Campo loves to claim the description “casual neighborhood restaurant.”
Take notice: the neighborhood, along Reno’s terrific Truckee Riverwalk, has undergone a fascinating transformation of late.
Lots of new restaurants are popping up in the area, and more will want to be in this pedestrian friendly area. Campo, which opened here in 2011, should exhibit the staying power to remain an anchor for great menus and friendly service.
Food is locally sourced whenever possible, and the Reno region takes in some excellent farms and ranches from which to choose. From the website: “We are a local, rancher sourced farm-fresh-to-table restaurant. Our pasta and pizza dough are freshly made in house.”
Much has been written about the farm-to-table restaurant trend in recent years. It makes more sense in some places, and Reno is one of them. When you press the owners for their sources (something journalists rarely appreciate), they are forthcoming with answers. A few years ago, they even produced a video at the local farm where Campo buys pork. Former chef Mark Estee interviewed a woman who is raising pig breeds locally. Estee even remarked that his regular customers would look up from their meals and ask, “did this pork come from Wendy’s farm?”
Thus, steaks on the menu are Baker Ranch Steaks. You get the idea.
Fresh product not only supports the local economy, it provides a better menu choice. Food that has to be frozen for transport isn’t likely to be as fresh and tasty as something that came in this morning and is on your plate tonight.
Strong menu choices at midday include the burgers and salads. As a Seinfeld fan, I was drawn to The Big Salad, and not just because of its familiar name. The nice twist: the menu won’t tell you what’s in The Big Salad, because it changes each day according to the freshest ingredients on-hand in the kitchen. Servers are ready to give you the daily rundown if you show interest.
Don’t overlook the selection of wood-fired pizza varieties: the Bee Sting is popular (includes salami, local honey and serrano peppers), as is the Smokehouse (house-smoked pork, wood-fired tomato sauce and smoked mozzarella).
Reno is a city often overlooked, sitting in the shadow of better-known and more visited Las Vegas. But this city where the modern American casino was born is no longer a place where you gobble down a tasteless Prime Rib and get back to the Blackjack tables. It has a burgeoning food scene. Relatively inconspicuous Campo, a surprising travel find, has been featured in such media as the New York Times, Food Network, Sunset Magazine and New York Magazine.
So come to Reno and enjoy the Riverwalk, the wonderful National Automobile Museum (an incredible collection from the Bill Harrah estate), nearby Virginia City and gorgeous Lake Tahoe. You might not so much as set foot in a casino and have a fantastic time.
If You Go