Snuggled up to the California and Nevada state line between Crystal Bay and Kings Beach is a unique dining experience that you might not even be aware existed if you were to simply pass by. That’s because there is no signage outside of the building that would indicate it is anything more than a singular structure with a nicely crafted exterior featuring exposed wood with light tan and deep charcoal colors.
The exterior is actually a precursor for what to expect inside. Once the heavy door is opened, a graceful hint of almond wood smoke fills the air and leads you to a stylish, Japanese open firewood concept kitchen that is Smoke Door – Lake Tahoe Saryo.
The Tahoe location is a sister restaurant to the other Smoke Door operation in Yokohama, Japan, both of which were opened in part by executive chef Tyler Borges, who splits his time between locations.
Saryo, which translates to small teahouse, is used to also describe a small boutique restaurant. And while you can use this to vaguely capture the idea of the restaurant, it’s truly something that needs to be experienced to give you the full essence of what you can expect. However, I’m going to do my best to give you a back stage look into the experience that I’m certain will leave you wanting to come back the next time you are on the north shore.
While the atmosphere feels prestigious, the staff quickly makes you feel at home. Everything has a meaning and you can’t help but notice the hearth where much of the magic from the restaurant happens. That’s because it’s the connection for all food and beverage being served. Whether it’s a hand crafted cocktail, or an item on the menu, something incorporated has been kissed by the embers of the almond wood, which provides a very neutralized smoke that doesn’t overpower.
If you made a reservation (you can also walk in for seating at the bar), you have a nameplate at your table along with your place setting, which contains your menu for the evening. Guests have the option for either a six or ten item tasting (with choice of main entrée) at a fixed price. And, if you’re up for it, there’s also an option for a beverage pairing that includes everything from their signature cocktail (their take on a lemon sour), to sake, to wine. I recommend the ten and the beverage pairing to get the entire experience, which takes a couple hours to complete.
To get you started, you are given a warm towel served on a stone to clean your hands before diving into the meal – in which some of the dishes you are encouraged to eat with your hands. What follows is the course representation in my sitting. Some of these dishes may still be available during future dates, some perhaps a different iteration, and others completely removed with new options taking their place. But regardless of what is available, the attention to detail to the largely Japanese ingredients is impeccable. If you don’t know what some of the items are, don’t worry – just trust you’re in good hands.
Course 1: Golden Osetra Caviar
Served with champagne, the evening kicks into gear with this caviar that is sourced from a farm in the Bay Area called Tsar Nicoulai. Combined with kelp oil, it is layered over their homemade tofu and a leek geleé. The silkiness of this starter is best enjoyed when you can get each layer into every bite. Even for those of you that sit on the fence when it comes to caviar, I wouldn’t recommend skipping this offering.
Course 2: Avocado Toast
Take everything you know about avocado toast and throw it out the window. This local favorite is not what you might be envisioning in your head. Their version is made from locally sourced bread that is soaked in tamari and topped with lightly smoked avocado, then topped with baby herbs. Great textures along with depth of flavor are what make this dish stand out.
It is served alongside one of their most popular cocktails: the Smoked Lemon Sour. The vodka is house smoked and combined with a lemon puree instead of your typical lemon juice. It is garnished with a crème brulèed lemon and traditional Japanese brown sugar.
Course 3: Toyosu
This fish dish comes directly from the Toyosu Fish Market in Japan and a new shipment gets flown directly into the region about every 48 hours. Kampachi (similar to an amberjack) is served over an umeboshi broth (Japanese pickled plum), dotted with shiso oil, and topped with watermelon radish.
The meaty fish is supremely fresh with a nice textural component from the radish. Once you’ve finished your fish, the serving bowls become a cup, allowing you to finish off the broth, which are equal parts sweet, salty and rosy.
Course 4: Crispy pork belly
The pork is brined and smoked for multiple days then kissed on the embers to get the crispy skin on top. On the bottom is a sanbaizu sauce, which is a mixture of soy, rice vinegar and sugar. Cresting over the pork is slivered Japanese negi (green leeks). Once you bathe the pork in the sauce, it’s a salty, sweet and crispy explosion of flavor.
The pairing here comes in the form of Junmai Daiginjo sake, which is one of the highest grades possible when it comes to sake as it requires the rice polishing ratio to be at least 50%. The slight acidity and sweetness pairs supremely well with pork.
Course 5: Arctic char
Sourced from Cascade Aqua Farms in Washington State, the eco friendly and sustainable farm specializes in the perfect conditions for arctic char. The fish is served over a coconut yogurt sauce and finished off with a swarnadwipa oil. The flaky and buttery notes of this delicate fish are brought to life by the enhancement of the coconut, which marries beautifully with the charred exterior.
Course 6: Eggplant Buried in Embers
This is the only dish that is completely submerged into the fire. That deep roasting chars the outside of the skin while steaming the interior. Once cut, the top is brulèed with a tama-miso glaze and topped with sesame seeds and chives.
It is accompanied with their take on the margarita, which is made with kombu and sake instead of your standard spirit in tequila. Their kombu (sea kelp) is brined in sake for about 48 hours then transformed into a margarita and topped with togarashi (a Japanese spice mixture).
Course 7: Choice of Smoked “Mary’s” Chicken or Japanese Wagyu Beef
The chicken is prepared with a classic smoked Mary’s glaze and accompanied with a homemade ginger teriyaki sauce on one side and a traditional Japanese seven-spice mixture on the other.
If going with the beef, the Japanese A4 certified wagyu arrives fresh every week to a week and a half – completely with a certificate of authenticity that they don’t mind showing to prove its authenticity. It is served with the same ginger teriyaki sauce as well as a spicy Japanese mustard and homemade barbecue salt. If your heart desires, you also have the option for freshly grated wasabi.
A slow cooked maitake mushroom was also added as a side dish with the main course and it’s about this time that you start thinking about undoing the belt notch.
Course 8: Donabe Rice
As a traditional Japanese way to end a meal with rice, this white rice and mushroom medley mixture is cooked in a traditional donabe clay pot and put together for you tableside. If you did have the chicken for your main course, they will also take the remainder of the chicken leg and shred it to be added after it is roasted. The rice gets additions of green onions and homemade ember oil (neutral oil cooked over the embers) then mixed and placed in bowls.
Then, a homemade mushroom and chicken dahsi are added to the rice to make a thick soup. If you haven’t had your favorite dish of the evening, this might do the trick. And if you cannot find a way to finish it all, the staff will pack it up to take home in a traditional Japanese way, reminiscent of how mothers would send rice dishes with their children to school.
Course 9: Apple Wasabi Sorbet
As an ultra creative addition to the culinary world, chef Tyler Burges combines green apple and wasabi to create a sorbet that is the perfect palette cleanser. It is topped with an apple consommé for one of the most unique flavor profiles that you’ll find. It’s light and refreshing and it gives you all the flavor of wasabi without the heat and spiciness.
Course 10: Pecan Pie
If you’re wondering what pecan pie has to do with Japanese cuisine, don’t. This recipe is near and dear to the chef’s heart as it comes from his Texas grandmother. But, even though this might come through as a traditional southern pie, the Japanese flair that is added comes in the form of a sakura (cherry blossom) whipped topping, which adds a very light pink hue to the topping.
You also have the option for traditional tea service with the pie, but if you think it will only help make the case for bedtime, I would completely understand.