To most anglers, eastern Plumas County is probably best known for Lake Davis, and for a good reason. It’s been a great fishery. My own first experience fishing Lake Davis was in late November one year around Thanksgiving, when I ventured away from family gatherings into cold, inclement weather to see if the fishing would be any good. The answer was a definite yes, and to my surprise and delight, my first cast of a dark streamer pattern was met with a muscled yank and eventually a hefty rainbow that my net strained to lift.
Providing a unique experience in a quiet, beautiful setting, the lake thankfully remains a great fishery, despite the invasion of introduced pike and subsequent DFG poisonings. A more recent “ invasion” of Hexagenia mayf lies has stirred up a lot of excitement [Ed.’s note: see “Lake Davis: A Sierra Classic,” by Jon Baiocchi, May/June 2016.]
While Lake Davis offers amazing fishing and abundant hatches, it also can be seriously windy, and the fishing can turn off during sunny, hot summer days. At times such as these, it’s worth exploring another pleasurable diversion the area has to offer: small craft breweries and wine tasting. Combined with a snack or meal at one of the area’s restaurants, sampling eastern Plumas County’s libations can be a fun and interesting way to learn more about the area and to enjoy some time off the water. (Please be safe and designate a driver if you plan to enjoy local beer and wine: mountain roads are unforgiving, and Plumas County’s CHP officers are numerous and diligent.)
If you’re looking to relax in a spacious, lovely outdoor setting, enjoy the mountain air, and sample some incredible hand-crafted beer, The Brewing Lair near Blairsden will not disappoint. It’s located just two-tenths of a mile east of the turnoff to Highway 89 on Highway 70 and marked with a sign at the beginning of a dirt road. This place isn’t like the faux castles in the Napa Valley wine country. A short drive up the dirt road reveals a clearing in the forest, hand-hewn wood tables, deck chairs, and the small brewery on a 15-acre site, which includes a nine-hole disc golf course.
Open every day from April 1 to January 1, The Brewing Lair is owned and operated by Rick and Susan DeLano. As Susan explained to me, their beer is produced in four steel 465-gallon fermentation tanks. They specialize in hop-forward ales and offer five rotating varieties, which generally include two lighter ales, a medium ale, a red, and a black. The varieties on tap when I visited were Blair Belgian Blend, Equinox Solo, Ambush IPA, Take a Hike India Red Ale, and Deep Cover Black IPA. Pints are $5, and a “Trail of Tastes” sample of four ounces of each of the five beers on tap is $8. Brewing Lair beer can also be purchased off-site in 32-ounce “Growlitas” and 64-ounce “Growlers” at New Moon Natural Foods in Truckee and at Quincy Natural Foods Coop in central Plumas County.
Gary and Louie Romano of Sierra Valley Farms grow hops for The Brewing Lair. In late September, all in one day, these hops will be harvested, delivered, and utilized in a batch of wet-hop brew, so called because the hops are not dried, but used fresh the same day they are picked. Look for “Louie,” the wet-hop ale from The Brewing Lair, to come out in mid-October, and see the information below about Sierra Valley Farms’s special September Fest. In addition to the beer itself and the congenial hosts, perhaps the most appealing thing about The Brewing Lair is the relaxed, welcoming setting. Guests are invited to bring their own picnic lunches (or consider take-out from eatery options below), a few barbeques are available, and kids and leashed dogs are welcome. Those who don’t drink beer are welcome to bring wine for their picnics, but the owners do request, quite reasonably, that only Brewing Lair beer be consumed on the property. Golf discs are available to rent, and offerings from the Quincy restaurant Pangaea are being planned this season. (You may want to call ahead for current availability.) There aren’t any special events — no concerts, special dinners, or other activities. There really isn’t a need for anything more than what you find here. As Susan DeLano said, “Come and not be entertained.” As I prepared to leave, I commented that a person could stay here all day. She replied, “People do.” Not a bad way to wait out the wind on Davis until it dies down.
About six miles east of The Brewing Lair on Highway 70 is the Eureka Peak Brewery. This “one-man show,” as it is described by master brewer Gregg Bucy, is open Thursday through Sunday in a building adjacent to the Chalet View Lodge. Eureka Peak specializes in small, 20-gallon batches, produced one at a time. There are typically about 12 varieties to choose from at $6 for a 13-ounce glass or $10 for a sampler of four 5-ounce selections. Varieties include blondes, lavender white, pale ale, IPA, nut brown, porter, stout, saison, and sour beers. According to Gregg, the uniquely tangy sour beers, which incorporate lactobacillus in the fermentation, have a small following of devotees. Gregg has been processing some beers in 10-to-15-gallon oak barrels originally used for spirits, which imparts a whiskey or rum flavor. Beer can be enjoyed inside the cozy pub, which has games and offers snacks, or anywhere on the grounds of the Chalet View Lodge. They’ll pour you a cold one in a plastic cup if you want to enjoy it by the pool.
