Reno: Pine State Biscuits

There were only two things on the agenda for our girls' weekend trip to Tahoe back in April. The first was to play Overcooked on the Switch while in our Comfys. (If you don't have a Comfy, you should seriously considered treating yourself to one in preparation for the upcoming winter season.)  

The second item on the agenda was to get brunch at Portland transplant Pine State Biscuits in nearby Reno:

Despite the pandemic, there were quite a bit of people waiting eagerly for their biscuits.  We put our name down and retreated across the street where we waited far away from the others.  Once our name was called, we placed our order at the counter.  Luckily, we were able to find the most socially distanced booth deep in the restaurant:

Since this was our treat meal, we went a bit ham on the ordering.  We got the shrimp n grits ($14):

I've never had the best of luck when it comes to grits, but CK likes it, so we ordered it.  Pine State's grits came topped with shrimp sautéed in garlic, green onions, mushrooms, and bacon.  It was probably one of the better grits I've had in my life, but it still wasn't enough to convert me into a grits lover.

I am, on the other hand, a loyal to the bone potatoes fan.  So when I saw hash ups ($9), I had to have it:

The crispy hash browns were essentially made into a pancake and covered in grilled onions, mushrooms, and cheddar.  How can you go wrong with that combo?

Then came the biscuits.  It would be silly to go to Pine State Biscuits and not order biscuits, am I right?  The Reggie Deluxe ($11.50) was highly reviewed online:

This monster of a biscuit sandwich came with fried chicken, bacon, cheese, gravy, and an egg.

We also got the Moneyball ($8.50), which was a biscuit smothered in gravy and topped with an over easy egg.  We made it "Double Down" by adding a second egg (+$1.50):

We originally wanted the Brisket Biscuit, but when we were tragically informed that they'd run out, we had to switch gears and order the Essential ($11):

The Essential included grilled marinated steak with grilled onions and roast red pepper aioli.

Pine State offers two types of gravy: sausage and shiitake mushroom.  We asked for sausage gravy on our biscuits, but out of curiosity, we tacked on a side of shiitake mushroom gravy ($2):

I preferred the sausage gravy, but the shiitake one wasn't bad at all.  I wouldn't have been mad if that was the only option available.  

The plan was the stop there, but then we saw a sign for hummingbird pop tarts ($4) on the counter and it was game over:

It was filled with pineapple, banana, and pecan cake, then topped with a vanilla glaze:

Yum!  Though I probably wouldn't be able to eat a whole one on my own.  My taste buds have become increasingly old Asian lady-like over the years.  Sweets are now categorized into "not too sweet" and "too sweet" with "not too sweet" being the ultimate compliment.

Everything we had at Pine State Biscuits was pretty darn delicious.  The biscuits might look small, but they're really filling.  Prices were fair and service was efficient.  Nothing to complain about there! 

While Reno is still a bit of a drive from where I am, at least it's closer than Portland.  Four hours is a bit far to go for biscuits though, so I'll probably wait until the next time I'm in Tahoe to hit up Pine State Biscuits again.

Pine State Biscuits

200 S Center St

Reno, NV 89501

(775) 432-2464

http://www.pinestatebiscuits.com/