You can do it in Nevada and at local places

Restaurants and bars in Gardnerville and Carson City, including local favorites like J.T. Basque Bar and Dining Room and Adele’s, are featured in a new food-themed road trip itinerary developed by TravelNevada and Reno Bites.

The itinerary focuses on locally owned restaurants in Reno, Fallon, Carson City, Carson Valley, Stateline and Incline Village.

Chris Moran, public relations specialist at TravelNevada, said the goal of the itinerary is to spur travel to and within Nevada.

“People have an interest in visiting communities that maybe they have never been to or haven’t visited in a while,” Moran said. “This gives people an opportunity to try local businesses and find interesting new places to eat and also discover cool older places.”

Gardnerville’s J.T. Basque Bar and Dining Room is featured on the road trip itinerary. Marie-Louise Lekumberry, co-owner of the bar and restaurant, said she expects the road trip to bring more tourists to their restaurant.

“We have a good local clientele,” Lekumberry said. “Having tourists come in enhances the great clientele we already have here. Our regulars act as good ambassadors for us.”

Lekumberry said road-trippers won’t only get great food and drink at J.T. Basque Bar and Dining Room, but they also will get a unique piece of Nevada history.

Jean Lekumberry immigrated to Gardnerville in 1947 from his homeland in the French side of the Basque Pyrenees mountains. In 1960, Lekumberry, his wife, Shirley and his brother Pete bought the J.T. The family has owned it since.

Also on the itinerary are some new local businesses, including Shoe Tree Brewing Company in Carson City. The brewery opened in March.

“It’s been awesome,” said Paul Young, co-owner with his brother of Shoe Tree Brewing Company. “The reception and support we have gotten in the community is more than we’ve ever dreamed of.”

Young and his brother grew up in Carson City and said they wanted to stay local to contribute what they could to the city.

Steve Hernandez, owner of Slanted Porch in Fallon, said the exposure the food-themed road trip will bring is nice particularly for places in rural Nevada.

Slanted Porch has been in Fallon for 10 years and Hernandez said he gets customers from all over, often coming from Las Vegas or Arizona.

“We are blessed to be remote, but still close enough to cities to have good business,” said Hernandez.

The food-themed road trip will run through Oct. 11. People who visit the towns and restaurants on the itinerary can post photos of their meals with the hashtags #RenoBitesRoadTrip and #TravelNevada to be entered into a drawing to win a spot on the judging panel of the Reno Bites Chef Showdown on Oct. 14. The itinerary will remain online at TravelNevada.com after the event is over.