Eureka Peak beer is always available on tap at the small, but attractive Chalet View Lodge bar, which serves cocktails, as well. The adjoining Kitchen+Bar restaurant offers snacks, small plates, and lunch and dinner selections that change according to the seasons. Seating is available indoors or in a shaded patio area, where there’s a wood-fired oven that serves up fresh-baked pizza for lunch. Lodging is also available here in “upscale rooms,” and there is a “catch-and-release fish pond” at what their Web site describes as “the Lost Sierra’s only four-star boutique resort.”
If wine is to your liking, head to Graeagle’s Indian Peak Vineyards tasting room, which serves wines produced near tiny Manton, in Lassen County. On my visit to the small tasting room, the host server was welcoming and knowledgeable, explaining the several red varietals and two chardonnay vintages included in the complimentary tasting. Glasses of wine can be purchased for $8 to $11, and bottles can be bought and enjoyed on-site, as well. As you enter the tasting room, you may notice the toasty aroma of cigars, which are available for purchase, along with specialty food items. A large outdoor seating area offers a relaxing place to enjoy your wine, strike up a conversation with other guests, if you like, or puff a cigar. Leashed dogs are welcome outside, where my dog appreciated the water bowl that was offered. Guests can warm themselves at the outdoor fire pit in the evenings, and there is live music on Friday and Saturday nights.
All that sipping can make a person hungry. For a really nice casual lunch, check out the Graeagle Mill Works, a small café in the heart of Graeagle on Highway 70. In keeping with the theme of nearby shops, it is housed in a red former millworkers cabin. In addition to lunch items, the café also sells old-fashioned candy, specialty dessert items, coffee, lattés, and tea. You can eat inside, surrounded by the sweet scent of cinnamon tea, licorice, and lemon drops, or enjoy outdoor seating around the back of the restaurant. The spacious, inviting area is on a lawn ringed by lilacs and tall pines, with a view across a large meadow and horses in a nearby pasture. Dogs on the leash are welcome outside. Lunch offerings include fresh sandwiches, housemade salads, soups, and quiches, along with a selection of house-made desserts. Taking a break from imbibing beer or wine is easy here: choose from iced teas, lemonade, coffee drinks, or sodas — no alcohol is served. The place has a kind of relaxed, wholesome feel to it. Prices are reasonable, and food can be prepared to go. If you’re at the Indian Peak tasting room or the Graeagle Mill Works, you might as well mosey over to nearby Buckaroo Chocolates for some of the most decadent, delicious chocolate I’ve ever tasted. It’s on the pricy side, but the chocolates made by hand on-site are well worth it for a special treat. Don’t miss the whimsically decorated chocolate-covered Twinkies, Oreos, and Rice Krispy treats, or caramel apples made for special occasions. They also serve large scoops of Cascade Glacier ice cream, milkshakes, malts, and floats. For a sit-down lunch or dinner, visit
Longboards at Plumas Pines Golf Resort, just a few miles outside of the town of Graeagle. This is where locals go for special occasions or simply to enjoy a dining experience more elegant than what’s generally available elsewhere in Plumas County. Special events such as winemaker dinners are popular. During nice weather, I especially enjoy lunch outside on the deck overlooking the fairway. Their bar serves some signature cocktails, including a Bloody Mary with all the fixin’s, and my favorite, a Moscow Mule in a metal mug — refreshing and delicious on a hot summer day. Local produce is featured in some dishes, such as the house-made ravioli with Swiss-chard-and-ricotta filling with mushroom cream sauce. An assortment of their fresh-baked artisan breads is also a signature item not to be missed.
The Grizzly Grill in Blairsden also offers well-prepared meals in a somewhat upscale setting, as well as a full bar. More casual options in the area include Bread and Butter in Blairsden, which looks like a food truck from the outside, but has seating in a kind of exposed parking lot in front. The specials sign when I last drove by included hand-dipped corn dogs, and it appeared to be popular with families. Yelp listed some rave reviews for their ample portions, “white trash fries,” and “trailer trash burger.” The Feather River Food Co-op in Portola has fresh sandwiches and a good beverage and grocery selection, including locally-raised meat and produce, if you’d like to prepare your own meals. About seven miles west of Graeagle in Cromberg, on Highway 70, Neighbors Bar-BQue offers hot wings, ribs, pulled meat, catfish dinners, and a “redneck burrito.” (Hmmm, I’m sensing a theme here.) You can eat in or take out, and dogs are welcome on the front porch.
For a different experience and if you appreciate excess, you could tackle one of the sandwiches of numerous “stacked” ingredients at the Ohana Grill in Blairsden. They serve big breakfasts (including the requisite Hawaiian standard, Spam and eggs) and lunch, and have nice outdoor seating at tables with umbrellas on a lawn area where dogs are welcome.
