. On Sunday, we checked out and drove straight to the second beach. For a trip this short, that setup gave us more time at the lake.

El Dorado, finally

After McDonald’s, we picked up snacks and went to El Dorado Beach. We had arrived in Tahoe in the dark, so this was the first time the weekend looked like Tahoe instead of a highway and a hotel room.

El Dorado was the easy beach. Parking is free, and there are picnic tables, restrooms, and a roped swim area. We put our things down and stayed until it was time to go back and get ready for Ciera.

Bone marrow, morels, and the espresso martini

After a full day at the lake, we went back upstairs, showered, changed, and came down for dinner. We ordered bone marrow, steak, and a veal chop with morel mushrooms.

I was obsessed with the bone marrow. The veal chop was literally to die for, and the bartender made a killer espresso martini.

As of this writing, Ciera also has a $70 three-course prix fixe on Thursday, Friday, and Sunday from 5 to 6:30 p.m. We were there Saturday, so we missed it. But if your dates line up, that is worth knowing.

A Zephyr Cove Sunday

Sunday was Zephyr Cove, which was more involved than El Dorado. We carried everything down and set up by the water for one more beach day before the drive home.

As of this writing, beach chairs and umbrellas are $15 each to rent, ice is $10, and the beach bar will bring cocktails to your chair. That would have been useful to know before we packed our own chairs and umbrella.

The drive home

By Sunday afternoon, we packed the car at Zephyr Cove and started the drive back to San Francisco. It was a short trip, but we got the thing we had come for: one full Saturday at the lake, dinner downstairs, and one more beach before home.

Next time, I am joining the Ernie’s waitlist from bed 🌝