Adele's - Carson City, Nevada

From Virginia City to Carson City, she'll be coming the mountain when she comes. Paradise lake on one side, silver mines on the other. Carson City is a capitol happy medium, industrial minus the mining gimmick, politics minus all the stickers for Trump.

From a church with no nails to practical capitol. But we didn't go to Carson City for the sites, we just came for the food.

I've heard so much about Adele's, and the tall tales have me seeing a castle; giant swan-boat plates and meat towers, straight out of Game of Thrones. I'm surprised to see just a pretty little cottage, but I'm quick to fall for its cheery charm.

My cheeriness turns to bewilderment the moment I sit down. The first thing we hear about is the specials menu, an in-your-face onslaught of dishes and plates, of every meat and every fish, made to the whims of the chef that day.

Specials always make me raise an eyebrow, ever since my friend told me that they're usually a last-ditch effort to unload the less fresh leftovers. (Thanks a lot, Alex!) Fortunately it's just the opposite at Adele's; the specials are the freshest and the specials are their menu... if you don't count the 4-page magnum opus containing their regular menu.

I have a sneaking suspicion that the menu was created by a genius... With a lot of energy... And a lot of ADD. It shows in the menu, and it shows in the items themselves. Case and point the house special Escargot en Casserole, a skeptical stream-of-consciousness starter, about a million items stuffed into a concise, 6-well plate.

But it works. I don't know how it works, but it works. The escargot are simply perfect, cooked into soft, warm little garlic gobs. I had serious doubts about the sweet fruit pairing with garlic and snails, but the combination of tart apples, sweet grapes, and hearty cranberry is so crazy it's perfect. We were sopping it up with extra bread long after the escargot was gone, and we couldn't get enough.

A menu like that and someone still finds time to house-make limoncello. It's a force to be reckoned with in the Dragoncello, where a touch of tarragon takes the sugary edge off and hides it's alcoholic undertones. Too sweet for me but still impressed.

The Bently Ranch Rib Steak is the first sign of focus I've seen. The steak is juicy and just-right-red in the middle, but it can stand alone. The horseradish cream doesn't need to be there, and garlic chips finish bitter.

And again we're back to the omg-so-many-things-going-on. The Duck Two Ways is exceptional, and why just have it one way when both ways are soooo good? The leg and thigh are done in a soft, confit-like braise, and the breast is tender and dense with an orange glaze kissing the crispy skin.

Dessert is a classic, Strawberry Shortcake with fluffy angel food, the first sane item I've seen.

The desserts sure are sweet but nothing is sweeter than a Birthday Sundae when it comes with a grandpa's smile.

I really love Adele's. Maybe because I really get Adele's. There's a genuine love for food that can be felt with every bite, and the menu, however crazy, is just a simple desire to cram every good thing into a single kitchen. And I'm so scatterbrained that all of this actually makes sense.

Our last night of our first trip to Reno begins and ends at Adele's. New city, new restaurant, new family. A lot of good news this trip, and one of them was definitely Adele's.

Gar Woods Grill & Pier - Carnelian Bay, California

Out of Reno and onto a tour of Tahoe. The winding mountains are a harrowing, hair-raising ordeal, full of crags and cliffs and hairpin turns.

It is worth every bit of carsick nausea for a view of this sapphire lake. Sandy beaches dot the coast, and small waves break on jagged rocks. Gar Woods may scream tourist-trap, but it's worth it for a view like this.

It's bright and brisk, perfect weather for comfort food, and a lakeside Shrimp & Lobster Bisque hits the spot. Lobster-flavored cream in a semi-deep bowl, chunks of sweet rock shrimp in each spoon.

It takes me a moment to realize we've crossed the border, and we're not in Nevada anymore. Pre-Calexit California welcomes us with a Filet California Burger. The patty is the softest non-Kobe patty I've had, and though I'm not a fan of teriyaki, it goes with a smushed guacamole. Add thick strips of bacon and a slice of jack cheese, and it's almost impossible to fit your mouth around this monstrosity.

The Dungeness Crab Sandwich is a much lighter option...except not really. The sweet shreds of chilled crab are the filet mignon of shellfish, but it's loaded with a savory mayo. Goes great with sourdough bread for a lightly-ritzy lunch.

Lunch is gorgeous, but we don't linger too long. There are two places to go on our one-day-three-cities whirlwind, and we're swept off to Virginia City right after we pay the bill.

Beaujolais Bistro - Reno, Nevada

"160 feet??!? I'm going be supportive and then I'm going to boulder." Justin has a fear of heights, and I can't keep my feet on the ground. To each their own.

We do our different things together; we're different but we're still the same. I high-five him when he nails a new route, and when I hook both hands over the top of America's highest wall, he tells me I killed it.

Off the wall and onto Branded Hearts Distillery, a victory drink well-earned. Somebody said whiskey, and I came running. Ryan comes running too, opening his distillery on a day they're closed just to give us the best distillery tour I've ever had. He even lets us sample bourbon straight out of the barrel, and at 120 proof, that bourbon is one heck of a pre-dinner pre-game. Even grandma Pauline drinks like a champ.

By the time we sit down at Beaujolais Bistro (which we did NOT drive to), we are not exactly sober. 

