2015 Best of Truckee and North Tahoe Contest Winners

Below, you will find the 2015 Best of Truckee and North Tahoe Contest Winners, as reported by Truckee's awesome newspaper, the Sierra Sun.

Each year, the staff from the Sierra Sun and the North Lake Tahoe Bonanza conduct an online-only contest in 80 different categories. (up from 68 categories in previous years) Locals and visitors can vote during a three week period, and the results of the contest are announced in June.

This contest is great, because it allows people to recognize great businesses and individuals, and their great accomplishments. It also gives visitors or vacationers to Truckee and North Tahoe, who might not be familiar with the area, some great recommendations to start with.

Feel free to SHARE YOUR FAVORITES with the Truckee Travel Guide website, and become a part of the website!!!

Congratulations to ALL the winners!!

I took this photo on 12-28-2014 in Kings Beach, CA when I was walking along the beach area across the street from the Safeway shopping center. Someone had built a large ice sculpture.

Best Food and Drink

Best Asian Food:

First Place: Drunken Monkey Sushi (Truckee)

Runner Up: Mamasake

Honorable Mention: Thai Delicacy, Mikuni Japanese Restaurant & Sushi Bar (Northstar)

Best Bakery:

First Place: Tahoe House Bakery & Gourmet (Tahoe City)

Runner Up: Treat Box (Truckee)

Honorable Mention: Coffee Bar Bakery and Sugar Pine Bakery

Best Bar:

First Place: Truckee Tavern

Runner Up: Alibi Ale Works

Honorable Mention: Bar of America (Truckee) and Mellow Fellows

Best Barbecue:

First Place: Moe's BBQ

Runner Up: T's Mesquite Rotisserie (Incline Village)

Honorable Mention: Smokey's and Truckee Tavern

Best Breakfast:

First Place: Fire Sign Cafe (Sunnyside)

Runner Up: Martys Cafe

Honorable Mention: Squeeze In (Truckee) and Donner Lake Kitchen

Best Burger:

First Place: Burger Me (Truckee)

Runner Up: The Bridgetender (Tahoe City)

Honorable Mention: Truckee Tavern & Grill and Char Pit

Best Deli:

First Place: Full Belly Deli (Truckee)

Runner Up: Tahoe Central Market & Deli

Honorable Mention: PDQ Market (Tahoma) and West Shore Market

Best Expresso/Coffee:

First Place: Coffeebar (Truckee)

Runner Up: Wild Cherries Coffee House (Truckee) 

Honorable Mention: Tahoe House Bakery & Gourmet (Tahoe City) and Dark Horse Truckee

Best Fast Food:

First Place: Bill's Rotisserie (Truckee)

Runner Up: Red Truck Cafe

Honorable Mention: T's mesquite Rotisserie and Char Pit

Best Fine Dining:

First Place: Wolfdale's (Tahoe City)

Runner Up: Truckee Tavern & Grill

Honorable Mention: Cottonwood Restaurant & Bar (Truckee) and The Soule Domain

Best Happy Hour:

First Place: The River Grill (Tahoe City)

Runner Up: Cottonwood Restaurant & Bar (Truckee)

Honorable Mention: Truckee Tavern & Grill and Pianetta

Best Ice Cream Parlor:

First Place: Susie Scoops (Incline Village)

Runner Up: Bud's Ice Cream (Truckee)

Honorable Mention: Gear n Grind Cafe and Cake Tahoe (Truckee)

Best Mexican Food:

First Place: Tacos Jalisco (Truckee)

Runner Up: Casa Baeza (Truckee)

Honorable Mention: Las Panchitas and El Toro Bravo (Truckee)

Best Outdoor Dining:

First Place: Sunnyside Restaurant & Lodge (Sunnyside)

Runner Up: Cottonwood Restaurant & Bar (Truckee)

Honorable Mention: Truckee Tavern & Grill and Garwood's

Best Overall Restaurant:

First Place: Truckee Tavern & Grill

Runner Up: Moody's, Pianeta Ristorante (Truckee) and Cottonwood Restaurant & Bar (Truckee)

Best Pizza:

First Place: Best Pies Pizzeria & Italian Restaurant (Truckee)

