TAHOE CITY
It took seven years, but the Savoie restaurant in Tahoe City finally opened its doors on July 1 after an almost complete rebuild of the century-old Pfeifer House building. Owned and operated by chefs Allison and Mark Sullivan, Savoie is a French restaurant but with a focus on cuisine from the Savoy region of the Alps, which includes France, Italy, and Switzerland.
“This is a … European restaurant, but not just French; sort of that Alpine regional idea,” Mark said. “When you drive around Mont Blanc, you’re in Switzerland and then you’re in Italy and you just keep driving and you’re in France, and it all happens very quickly.”
Both Sullivans spent time working in France as chefs, and Mark got his start at PlumpJack’s in Olympic Valley. He is a partner in the Bacchus Group, which owns 10 restaurants in the Bay Area, including Michelin-starred Spruce in San Francisco and the Village Pub in Woodside.
While retaining the Northern European feel of the Pfeifer House, the 7,800-square-foot Savoie was only able to keep a few of the historic elements of the old restaurant, including the rock fireplace, a rock wall, and the original taxidermy on the walls. Savoie has a large, open kitchen as well as a sizable, circular bar that is the center of the spacious dining area. Total seating is 120, which includes a small room upstairs that will have family-style tables and eventually a patio outside. There is also a wine room downstairs that can accommodate six people for dinner.
Commissioned paintings of the Alps hang in the dining area, created by a relative of the Sullivans.
Savoie also has a banquet chef for off-site events like weddings and private parties in homes. Or people can rent all or part of the dining room for private parties at the restaurant.
“We’re here now and we’re really excited to bring something very unique to Tahoe,” Mark said.
~ MS