But there is always room for wine, and my glass of red really pops with the Bacon-Wrapped Dates. Belly, fat, and belly fat, crispy-on-gooey with pungent blue cheese, all swimming in a thick romesco sauce. The tiniest spicy little kick keeps an otherwise-heavy dish from being too much.

Heavy turns heavier as the meat falls right off the Braised Lamb Shank bone, with the subtlest flick of a fork. Couscous adds it's grainy, airy texture, and the harissa-lamb jus spa bathes the meat in a rich cloak of darkness.

The lamb is great, but the Cassoulet is a masterpiece. A hot pot of the softest cannellini beans, soaked in pork-belly-turned-liquid-fat, topped with the most perfect duck confit, complete with crispy skin and a layer of melty glory underneath.

We're still reeling from the cassoulet, but there's always room for dessert. The Profiteroles are so simple yet so satisfying; roomy little cream puffs full of airy vanilla cream.

I don't know what was more impressive, the fact that the cassoulet blew my mind or the fact that an 82 year-old woman just drank me under the table. But one thing's for sure. Bistro Beaujolais isn't just the best meal I had in Reno, it's one of the most impressive meals I've had this year.

Wild River Grille - Reno, Nevada

Massive plate of sausage for breakfast, followed by a massive side of biscuits and gravy. Literally one hour later, it's time for lunch. 

Despite the view of the river and a pretty little bridge whose construction was once the talk of the town, my appetite is next to none.

The Cheese Plate is about all I can stomach, and this plate has a little bit from all the cheese groups. There are crumbly logs of a softer cheese, emboldened by interspersed mustard seed. Classic brie goes with all the fruit, spread across a water cracker, jamming with fig and local honey. A round of sweet chevre crusted with nuts goes nuts when paired with candied pecans. 

Mahi Mahi Tacos are not exciting, but they sure are fun. A thicker mango salsa drips into the grill lines on the fish, and the pico adds a lightens the generous chunks of fresh fish. 

Wild River Grille has clear potential, and it's unfortunate that I was too full to enjoy their more substantial meals. But I do like their food, and for sure their food is fuel. 

I need all the power I can get for my afternoon climb of America's highest wall. On to the next adventure!

The Original Mel's Dinner - Reno

We had a hearty lunch and an even heartier dinner. Dinner was at home, a simple chicken bake that twinkled under the chandelier lights. After a meal in one of the most breathtaking homes I've ever seen (and I've been to the Biltmore AND Monticello), it was time to switch to the sweet simplicity of Mel's Dinner.

Gone are the days of waitresses on roller skates... Back when it was still okay to call them waitresses...but the diner is still a classic. You can feel the hustle and bustle of line cooks preparing for the brunch-time storm, as you sink into the cushions of a cheerful booth.

The menu has multiple pages, but Aidelle's Grilled Smoked Sonoma Sausage was clearly the way to go. The chicken sausage is on the lighter side, balanced by sweet apples and tangy tomatoes, moistened by over easy eggs.

As if that plate of sausagefest wasn't enough, I also got a Biscuit with Gravy on the side. Because the only thing better than sausage is more sausage... Said no man ever.

What came first? The chicken or the egg? The world may never know. What came first? The hangover or the Benedict? The hung over world is too nauseous to ever know. All I know is, this stack of runny eggs and ham is one of the better eye openers I've had and one of the best food comas I've seen.

We were trying to eat lightly because breakfast was way too close to lunch. Fail. But breakfast at Mel's? Not a fail. Not even close.

Twisted Fork - Reno

You've heard of pregnancy brain? I don't have pregnancy brain. But I do have wedding brain. Same difference.

Wedding brain: A condition where one becomes obsessed with planning one's wedding and is found by others to be extremely boring and often annoying. To exist in a state of delusion where one believes that everyone else must love to hear about every agonizing detail for a future date they must struggle through to show support for their friend(s) taking the plunge.

So I am boring. And I am learning that planning a wedding is hard. But the difficulty starts long before the wedding, and sometimes even before the engagement. I started as an only child with my parents as the only constant figures in my life. The rest of my family tree lies firmly rooted across the Pacific, and that was all I knew.

Justin comes with a lot more family. A lot of people love him, and I feel like it'll take a lifetime to know them all and appreciate each person for who they are and who they will be. So far, that journey has taken us to Malibu, Vista, and Thousand Oaks, and this time, it lands our plane in Reno.

I am wary and I am nervous, but I keep an open mind. After all, when you see a fork in the road...you should take it. So it's only appropriate that we go directly from Reno-Tahoe airport to the Twisted Fork for lunch.

The menu is a good mix, and the company is too. There's a traditional path, appreciated by all, a Short Rib Grilled Cheese of melty cheddar, hunks and chunks of soft shreds of short rib, and a hint of horseradish buried in cream. Think really good sandwich... And take it up a little notch.

The sandwich is a joyful journey down the beaten path, but if you're looking for the road less traveled, the Tiger Shrimp Tamal is the way to go. The finest-ground, sweet corn is stuffed with tender jumbo shrimp, and it stews in a garlic cream that I can only describe as liquid crack.

I didn't know what to expect as I sat down with my new family for the first time, but I knew, immediately, that this trip to Reno was one of my better decisions. The conversation flowed faster than the diet coke, and the only thing warmer than my tamal was the couple sitting across from us. I also didn't know what to expect from the food as I sat down in Twisted Fork for the first time, but I knew, immediately, that this lunch was one of Their better decisions.