Runner Up: Village Pizzeria

Honorable Mention: Fireside Pizza and Front Street Station Pizza

Best Restaurant View:

First Place:  Sunnyside Restaurant & Lodge (Sunnyside)

Runner Up: Cottonwood Restaurant & Bar (Truckee)

Honorable Mention: West Shore Cafe and Christy Hill (Tahoe City)

Best Steak:

First Place: Truckee Tavern and Grill

Runner Up: Old Range Steakhouse (Tahoe Vista)

Honorable Mention: Cottonwood Restaurant & Bar (Truckee) and The Lodge at Tahoe Donner (Truckee)

Best Sushi:

First Place: Drunken Monkey (Truckee)

Runner Up: Mamasake (Squaw Valley)

Honorable Mention: Mikuni (Northstar) and Hiro Sushi Kings Beach

Best Vegetarian/Natural Food:

First Place:  New Moon Natural Foods (Truckee/Tahoe City)

Runner Up: Uncommon Kitchen (Tahoe City)

Honorable Mention: Spice and Tahoe Central Market

Best Business

Best Auto Shop/Garage:

First Place: Ward and Sons Automotive (Truckee)

Runner Up: Quality Automotive

Honorable Mention: Stone's Country Tire (Truckee) and Big Bear Automotive (Tahoe City)

Best Bank:

First Place: Plumas Bank (various locations)

Runner Up: Bank of the West (various locations)

Honorable Mention: Wells Fargo (various locations) and U.S. Bank

Best Bike Shop:

First Place: Paco's Truckee Bike and Ski (Truckee)

Runner Up: Olympic Bike Shop (Tahoe City)

Honorable Mention: Cycle Paths and The Backcountry (Truckee)

Best Casino:

First Place:  Crystal Bay Casino (Crystal Bay)

Runner Up: Hyatt

Honorable Mention: Tahoe Biltmore (Crystal Bay) and GSR

Best Catering:

First Place: D'Lish Catering (Tahoe City)

Runner Up: Full Belly Deli (Truckee)

Honorable Mention: Red Truck and North Tahoe Catering

Best Clothing Store:

First Place: Fine n Funky

Runner Up: Mo, Jo & Zoe (Truckee)

Honorable Mention: Dressed Boutique (Truckee) and Kalifornia Jean Bar

Best Fishing Charter:

First Place: Mickey's Big Mack Charters (Carnelian Bay)

Runner Up: Captain Chris' Fishing Charters (Tahoe City)

Honorable Mention: Matt Heron Fly Fishing and Obexers

Best Fitness Club:

First Place: Truckee Crossfil

Runner Up: Crossfit Avalanch Blizzard

Honorable Mention: Asante Lakeside Fitness (Tahoe City) and Performance Training Center by Julia Mancuso 

Best Gallery:

First Place:  Gallery Keoki (Olympic Valley)

Runner Up: Trunk Show

Honorable Mention: Riverside Studios (Truckee) and Carmel Gallery (Truckee)

Best Garden Supply/Nursery:

First Place: Villager Nursery (Truckee)

Runner Up: Tahoe Tree Company (Tahoe City)

Honorable Mention: Rock & Rose and Perennial Nursery (Tahoe Vista)

Best Gift Shop:

First Place: Trunk Show

Runner Up: Bespoke (Truckee)

Honorable Mention: Truckee Variety and Riverside Gallery

Best Hair Salon:

First Place: Coupe Sixty-One Hair Studio

Runner Up: Bella Vita (Tahoe City)

Honorable Mention: Urban Angels Salon (Truckee) and The Balcony

Best Hardware Store:

First Place:  Mountain Ace Hardware (Truckee)

Runner Up:  Ace Mountain Hardware (Incline Village)

Honorable Mention: Swigard's True Value Hardware (Tahoe City) and North Shore Ace Hardware (Kings Beach)

Best Jewelry:

First Place: Lorien Powers Studio Jewelry (Truckee)

Runner Up: Trunk Show

Honorable Mention: Bluestone Jewelry (Tahoe City/Truckee) and Riverside Studios (Truckee)

Best Landscape Company:

First Place: Rock & Rose Landscape (Truckee)

Runner Up: Green Envy (Tahoe City)

