Category Archives: Closed

Thurman’s Ranch House, Carson City, Nevada – CLOSED

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If you are ever in northern Nevada and you want a home-cooked meal at reasonable prices, head to Thurman’s Ranch House in Carson City. Open since 1973 on U.S. 50 (the old Lincoln Highway), just east of the U.S. 395 freeway that loops around Carson City. They are open for lunch on weekdays but at dinnertime they serve family-style dinners in the Western U.S. Basque style. Which means you get plenty to eat. Each dinner comes with homemade soup and salad, three sides of your choice, entrée, bread, dessert, plus all the house red wine you can drink! Solo diners can opt for a smaller dinner.

homemade split pea soup, which came in a large serving bowl (enough for 2-3 refills)

 

tender succulent rib lamb chops topped (optionally) with sauteed chopped garlic and shallots, along with nicely crispy French fries

The decor is rustic Western style with a nice bar where you can get a Picon Punch, the Basque cocktail of Torani Amer (since Amer Picon is no longer imported into the US from France), grenadine, soda, and a brandy float.

I suggest making this a stop on a U.S. 50 road trip across Nevada. It’s nicknamed “the loneliest road in America”, because there are long stretches with not much to see. But I find it a fascinating journey of ancient petroglyphs, Pony Express stage stops, and tiny towns, with two wonderful wild west railroad towns at either end, Virginia City and Ely.

Thurman’s Ranch House
2943 US Highway 50 E, Carson City, NV 89701
(775) 883-1773
Open: lunch Mon-Fri 11:00a-2:30pm, dinner daily
But call first because some web sites state they are closed on Tuesday.

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Le Veau D’Or, New York City – CLOSED

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I first heard about this classic French restaurant on Anthony Bourdain’s “No Reservationsssaaah” show, Disappearing New York episode. After seeing the show it became my no. 1 must-visit restaurant on my next visit to New York. This year I made it, and I loved every minute of my visit and meal.

The 55-seat restaurant opened in 1937, four years before the world famous Le Pavillion was opened in Manhattan by Henri Soulé, introducing America to haute French cuisine. In the 1950s Robert Tréboux, who was born in France in 1924, worked as a waiter at Le Pavillion. He later operated five French restaurants, culminating in him taking ownership of Le Veau D’Or in 1985. He lives above the restaurant and is the maître d’, helped by his daughter Cathy Tréboux. The menu is a trip back in time as much as the restaurant itself, offering classics such as escargots, coq au vin, beef Bourguignon, vichysoisse, and grenouilles (frog legs), mostly unchanged since the place opened. Prices are reasonable considering the menu is table d’hôte (includes appetizer, entrée, and desert), and lunch is a bargain at $22 for three courses.

Escargots

The food was delicious, especially the rich beef bourguignon. But the desserts were just fair. The service was excellent and attentive, and the atmosphere was relaxing and quiet, a perfect getaway from the noisy streets of midtown.

Beef Bourguignon

Le Veau D’Or
129 E. 60th St. near Lexington Ave., New York, NY 10022
Open Mon-Sat, noon-3pm and 5:30pm-10pm; closed Sunday
(212) 838-8133
No website found, but the menu is here.

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