Many of the area’s restaurants have meat-focused menus with recognizable offerings, and, frequently, large portions. If you like steak, burgers, ribs, pulled pork, and fries, you’ll likely find them just about everywhere that dinner is served. Pizza and pastas are also popular. I’ve noticed an imbalance at many of our mountain restaurants, where perhaps aside from the ubiquitous dinner salad, there is a shortage of well-prepared, delicious vegetables. I’ve resolved simply to resort to my own cooking to satisfy my appetite for fresh vegetables. If you’re in the market for fresh veggies, fruit, local meat, and other products, there are a few impressive farmers’ markets in Plumas County. In tiny Beckwourth, about five miles east of Portola off County Road A21, Gary Romano hosts Romano’s Farmers Market on the site of his high-elevation Sierra Valley Farms on Fridays, 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. from June 3 to September 9. The market occasionally hosts cooking demonstrations and other events, including a “Hops with Pops” September Fest on September 11. The beer tasting and food pairing in the Sierra Valley hops garden will feature beer from The Brewing Lair, Eureka Peak Brewery, and three breweries in the Reno-Truckee area. Check out their Web site for more information. This is truly a unique farmers’ market experience, and the Sierra Valley views are unsurpassable.
Eastern Plumas County offers some fun places to explore off the beaten path: with a population of only twenty-two thousand in the entire county, the path doesn’t get well worn, making it easy to amble around in search of a great beer or glass of wine, a nice restaurant, sweet treats, or just a place to relax and enjoy some nonangling activities. There is also fantastic hiking in the nearby Lakes Basin if you need to burn off some calories.
(Note: hours of operation where indicated are summer hours. Restaurants can close seasonally or otherwise, and it’s always a good idea to call ahead.)
The Brewing Lair: 67007 Highway 70, Blairsden, http://www.thebrewinglair.com, (530) 394-0940.
Chalet View Lodge: 72056 Highway 70, Graeagle, http://www.chaletviewlodge.com, (530) 832-5528.
Eureka Peak Brewery (at Chalet View Lodge): link on Chalet View Lodge Web site, (530) 832-5528.
Indian Peak Vineyards tasting room: 7482 Highway 89 #133, Graeagle, (530) 836-2466, http://www.indianpeakvineyards.net.
Graeagle Mill Works: 115 Highway 89, Graeagle, (530) 836-2828.
Buckaroo Chocolates in Graeagle: (530) 927-7522.
Longboards Bar and Grill: 402 Poplar Valley Road, Blairsden, http://plumaspinesgolf.com/longboards, (530) 836-1111.
Grizzly Grill: 250 Bonta Street, Blairsden, http://www.grizzlygrill.com, (530) 836-1300.
Bread and Butter: 21 Bonta Street, Blairsden, (530) 394-0303.
Ohana Café: 190 Bonta Street, Blairsden, (530) 836-4426.
Neighbors Bar-B-Que: 58421 Highway 70, Cromberg, (530) 836-1365, http://www.neighborsbarbeque.com.
Feather River Food Co-op, 90 North Pine Street at Highway 70, Portola, (530) 832-1642, http://www.qnf.coop.
Romano’s Farmers Market at Sierra Valley Farms: 1329 Beckwourth-Calpine Road, Beckwourth, http://www.sierravalleyfarms.com, (530) 832-0114.
Foraging in Truckee: Morgan’s Lobster Shack
This column has long extolled the virtues of the hamburger, a nearly perfect vehicle for the delivery of protein, vegetation, and starch; a meal that’s easily prepared, post-fishing, at camp, at a cabin, or at a restaurant. And Truckee is a town that offers the hungry angler an abundant variety of burgers at all price points.
But Truckee has other worthy options for quick dining, as well, and one of my favorites is Morgan’s Lobster Shack, situated just a block from the river. As its name implies, it is a casual joint. You order inside at the cash register, then either sit at a nearby counter or at nicely shaded tables outside. The fare is classic lobster shack — sandwiches include a lobster roll ($19), salmon burger ($15), oyster po boy ($15), fried Ipswich clam roll ($17), and a Berkshire Pork BLT ($13) if you’d prefer something other than seafood. These come with tarter sauce, a side of cole slaw, and a huge handful of thin-cut Kennebec fries (the lobster rolls are accompanied with potato chips). Because of the fries, it’s hard to leave the table without one’s belly feeling fully satisfied.
Morgan’s also has non-sandwich items such as fish and chips, whole steamed lobsters, and mac and cheese with lobster meat, along with various salads and soups, the latter including clam “chowda” and lobster bisque.
It’s worth checking the specials list. On a recent visit I ordered from it a cold bowl of gazpacho ($6) that was a wonderful starter for a warm evening. Wine and bottled beer are reasonably priced; a refreshing Lagunitas Pilsner ($4.50) paired well with my po boy, and The Artist enjoyed a glass of sauvignon blanc ($7, or maybe it was $8) with her lobster reuben. Morgan’s back deck overlooks Riverside Drive, an alley-like street whose buildings typify the “Truckee Funk” our town is in danger of losing as it continues to gentrify. The Shack’s entry is at 11089 West River Street, a major arterial. Streetside parking is limited, but you can use the lot next to Jax’s Diner across the road.
Morgan’s is open seven days a week from 11:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., which means it’ll be closed if, midsummer, you’re leaving the water as darkness falls. Consider it instead as a place for lunch — there’s a chance you’ll even see a fishing guide with clients there during the heat of the day.
— Richard Anderson
