Happy hump day! Come in and enjoy a Wet Woody. 

Too much?

Anyhow, we had a busy weekend filled with events here on the South Shore. Last Friday Riva attended the 43rd Annual Evening of Food and Wine Tasting event put on by Soroptimist International of South Lake Tahoe. In the event of enjoying wine from 25 of California's top wineries and food from 20 popular restaurants in South Shore, the proceeds of the event go to improving the lives of girls and women in local communities and throughout the world. This year, Chef Eric prepared our ever popular crab stuffed chili relleno served with Diablo sauce and avocado crema. You'll be happy to know that not only was it a crowd favorite but our appetizer menu is graced by this delicious stuffed chili. Come give this puppy a try.

Sunday the South Tahoe Wedding and Honeymoon Association hosted their annual Something Blue bridal expo. Over 300 registered brides attended the one stop wedding shop and gathered information from wedding specialists across the board from bakeries, photographers, coordinators, caterers, and reception venues (Riva Grill being the best option, of course.) As a little treat for brides and grooms we prepared s'mores bites: a marsh mellow on a stick, dipped in chocolate then in ground graham crackers. Roast these guys over a small flame and you have yourself a mess free campfire treat that will make your heart warm and fuzzy. A great idea for a dessert bar at any occasion, just saying. 

Well hello, stranger! Did you miss us? This summer we were busy running laps around Riva Grill making urgent Wet Woody deliveries to thirsty customers. We hope you were upon those with cold hands and a warm heart enjoying the horrid view of Lake Tahoe a mere hundred meters in the distance. Let’s take a brief stroll down memory lane and recap a few highlights…

Have you heard about our new head chef Eric Liebendorfer? Eric fit seamlessly into the Riva Grill family this August and has since not let us down with his creative culinary skills, creating both beautiful and appetizing lunch and dinner specials. The dedication to his craft and the back of our house is second to none; we are thrilled to have him on board!

On the cocktail front, Riva’s very own bartender Erik Martinez participated in the Barton Foundation cocktail contest, creating the first place winning cocktail namely Sierra Sunset. The Tahoe Blue Vodka based drink was a crowd pleaser with it’s muddled raspberries and basil, lemonade and soda water mixers, finished by a suggestion of Cointreau. Your fancy is tickled, you say? Good. Erik will be mixing his signature Sierra Sunset refreshments at the Barton Festival Lights Gala at Montbleu Resort & Casino the evening of December 7. We will see you there!

Finally, a very happy fifteenth birthday to Riva Grill was celebrated through the summer amongst staff and customers alike. Special anniversary shirts were made and flew off the shelves and onto the backs of customers who have loved our food, service and Woody’s for 15 years! We are humbled by your unwavering support and business. Cheers to the next 15 and beyond!

That’s all for now. We are excited to revamp our blog and monthly newsletters, keeping you updated with what’s going on in our Woody world! Also, be sure to like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/rivagrill and on Instagram @rivagrill for food, drink and fun updates. Until next time, pray for snow! 

Sierra Sunset cocktail by Erik Martinez