J T Basque Bar & Dining Room — Restaurant in Gardnerville

OK, so not gourmet, but pretty damn good, with great service and great prices! Great for families or large groups (we were 12, and mostly related). Ate outside, and served by Maria, who is terrific!

1st course is chicken and rice soup, with all white meat chicken - no gristle. Had 2nds, along with the constantly refilled bread. Then salad, with a very French light EVOO, vinegar & lemon juice dressing - yummy! Then both tables get beef stew (this is all before the entre, which is all we had to order), with tender beef, potatoes, carrots, & celery in a hearty beef sauce - quite the "appetizer", after soup & salad & bread (Oh! Did I mention the red wine that also came in to accompany the 1st 3 courses, is included?).

I and my son's bride-to-be ordered the Lamb Chops, 4 meaty chops topped with roasted garlic, superb! My son and nephew had the tongue stew, which after the beef stew probably is not as good a choice as the lamb chops... My niece had the Basque chicken, which she enjoyed, my nephew's GF had the Mahi Mahi, which she enjoyed, my sister had the top sirloin, which was great, and my BIL had the sweatbreads, which he wnjoyed, but I would rare below the tongue stew, and probably not the optimal entre after the beef stew course. Then came bowls containing two HUGE scoops of vanilla ice cream. All in, for 5 course, red wine, bread, an addional bottle of white wine (extra), and inclueded 18% tip came to $35.5/ person, which is really a bargain!

Service was great, but they are selling themselves short by not even including a line for additional tip.

I would highly recommend, as entres, the Lamb Chops, Top Sirloin, Basque Chicken & Mahi Mahi over the tongue stew or the sweetbreads - no one order the pig trotters (which I would guess would be better than the tongue stew or sweetbreads, but possibly too "stew like" to be the optimal choice. But I would go back for the...

Last Friday night my girlfriend and I rolled into JT Basque Bar & Dining Room, ready for a classic family-style feed. The place was humming—every table packed and conversations bouncing off the wood-paneled walls—but the host had us sipping a cold draft from the bar and seated within fifteen minutes. From the first pour our server kept things easy, explaining the set dinner, checking on refills, and never letting an empty platter linger.

Dinner arrived in steady waves: a hearty tomato-based vegetable soup, followed by crisp greens lightly dressed and punctuated with a bit of pickled carrot and tongue—simple, fresh, and true to tradition. Next came the rich beef stew, creamy pinto beans, and a mountain of thin, perfectly salted fries that stole the show; we kept telling ourselves “just one more forkful” until the plate was bare. The house red flowed freely throughout, rustic and easy-drinking with the hearty food.

For mains we split up—tender lamb shoulder piled with sautéed garlic and mushrooms for me, garlicky Basque scampi in tomato sauce for her. Both portions were generous enough to demand to-go boxes; the kitchen doesn’t skimp. Dessert closed things out with a scoop of ice cream (we’d already waved off the coffee), the cool sweetness cutting through the savory marathon we’d just enjoyed.

The bill felt fair for the sheer volume and quality, and the staff’s genuine warmth matched the generous plates coming from the kitchen. If you’re looking for a lively, unpretentious spot where the food keeps coming and no one goes home hungry, JT Basque is well worth the stop—just arrive hungry and be ready to loosen the...

If you enjoy basque food, this is a great stop. Northern Nevada is one of the areas where basque food is famous and this restaurant needs to be included. History? Check. Old time feels when you walk in? Check. Amazing basque food? Check. Picon punch? Check. Family style? Check.

As each basque place I've ever experienced, each does something a little different but similar idea. Starts with soup and bread (as well as some table wine), followed by salad, beans and a "side dish." Then your entree and, of course, the french fries with finishing the meal with ice cream (or desert of sorts). JTs soup was cabbage veggies of sorts and delicious. Very wholesome and warms you at your core. Salad was an assorted greens (beyond iceberg) saturated with a salty sour vinaigrette. Yum! Beans were traditional and mouthwatering. Their side dish tonight was a lamb stew and talk about fall of the bone tender with hearty potatoes. I could swim in the broth.. Mmmhhmm. We got our entrée, mine being the lamb shoulder and my fiancé having the steak. Steak was grilled to desired (medium rare!) and the lamb shoulder was thin but flavorful and off the bone tender. JTs french fries are thin but pack a powerful seasoning and flavor. Finishing our meal with vanilla ice cream (mint chocolate chip also an option) with a robust cup of coffee.

I easily rate this as one of the 3 basque places as a must to visit when traveling through Northern Nevada to experience proper and authentic basque food. Hoorah! Excellent place and...