Manzanita at The Ritz-Carlton Highlands, Lake Tahoe

Well, it is now my running joke that I should just camp out up at the Manzanita restaurant at The Ritz-Carlton Highlands property here at Northstar.

All of my friends and clients want to go eat up there so it seems I have been almost a permanent fixture there. And, I have at least 8 more lunch and/or dinner appointments up there in the next 2 weeks. I am getting spoiled and loving it.

The food is amazing. A few days ago, a friend of mine said to order the "Warm Bread Salad". I said, "will do" but in my head was really questioning what a warm bread salad could be. When given the opportunity, I went for the "safe bet" Dungeness Crab Sliders and our table shared a macaroni and cheese side. (I will get back to the mac and cheese later...). The crab cakes were wonderful, my husband Brad had the Manzanita Sandwich and was in food bliss. Topped off with some Butternut Creme Brulee (yum)...we could barely walk out the door.

But, I still had to wonder. What is a Warm Bread Salad?? (Pictured on the left from the Manzanita website go to www.manzanitalaketahoe.com for more info and menu )

Well, I had one yesterday, and I can say it is like heaven. Everyone should try it. I can't do it justice to try and explain the perfect blend and array of flavors. Just trust me......Hopefully I have made you curious enough that you will want to order it. It is the ultimate taste symphony.

Oh, and yes, the mac and cheese is out of this world. I happen to consider myself a bit of a mac and cheese connoisseur, and Manzanita has made theirs scrumptious.

(On a side note, the mac and cheese at Schaffer's Camp is phenomenal as well).

I'll be anxious to hear what your favorite dish at Manzanita is....let me know! In the meantime, I will be diligently working on trying everything else on the menu.

Positive Article on Bay Area Housing Market

This was an interesting article that was in the Mercury News recently regarding rising Silicon Valley housing prices.

Enjoy!

Cheers to Northstar, Good Coffee, and a Grand Opening!

The powder day arrived...finally! Like winter in a can. Everything is covered with white gold and in the blink of an eye we are in fresh snow bliss. The mountains received about 3 feet of snow with the last storm.

Props to Northstar. I have to say, I am completely impressed. Not only have they been working tirelessly to open more and more terrain on the mountain, they were prepared for this past storm. Northstar has been diligently blowing snow and grooming the terrain that they could prior to the storm so that we could ski!! Most of the other local resorts did not open at all or had very little open terrain. Thank you Northstar. Thank you for having 9 lifts and 17 trails open yesterday, only to open an additional 11 trails today! AND thank you for having great people who are very friendly and considerate running the mountain and lifts. It is no surprise that Northstar has emerged in the Tahoe area to be the best all-around ski and resort experience.

On to the next exciting topic......new coffee place in Truckee! Elijah Bleu's opened recently in the Jackass Ridge building downtown. We had heard that they had the best coffee anywhere so decided to check it out. The atmosphere is very cool with a New Orleans twist, the food was good and the menu looked diverse to include organic items suited for the preferences of vegetarians, vegans, raw food eaters, etc... Most importantly, the coffee was amazing. I had a mocha that was magnificent. Check it out, it is fun to see a new good place in town. They serve breakfast and lunch.

Coming up....the time has come!! The Ritz-Carlton Highlands, Lake Tahoe is opening this week and it looks amazing! One more reason to come to Northstar over the holidays. This picture is of the bar at the Manzanita restaurant. Can't wait to try it out! I'll be up there several times this week and will report back to you all.

Let it snow, Let it snow!!

I ventured out to Squaw on Wednesday to ski the lone run that was open on Red Dog and really, it wasn't bad! I will say that it does not appear that Squaw has run their snow making equipment one time this season but they are getting away with it.

Northstar is undoubtedly the place for early season skiing. They have been diligently blowing snow and opening as much terrain as possible. I believe it because the riders are sure looking happy when they come down at the end of the day.

Fortunately, we won't have early season conditions for much longer.........

There is some serious hype going on up here this week about some inbound snow. Nobody seems to be able to tell us exactly how much we are going to get. I have heard as little as 2 feet and as much as 15 feet. That is quite a swing...

I haven't made the move to stock up on survival supplies at the grocery store yet, but that may be a mistake. I might reconsider tomorrow when hopefully the weather people can decide what is going on.

We are under a Winter Storm Watch, looks like about 2 feet possible Sun-Mon and then the next storm seems to be the doozy. They say "significant snow amounts possible" (15 feet??).

Weather Vane Brad?? Regarding the next few days??

Temps will be so cold that what does fall will be of the light powdery stuff they always brag about in Utah, and Colorado thus it could pile up faster than most storms do in our area. Early estimates are 12 inches up to 2.5 feet. I know very vague but for whatever reason these changes are puzzling the experts. Because this system is associated with such a strong cold front coming out of the Gulf of Alaska if skies clear by Monday evening (which they should) we could have some record low temps for the Truckee area, easily below 0!

Wednesday brings more changes. The Jet-Stream takes aim at California this time with several systems lined up. Most are packed with sub-tropical moisture so we should see more precipitation and higher snow levels. Two model solutions out there one is colder and drier the other being warmer and wetter due to it being influenced by the remnants of a tropical typhoon. What we want is the drier solution as it will still have plenty of moisture and snow levels should remain below our resorts base areas.