Honorable Mention: Grateful Gardens, Peak Landscaping and Blide Landscape Construction (Truckee)

Best Marina:

First Place: Obexer's Boat Company (Homewood)

Runner Up: Tahoe City Marina (Tahoe City)

Honorable Mention: North Tahoe Marina and Sunnyside Marina & Storage (Sunnyside)

Best Massage:

First Place: Bodhi Bodywork

Runner Up: Zenergy Massage and Wellness (Truckee)

Honorable Mention: Truckee Massage (Truckee) and Kathy Hinkle at Massage on the Lake

Best Nail Salon:

First Place: Sassy Nail Salon and Spa (Truckee)

Runner Up: T & T Nails (Truckee)

Honorable Mention: Unique Nail Salon (Tahoe City) and Exotic Nails

Best Nonprofit:

First Place: Humane Society of Truckee Tahoe

Runner Up: High Fives Foundation

Honorable Mention: Tahoe Food Hub and Project Mana

Best Ski/Board Shop:

First Place (Tie): Tahoe Sports Hub and Tahoe Dave's Skis and Boards (Kings Beach, Tahoe City, Olympic Valley)

Honorable Mention: Totally Board (Truckee) and Start Haus

Best Sporting Goods:

First Place: Mountain Hardware & Sports (Truckee)

Runner Up; Tahoe Sports Hub

Honorable Mention: Alpenglow Sports (Tahoe City) and Tahoe Mountain Sports

Best Tattoo:

First Place: Lucky 7 Tattoo & Piercing (Kings Beach)

Runner Up: Truth Tattoo (Truckee)

Honorable Mention: Smiley's Tattoo (Truckee) and Tahoe Tattoo Removal

Best Taxi Company:

First Place: Truckee River Taxi

Runner Up: High Sierra Taxi

Honorable Mention: Anytime and Fast Taxi

Best Veterinary Clinic:

First Place: Burton Creek Veterinary Clinic (Tahoe City)

Runner Up: Sierra Pet Clinic (Truckee)

Honorable Mention: Tahoe Integrative Vet Care and Doctor's Office For Pets

Best People

Best Auto Mechanic:

First Place: Dave Ward, Ward and Sons Automotive (Truckee)

Runner Up: Justin Moore, Moore Automotive (Truckee)

Honorable Mention: Bill Greeno and Mark Pearson Big Bear Auto

Best Bank Teller:

First Place: Stephanie - Plumas Bank

Runner Up: Jesee Whorton, Bank of the West

Honorable Mention: Gabby at Wells Fargo (Incline Village) and Lori at Plumas Bank

Best Barista:

First Place: Deena Gazzigli of Tahoe House

Runner Up: Greg Bucheister, CoffeeBar (Truckee)

Honorable Mention: Coffee Bar Crew (Truckee), and Nate Maier at CoffeeBar (Truckee)

Best Bartender:

First Place: Ryan at Truckee Tavern & Grill

Runner Up: Sherry at Moody's Bistro, Bar & Beats (Truckee)

Honorable Mention: Pete Smyth of Rosie's and Tara at River Grill

Best Boss:

First Place: Seamus Gallagher

Runner Up: Christ St Martin

Honorable Mention: Randy Rogers of Auld Dubliner and Mike Blide at Cottonwood Restaurant & Bar (Truckee)

Best Chef:

First Place: Donovan Webb

Runner Up: Douglas Dale, Wolfdale's (Tahoe City)

Honorable Mention: Dave Smith, Cottonwood (Truckee) and Chase at Bar of America

Best Dentist:

First Place: Dr. Colpitts (Truckee)

Runner Up: Dr. Robert Colpitts, Sierra Crest Dental

Honorable Mention: Dr. Pierce and Kristen Morgan

Best Doctor:

First Place: Dr. Rick Ganong

Runner Up: Dr. Gina Barta

Honorable Mention: Dr. Arth and Dr. Nina Winans

Best Hair Stylist: 

First Place (Tie): Melissa Cox and Katie McClure

Honorable Mention: Nicole at Bella Vita and Melody Meng at Mane Attraction

Best Insurance Agent:

First Place: Tony Commendatore, Aegis Insurance (Truckee)

Runner Up: Krista Mason, Allstate (Incline Village)

