I've read a lot about the Sierra Chef on Facebook, and I've always wanted to pass through town and…read more stop. This is my first time in Genoa, which is a wonderful little town. It reminds me a little bit of Virginia City, only without the bars, casinos, old-time photo shops, and camel races. Genoa is the oldest town in Nevada, founded in 1851 as a Mormon trading post. It still has lots and lots of history. Mormon Station State Park has replicas of some of the original buildings, and there are other historic buildings in town as well. however, Genoa feels more like a small ranching town rather than a big movie set.
Tucked into this cute little town, is the Sierra chef. They do a lot. They do catering, they do cooking classes and it's a good old-fashioned Italian deli, also. Lots of Italian foods, and also grocery items, that you can buy. They have meats and cheeses, imported olive oils , sauces, and pastas. Amazing pastries. Gelato. They even carry. Illy coffee, which is a very high-quality coffee.
Everybody in the store was so nice. For my lunch order, I was helped by Lori, and she was also very friendly and helpful. I decided to have the Porchetta sandwich, and it was amazing. Wonderfully seasoned pork, cut into thin strips. It was rich, savory, and had an amazing "porky" flavor. I could smell it as soon as it was brought out to my table. It was on a wonderful bread that was crusty on the outside, and soft and pillowy on the inside. , the cheese was creamy, , and the veggies were just absolutely amazing. One of the best sandwiches I have had in a long time.
To drink, I had a cherry lime, Italian cream soda. I could taste both the cherry and the lime, I loved the creaminess of it, and there was just enough of a soda water that I could get the carbonation. For dessert, I had a cannoli. The shell was perfect, the ricotta in the middle was wonderfully rich, and I had chocolate chips on one end, and pistachios on the other. Again, totally top-notch.
I took home a jar of imported puttanesca sauce, and it was just as great. The tomatoes had just had a rough chop, I could taste the brine from the capers, I could taste the olives, everything in it made it one of the best sauces that I have had in a long, long time. I live in the Sacramento area, so I'm going to have to see if I can find that sauce locally. It was that good. The price out the door for everything was very reasonable, considering the high-quality of the product.
Just an amazing stop at a fantastic shop. I will be back. Thanks!
