Leaving Avila Beach, it was almost a seven hour drive to South Lake Tahoe. We had enjoyed our time in Tahoma during a previous road trip, but there weren’t dog friendly places to stay or eat in the area, so we thought we’d stay in South Lake Tahoe. I had wanted to book The Landing for our entire 5 night stay, but I wasn’t able to get accommodations there until Sunday. So, for the Friday – Saturday night stay, I got us a room in Forest Suites Resort, which was basically across the street from the very touristy Heavenly Village. We arrived and checked in…our room was on like the third floor.
Since it was almost five pm, we decided to head on out and find somewhere to eat. I recalled seeing a Chinese restaurant when doing my research…and by this time, the Missus wanted some Asian food already. We walked thru Heavenly Village.
And up Lake Tahoe Boulevard and saw Dumpling 85 in the Chateau at the Village Shopping Center.
We crossed the street and noted that they were pup friendly. They led us to a table and the Missus placed our order.
We saw the XLB and jiaozi on the way in and they didn’t look real good. We had breakfast at Avila Lighthouse Suites and heated up the leftover Beef Bourguignon so we just got the Stir Fried Green Beans and the Pork Baozi.
The Stir Fried Green Beans were undercooked and underseasoned.
Super hard and in need of more savory components. Almost raw…..
The Pork Baozi was strange. The “bun” portion had almost a chalky texture, really weird, that gave way to a soggy doughiness. The bottoms were almost like crackers!
The filling was fine, if on the chewy side. At least it was porky.
Dumpling 85
4125 Lake Tahoe Blvd.
South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150
The Missus went back to the room, while I took JJ to the corner of Heavenly Village Way and the South Lake Brewing Company Libation Lounge.
They had outdoor seating, so I walked in, ordered myself a Pilsner and had a seat outside.
I picked up my beer when ready and enjoyed the crisp, clean Pilsner.
South Lake Brewing Co. – The Libation Lodge Restaurant & Brewery
4000 Lake Tahoe Blvd. Suite 26
South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150
After which we walked along Heavenly Village Way which led us back to our accommodations. I could see the Heavenly Mountain Gondola passing right over our hotel.
We slept well.
The Forest Suites Resort has a free breakfast, which is nice. We just ran over and got some yogurt and stuff, before walking to our morning destination.
One great thing about where we stayed is that basically across the street is the entrance to Van Sickle Bi-State Park. We just walked along the road, crossing the border into Nevada.
A bit further up the road was the Van Sickle Rim Trail. A nice, almost 7 mile hike, with a 1,000 foot elevation gain. And of course, JJ handled it much better than I did.
Nice views…..
And even a waterfall along the way.
It was nice to have access to a trail in walking distance from our accommodations.
Returning to our room, we decided on a return visit to My Thai which was a ten minute drive away. We had been pleasantly surprised when we had dined here back in 2023. We weren’t sure if they were dog friendly and thought we could do takeout. The host was really funny, he said we could bring JJ, but there was a “two bark” rule in place! Lol! There was an Australian Shepherd having lunch with his family there as well.
We ordered our two favorite dishes from our precious visit. The Lao Style Papaya Salad, which we got medium spicy. Just as before, this was quite legit, from the salted crab to the funky fermented flavors.
All balanced out by the acidic tones and tomatoes. The shredded papaya was crisp and refreshing. I enjoyed the chicharrons as well.
We also got the Basil Duck.
Which was a bit sweeter than on our last visit, but still nice anise-savory tones. The duck was chewy, but flavorful. There was much more “meat” this time as on our previous visit it was mostly skin and fat.
It seemed like they used an onigiri mold to plate the rice, don’t you think?
The rice was on the drier side, but fragrant.
All in all, a nice lunch.
My Thai Cuisine
2108 Lake Tahoe Blvd.
South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150
And after lunch…well, it was nap time of course!
Two bark rule huh?😁
Yep! And JJ “passed the test” Franklin!
Had some good grindz in Tahoe at Kalani’s near where you stayed
Guess what’s coming up in a future post Kimo!
beautiful area
Very pretty area Kat!