Either way it all looks fun. Love the changes! Go get your fat skis and boards tuned it looks like we will need them for the next couple of weeks.

Existing home sales up...Thoughts on N. Tahoe Market

This was an encouraging headline today on Bloomberg.com.

I can tell you that in this North Tahoe market, we have definitely seen increased activity in the past 4-6 months and in some "sub-markets" the inventory has been absorbed and the prices are coming up again. There are some good deals still out there, but they are getting picked up very quickly by savvy buyers (often advised by good local real estate agents) who have been watching this market like hawks.

Also of interest -Martis Camp has sold about 40 developer sites since January of this year with nominal (10%) discounts off of the list price. The average sold price has been $715K and a good percentage of these buyers intend to begin construction within the next year.

Builders and architects having more business = higher cost per square foot to build. In fact, I have recently spoken with a couple of local builders who are quoting higher prices now than they were in the summer (~$25-$50 psf higher). On a grand scale this increase may translate into a $200K difference out of pocket on a 4,000 sf. home (from $350 psf to $400 psf).

The developer at the Village at Northstar sold through 41 condos and 10 Village Walk townhomes in the last 12 months totalling around (+/-) $30M most of which were cash transactions. The market in The Village at Northstar has jumped from some comps hovering around $500/sf to some more recent closed resale transactions at over $720/sf.

The Hyatt Northstar Lodge has just released some amazing whole ownership ski in/ski out condos that are priced very comparably to resale condos in the Village at Northstar and have the advantage of the Hyatt brand and enhanced owner services in the building. Turn key, fully furnished, high end finishes, Tahoe Mountain Club Membership, etc...starting at $865K which is $728/sf....very in line with the resale market.

Just some interesting tidbits. If you are one of those people who have been "watching" it may be time to make a move.

Ski season is here!! Big snow on the way...

That was fast! Northstar and Squaw are opening this Saturday, November 21st!

AND we are expecting our first major storm of the season tomorrow. I hope you all are ready!


From Northstar's Website:

Open Saturday, Nov. 21
Northstar® Resort opens for its 37th ski/ride season on Nov. 21 with four lifts turning, access to beginner/interm. trails, affordable lift tickets, more big storms in the forecast, & some of the best early season conditions since the 1994.95 season!

** Also take note that the ice skating rink in the Village at Northstar will be opening on Saturday "weather permitting"**

From Squaw Valley USA's Website:

It's snowing at Squaw! Make plans to get here this weekend for skiing and riding as well as our Opening Day Celebration.
We'll have snowtubing at the Papoose Discovery Center this weekend, 10am-3:30pm, just $12.




I have got my ski quiver prepared to bring to work: The BIG powder skis, the "groomer" skis, the "in between day" skis and of course the "rock" skis (the pair I don't mind trashing). AND, I have picked up both of my ski passes, this year the mountains of choice will be Squaw and, of course, Northstar. Can you tell that I am excited?

Looks like about 2 feet of snow up on the mountains on Friday. Weather Vane Brad?? What's the word?

Vacation Raffle for the Boys and Girls Club

This is a great deal! Please read below to find out how you can win a vacation and help the Boys and Girls Club of North Lake Tahoe as well...Please contact me or call the Club if you want to purchase a ticket.

Dear Friends:

If you are interested in supporting the Boys & Girls Club of North Lake Tahoe and also a chance to win one of 7 Grand prizes in our Vacation Raffle-Check out the following information and let us know so we can get you a ticket. Your odds are great in this local raffle and as you can see the prizes are also terrific! Tickets are only $25 and all proceeds go to support the wonderful programs at the BGC. The drawing will be on November 18th so you will have time to wrap up your prize and give it as a gift for someone special at Christmas. Check out the info below and send me an email so I can get your ticket to you. GOOD LUCK!!

BOYS & GIRLS CLUB OF NORTH LAKE TAHOE -VACATION RAFFLE

THIS IS YOUR CHANCE TO DONATE $25 TO SUPPORT THE BOYS & GIRLS CLUB OF NORTH LAKE TAHOE AND WIN A GREAT VACATION TOO!!

DRAWING- NOVEMBER 18, 2009 - 7 “GRAND PRIZES” $25.00 PER TICKET


1-week stay in 2 BR/2.5 bath home in San Miguel Allende, Mexico

1-week stay at Olympic Village Inn

1-week stay in a 1 BR/1 BA Marriotts Canyon Villa in Scottsdale 5/22/10-5/29/10

2-night stay at Granlibakken for 4 + 2 days of skiing at Alpine Meadows for 4

3-nights lodging in 2 BR Village at Northstar condo + 1 day lift ticket for 2 people

2-night stay in a lakefront room at Ferrari's Crown Motel + two 2-day Ski Tahoe North

2-night stay at Tahoma Lodge for 4 including 2 days of skiing for 4 at Homewood Mountain Resort

**TICKETS AVAILABLE AT THE “CLUB” OR FROM BGCNLT BOARD MEMBERS AND STAFF**

BOYS & GIRLS CLUB -(530) 546-4324