Adele’s is world-class cuisine in Carson City

Some people travel the world to find fine cuisine, but for Charlie Abowd there is no place like home in Carson City. His world-class restaurant, Adele’s, is located in a historic 1864 house on North Carson St. It is a destination for foodies from around the country and for loyal locals who love the creative food turned out by this talented, third-generation chef and restaurateur.

Quality of life is important to Charlie. He and wife Karen purchased the restaurant from Charlie’s parents Paul and Adele in 1998. He has proven that you don’t need to be big city to be recognized as world-class. In 2005, the ‘big city’ came calling when Charlie was invited to cook at the prestigious James Beard House in New York City. (Be sure to watch the James Beard House – Excellent Adventure video on the restaurant’s website at the end of this article.)

Described as "creative continental,” Adele’s dinner menu lists some 75 diverse items and dozens of daily specials with influences from the southeast, southwest, the Mediterranean, and around the world. At lunch you’ll find burgers, salads, seafood, sandwiches, and an Italian pizza menu. For casual dining, there is service in the lounge or outside on a New Orleans-inspired veranda. And, Charlie does it all.

“I think he’s a bit crazy,” laughed our server when we asked how he does it. The truth is that Charlie Abowd is a brilliant chef who considers food as art and the restaurant as theater. And, he loves being on stage. He also has a terrific staff in the kitchen and front house, many of whom have been at Adele’s for years.

A self-proclaimed micro-manager, Charlie is passionate about “slow food” and about serving only the freshest meats, seafood and vegetables, adjusted seasonally. He accesses locally grown produce and stands by his philosophy, “If I won’t eat it, if I don’t believe it’s wholesome, I won’t serve it to you.”

On a warm summer evening, three friends and I sipped pomegranate margaritas in the lounge, anticipating the meal to come. And, what a meal it was, a veritable feast for all the senses. Baked calamari in a light herbed cream sauce was enough for one but we all dug in. Tiny tender rounds and crispy tentacles disappeared quickly and we lapped up every drop of the yummy sauce with a warm, crusty bread.

Charlie’s version of a classic Niçoise salad included small slices of fork-tender seared Ahi tuna, chopped tomatoes, black olives, anchovies, small cubes of potato, crumbled hard-cooked eggs, and perfectly cooked French green beans all topped with an over-easy egg, beautifully done. One friend remarked, “For a light eater, the calamari and Niçoise salad would make a perfect meal.”

The combination bruschetta plate presented six large crisp toasts topped with chopped tomatoes and herbs, pate, green and black olives, and toasted pine nuts. Very tasty! A spectacular French goat cheese baked with chopped fresh spinach was drizzled with olive oil and zahtar (an aromatic Middle Eastern herb) and served with crisp house-made flatbread. It’s tough to pick a favorite, but if you judge by how many hands reached for this one, I’d say this was it.

Salads are served with each entrée, and not your typical house salad either. As you know by now, nothing is ‘typical’ at Adele’s. Bite-size torn romaine, lightly dressed with a cabernet vinaigrette was mixed with cauliflower, broccoli, white beans, fresh peas in pods, chopped tomatoes, bean sprouts, tiny crisp Chinese noodles, and rotelle pasta – a delightful mélange!

I ordered succulent pan-seared Sonoma duck breast crusted with spicy sumac. This dazzling dish was finished in a lovely, rich pomegranate liqueur reduction and topped with toasted pine nuts. A side of homemade applesauce provided a cool counterpoint. Others chose lightly fried sand dabs that were crisp and moist; wild British Columbian salmon, served over a bed of spinach and Mediterranean yogurt that was spectacular; and very tender veal slices with shrimp in a lovely, lemony piccata sauce. With everyone sharing, not one bite was left on any plate.

Throughout the meal we drank two bottles of 2004 Dierberg Pinot Noir from the Santa Maria Valley in California. Rich and complex with flavors of dark cherries and plums, it paired perfectly with all the dishes. The restaurant received a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence for an outstanding 400 bottle wine list.

Dessert is never necessary but always welcome, especially when it’s key lime pie, delicately citrus, light and creamy. These days you don’t often see tapioca on a menu, and this one was very good. “Just like I remember it,” said one friend, “only now with fresh berries.”

Fresh berries dominated the other desserts as well: Assorted berries with Grand Marnier and blackberries with vanilla ice cream. As if we hadn’t had enough, someone ordered Café Adele’s, a dessert by itself with brandy, Kahlúa, and who knows what else, topped with cream. Hmmmmm good!

Toward the end of the meal, Charlie stopped by the table to chat as he often does with customers. “I come to work every day very excited,” he said. “I love doing this.”

Location:
1112 No. Carson Street, Carson City, Nevada
Phone: (775) 882-3353
Hours: Lunch, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Mon – Fri; Dinner, 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Mon – Wed: 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Thurs – Sat; closed Sunday. Lounge 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Mon– Fri; 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. Sat; In between hours of operation, the lounge serves pizza and salad.
Average prices, lunch $5.95 - $14.95; dinner $16.95 - $50.95, lounge & veranda $7.95 - $18.95 pizza menu $6.95 - $14.95
Learn more: www.adelesrestaurantandlounge.com