Family Haute Cuisine
by Kay Fahey
A family restaurant. The very phrase strikes dread and loathing into the heart of a gourmand. But "family restaurant" also carries another, far more welcome meaning: Those fortunate establishments owned and run by families, they are often the very best places for discriminating diners.
Two of the many outstanding family-owned spots in the region are Reno's La Famiglia and Crystal Bay's Soule Domain. Although in many ways they couldn't be more different, there are essential similarities between the two that come down to a loving attention to details and the warmth you experience when dining there.
La Famiglia
This restaurant's name was chosen to reflect the numerous family members tied up in its operation. Most evenings it's the patriarch, Paolo Gaspari, who seats you, navigating his way through the crowded tables while pausing to nod to and greet diners along the way. Either his son, Sergio, or his nephew, Jason Winters, may wait on you, while his wife Teresa often emerges, apron-clad, from the kitchen to chat with guests.
Paolo and Teresa oversee the cooking. Jason and Sergio make the rich tomato and cream sauces, tender pastas and succulent meatballs.
The décor was a family project, too. The Gasparis took a rather bleak space which once housed a pharmacy and then a bar, painted the dining room a rich gold, hung scenes of the Italian Riviera on the walls and decorated the adjoining bar area with a brick ceiling, bright yellow walls, images of Italian autos and cheerful red glass lights.
Paolo is a dedicated and highly professional chef, and most of the offerings reflect his seaside Italian heritage. On our visit, a luscious salmon filet was accompanied by fresh pasta in tomato sauce. You'll find many classics here: handrolled gnocchi, chicken and veal piccata, chicken with pepperoni and roasted peppers, and seared pork loin with grilled plums. Only a few items, such as panseared scallops in a soy-citrus sauce served with fresh baby spinach, betray Paolo's wider influences. The desserts vary nightly and usually include at least one cheesecake and an amazing tiramisu.
Soule Domain
The menu here is much different from La Famiglia—"creative American cuisine," Asian-influenced and reflecting an abiding interest in healthy foods. Soule Domain is the domain of the Soule brothers, and it is Chef Charles Soule who is responsible for the imaginative dishes that fill the dining room with customers nightly.
Family ties are at the very root of the restaurant's existence. The Soule brothers' uncle, Allen T. Stover, bought the existing business (Quinn's Log Cabin) some 20 years ago. He asked Charlie, who was then chef at Christy Hill, to run the restaurant for him. Charlie buckled down to the hard work of being his own boss, gradually buying the business from Stover. After awhile, he invited his brother Stephen to join him. Today, Stephen runs the front of the restaurant, taking charge of all the service aspects.
On a snowy night, Soule Domain is a study in cozy. It's on two levels, with the larger downstairs dining area comprising the original structure, built of hefty pine logs with a rock fireplace dating back more than 80 years. The upper section was added about 35 years ago and blends so perfectly with the original it's hard to tell them apart. Some customers, says Stephen, remember the building in its previous incarnations as a gift shop, beauty parlor or Quinn's Log Cabin. Today, with the golden glow of oldfashioned lamps, white linen and cool jazz lilting beneath the conversations of diners, it's hard to imagine it being anything but an excellent restaurant.
This excellence is apparent even before you place your order, with the appearance of a basket of warm rolls and slices of sourdough bread accompanied by a bowl of cumin-scented, earthy hummus. It is very, very difficult to avoid devouring it all and thus spoiling the dinner to come. Those options might include Panama swordfish, Dungeness crab salad or creative items like tender wontons stuffed with bits of lobster in a sweet-hot sauce, as well as vegan dishes like a sauté spiced with ginger, jalapeños and curry in a teriyaki sauce. A carrot-ginger soup served with our dinner was also vegan, its colorful broth containing no fat or cream.
But meat lovers are not neglected, as witnessed by the fabulous pheasant sausage salad we enjoyed before our entrées. The smoky, spicy sausage comes with a bed of baby greens in a light dressing, with slices of crisp pear, caramelized pecans and purple onion. It is beautifully presented, as are all of Chef Charles' creations.
The pan-roasted duck breast, served sliced with orange, raspberry and Grand Marnier, is very tempting on a chilly night, but we succumbed instead to a velvety curried chicken and rack of lamb chops—probably the tenderest lamb I've ever encountered—served in a rich brown gravy and topped with salty crumbles of Romano. Both dishes come with delightful sautéed veggies (these change with the season).
Like La Famiglia, Soule Domain does not neglect desserts. The cheesecake changes nightly, but you will always find the incredibly rich Queen of Sheba chocolate cake, fresh strawberries with a creamy white chocolate mousse and much more. It will be hard to find room for one of these delicacies, but I urge you to try.
La Famiglia
180 E. First Street
Reno, NV
(775) 324-1414
Soule Domain
9983 Cove Avenue
(half-block up Stateline Road, next to the Tahoe Biltmore),
Kings Beach, CA
(530) 546-7529