Squeeze In: Eggs-actly the best omelets in Reno and Truckee
Not much happens in northwest Reno, just off Interstate 80, as there’s more open land in the desert hills than developed real estate. But one reason to visit is a brunch place that’s well worth the short drive from the downtown casinos. Squeeze In, an inconspicuous restaurant in a small shopping plaza on North McCarran, literally squeezes people in each morning.
The capacity is a modest 114, plus 46 on outdoor tables between May and October, yet they crack about 162,500 eggs each year to feed all the folks who do manage to squeeze in.
The omelet is king here. The Racy Tracy (bacon, avocado, mushrooms and jack cheese) and the Spanish Flay (finely diced red bell peppers, jack cheese and smoked paprika) were the stars of a spring 2010 episode of the Food Channel’s Throwdown with Bobby Flay. What’s so special about these omelets? First, they’re delicious, sautéed in a family recipe wine sauce, and accompanied with home fries and bottomless sauce and toast. Second, there are so darn many omelets on the menu, most of them with odd or corny names (like Your Mom and the Hangover Helper).
How do you choose among 64 omelets? The menu offers some guidance, as vegetarian omelets are denoted with a heart symbol, customers’ favorites with a peace sign and staff favorites in red print. If you don’t feel like an omelet, there are also 23 triple-decker sandwiches, plus burgers, burritos, salads and bloody marys on the menu.
You can also ask for advice from the cheerful wait staff. They’re probably most responsible for Squeeze In’s popularity, as they treat customers and each other like family. This makes sense, since co-owners Gary and Misty employ two daughters and three other family members. They even list their home phone on the menu in case you’re unhappy with anything. Good luck finding that on a Denny’s menu.
The restaurant’s decor is best described as friendly, funky and fun. Random stuff covers almost every inch of every wall and under the glass veneers of some tables: bumper stickers, family snapshots, report cards, game tickets, driver’s licenses and so on. Hanging from the ceiling are Christmas ornaments, wind chimes, necklaces, a bike and a surfboard. The curtains are bead necklaces.
There are two other Squeeze Ins: the original in historic downtown Truckee (10060 Donner Pass Road, 530-587-9814), which opened in 1974, and the new Squeeze In in south Reno’s new South Creek Development (25 Foothill Boulevard), with a planned opening in March 2011.
HelloReno Tip: Reservations aren’t taken and the weekend lines are longest between 9 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., so try to arrive before or after the rush.
Posted by Bob Cooper