Honorable Mention: Rich Votaw and Roxanne Duffield, State Farm Insurance (Tahoe City)

Best Local Artist:

First Place:  Lorien Powers

Runner Up: Jaclyn, Trunk Show

Honorable Mention: Keoki, Brad Henry and Alanna Hughes

Best Local Attorney:

First Place: Jim Simon of Porter Simon

Runner Up: Richard Mosbly

Honorable Mention: Kelly Carroll, Alison Bermant, and Kate Shaw

Best Local Musician:

First Place: Aaron Oropeza

Runner Up: Dead Winter Carpenters

Honorable Mention: Ben Martin, Kandy Xander, Richard Blair, Jo Mama

Best Massage Therapist:

First Place: Lauri Glenn

Runner Up: Amber Defazio, Zenergy Wellness Spa (Truckee)

Honorable Mention: Mary Engersoll and Amber Wright

Best Nurse:

First Place: Justin Nistler

Runner Up: Lara Thompson

Honorable Mention: Heidi Blide and Lindsey at Martin Tahoe Forrest

Best Ski Patroller:

First Place: Lel Tone

Runner Up: Jim Zaloa

Honorable Mention: Will Paden and Eric Lowell

Best Teacher:

First Place: Sue Lowder

Runner Up: Jessica Fowler at Twin Ridges Homestudy Charter School and Vicki Isacowitz

Honorable Mention: Ben Martin

Best Volunteer:

First Place: Missy Mohler - THS Envirolution Club

Runner Up: Adam Baillargeon

Honorable Mention: Steve Twomey - Search and Rescue and AYSO, Jim McKray and Marty Schoonmaker

Best Wait Person:

First Place: Dan Solomon

Runner Up: Craig Kimura

Honorable Mention: Kevin Cowie, Blue Coyote (Truckee), and Allison Schultz at the Lodge

Best Places / Events

Best Beach:

First Place: Sand Harbor

Runner Up: D.L. Bliss State Park

Honorable Mention: Kings Beach and West End Beach

Best Concert Venue:

First Place: Truckee Amphitheater

Runner Up: Commons Beach, Tahoe City

Honorable Mention: Crystal Bay Club and Truckee River Regional Park

Best Place to Bike:

First Place: Truckee Legacy Trail

Runner Up: Flume Trail

Honorable Mention: Northstar California and Tahoe Rim Trail

Best Place to Golf:

First Place: TC Golf Course

Runner Up: Tahoe Donner

Honorable Mention: Coyote Moon Golf Course (Truckee) and Brockway Golf Course

Best Place to Hike:

First Place: Shirley Canyon Shirley Lake

Runner Up: Desolation Wilderness

Honorable Mention: Pacific Crest Trail and Tahoe Rim Trail

Best Place to Ski/Ride:

First Place: Northstar California

Runner Up: Alpine Meadows Ski Resort

Honorable Mention: Sugar Bowl and Squaw Valley

Best Place to Take a Date:

First Place: Truckee Tavern and Grill

Runner Up: Drunken Monkey Sushi

Honorable Mention: The Soule Domaine (Brockway), and Bite

Best Summer Event:

First Place: Truckee Thursdays (Truckee)

Runner Up: Concerts at Commons Beach (Tahoe City)

Honorable Mention: July 4th Fireworks and Brews Jazz and Funk Fest

Best Winter Event:

First Place: Snowfest

Runner Up: Winter Wondergrass at Squaw

Honorable Mention: Rahlves Banzai Tour and Cushing Crossing

Best Hiking/Biking Trail:

First Place: Flume Trail

Runner Up: Tahoe Rim Trail

Honorable Mention: Truckee River Heritage Trail and Legacy Trail

Many thanks to the staff of the Sierra Sun and the North Lake Tahoe Bonanza for conducting the 2015 Best of Truckee and North Lake Tahoe Contest!!

See Also:

• 2016 Best of Truckee and North Lake Tahoe Contest Winners
• 2013 Best of Truckee and North Lake Tahoe Contest Winners
• 2012 Best of Truckee and North Lake Tahoe Contest Winners
• 2011 Best of Truckee and North Lake Tahoe Contest Winners
• Truckee Awards