We arrive at the restaurant 10 minutes early. The host told us that our table would be ready in a few minutes. While we were standing there, we saw another table for 2 ready to go. The host said that another party specifically reserved that table for 8:30. Well, we waited and waited. The other table arrived more than 15 minutes late and were sipping wine before we were seated. While we twiddled our thumbs, the staff essentially ignored us. Let's just say I was more than a bit peeved.
Finally, after more than 30 minutes, we were seated, sans any apologies or peace offerings from the kitchen. Thankfully, we got a corner table with a bird's eye view of the entire dinning room. Not that the place was much to look at. I appreciated some of the small details -- white table clothes, wines chilled on ice and freshly baked bread. I noticed the waiters would fill my water and walk to the other side of the table to fill my boyfriend's glass instead of reaching across (granted, they gave us a huge table that could seat 5). The decor of the place looked like an episode of I Love the 80's -- tacky wallpaper and overdone valances. I had to battle the urge to run into the bathroom and tease my hair.
The hostess brought us a small terrine of foie gras butter with a few croutons. The boyfriend thought it tasted too, well, buttery, but I only choose to detect the wonderfully sweet and nutty notes of the foie. We were fairly famished by that time and everything on the menu looked enticing. Evan's also has a large board of specials. After much discussion, we decided on the sweetbreads and spinach salad to start, and the veal and halibut (off the specialty board) for entrees (both were heavily recommended by the hostess).
The sweetbread arrived at the table in a jiffy, which was a blessing because I was in the process of decimating the bread basket population. The kitchen thoughtfully pre-divided the dish onto two plates and arranged them prettily for our enjoyment. I have to say that each of our plates contained a full portion at most other restaurants. I've only had sweet breads a handful of times but this is, without a doubt, the best that I've experienced. The breading was light and super crispy without being heavy. The lymph nodes (let's not kid ourselves, but that's what they are!) were more well done than the ones I've tried before (maybe that was why it didn't have much organ-y taste to it) and had a smooth texture. The puff pastry was lighter than air and the slaw added some acidity to the dish. After we polished off the plate, we certainly felt the night was looking up.
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| The sweet breads |
The warm spinach salad arrived next, also divided on separate plates. The salad was supposed to come with duck sausage; well, we each got a thin sliver on your plates. The vinaigrette was wonderful, so fresh yet complex. The two appetizers most certainly set the bar high for our entrees. We were quite excited.
The entrees arrived together. I got the veal and Orin the fish, and later switched. After we took the first bite of the food, we looked at each other with questioning faces, tinged with confusion. The quality of the food certainly was not what the reviews and appetizers led us to believe. The veal screamed mediocrity and the halibut was way over cooked. The sauce for the meat was good, but ordinary; the texture of the veal was fairly tender, although unremarkably so. The fish didn't have any sauce to alleviate its dryness and tasted rather plain. The best part of the fish was the Israeli couscous that accompanied it. The presentation of both dishes were also underwhelmed.
After our disappointment with the entrees, we put aside our skepticism and went with the waiter's recommendation of the creme brûlée tart with blackberries. The place definitely redeemed itself with the delectable dessert. The sugar crust was thin and crisp until the last bite. The tart shell was dense and gave the dish extra texture. The filling wasn't too sweet and so velvety. It's definitely something that I want to experiment and try to recreate at home.
Our experience at Evan's was very uneven. Considering all the factors, from the lackluster entrees and inordinate wait we had to endure, that just left a bad taste in my mouth. The place definitely have some commendable qualities, but these small touches were overshadowed by the inconsideration of the wait staff in their failure to adjust our expectations of the wait time. The quality of the food also left much to be desired. Maybe we went to the restaurant on an off day, maybe the patrons of Tahoe prefer their food more on the well done side, I don't know. For the price and service, despite its strong points, Evan's is not a place that I would recommend.
The entrees arrived together. I got the veal and Orin the fish, and later switched. After we took the first bite of the food, we looked at each other with questioning faces, tinged with confusion. The quality of the food certainly was not what the reviews and appetizers led us to believe. The veal screamed mediocrity and the halibut was way over cooked. The sauce for the meat was good, but ordinary; the texture of the veal was fairly tender, although unremarkably so. The fish didn't have any sauce to alleviate its dryness and tasted rather plain. The best part of the fish was the Israeli couscous that accompanied it. The presentation of both dishes were also underwhelmed.
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Our experience at Evan's was very uneven. Considering all the factors, from the lackluster entrees and inordinate wait we had to endure, that just left a bad taste in my mouth. The place definitely have some commendable qualities, but these small touches were overshadowed by the inconsideration of the wait staff in their failure to adjust our expectations of the wait time. The quality of the food also left much to be desired. Maybe we went to the restaurant on an off day, maybe the patrons of Tahoe prefer their food more on the well done side, I don't know. For the price and service, despite its strong points, Evan's is not a place that I would recommend.
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