Description: Rosie’s Café was a lunch stop on a fairly sedate bike ride around Lake Tahoe and had the food been better, I would have loved everything about this place. The light in Rosies is very warm and gentle, making you feel immediately at home. Ivy hangs from the rafters alongside antlers, moose heads, old bicycles, sleds, and other odds and ends. It’s an eclectic mix, which adds character rather than clutter. My husband had visited Rosie’s before during the winter season and I can imagine that it’s charm probably goes further on a cold snowy day when you could look out across the road to the lake with some soup in one hand a pint in the other.
We took a seat by the large fireplace, which was thankfully shut down for the summer. The menu is pretty extensive for breakfast, lunch and dinner and specializes in traditional American cooking. I ordered a BLT sandwich with salad and my husband went for a grilled chicken club sandwich with fries and soda.
The service at Rosie’s was something like organised chaos. It was a little on the slow side but they got there eventually. Overall it maintains a very relaxed atmosphere although we did see a couple of people crane their necks to see if there order was going to be taken any time soon.
My sandwich somehow ended up with the Sicilian clam chowder. The staff quickly brought out the salad that I’d originally ordered, kindly leaving the chowder behind. I usually prefer the white chowder but I gave this one a try. It was very tomato-ey and noticeable un-clammy and reminded me of a cheap and unappetizing pasta sauce I used to make with tinned tomatoes and tuna.
I reverted my attention back to the BLT but sadly found the bread to be dry with cold bacon fried as crisp as a cracker. The chicken club seemed a bit more promising but was so huge that my husband could only manage half of it.
The place was busy with families and couples and reservations are available for larger groups. The bar was full and I can imagine that it’s a fun place to come for drinks in the evening although I sincerely hope that their evening cuisine is infinitely more inspiring than their lunch.
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