My husband and I recently celebrated our anniversary in Truckee, and wanted to find a nice restaurant to celebrate the occasion. Armed with a bottle of 2001 Caymus Cabernet, we headed to the Cottonwood Restaurant & Bar located in old town Truckee.
Cottonwood has a rich history in Tahoe. Around the turn of the century, Charles F. McGlashan purchased the land from railroad developer Charles Crocker, and organized the the first Winter Carnival. The event featured ice skating on Donner, sleigh rides and an Ice Palace below the hilltop location. The hilltop that Cottonwood now resides on was the site of skiing and tobogganing, and was the home of the first mechanized lift. The hilltop location was used by skiers until 1969, and the Poma lift and rope tow still remain. In 1988, the Cottonwood Restaurant opened on the hilltop site, displaying many of the old artifacts from it’s heyday.

As we pulled up, my husband recognized it from his childhood. His family had taken the train to Truckee in the mid-60’s and he had tobogganed on the hill, which made having dinner at the Cottonwood restaurant even more special.
The Restaurant has a rustic decor with may artifacts from the area, and has sweeping views of downtown Truckee. The menu and pricing is comparable to many wine country restaurants. I ordered the Grass-fed, hormone-free Meyer Ranch New York steak with Marsala glaze and gorgonzola cheese; my husband oredered the Seafood stew. Both were excellent with large portions, which unfortunately, did not leave room for desert. I’ll leave room on my next trip.

Cottonwood Restaurant and Bar
10142 Rue Hilltop Road, Truckee
(530) 587-5711