Normally, each week we split up the drink and dish into two separate features. However, just like 2020 has done to us all year, we’re changing it up and I’m going to be highlighting both the food and drink options you can indulge in while attempting to ice skate — or in my case, falling on my rear.

With the Edgewood ice rink open to the public (with distancing protocols in place), what better way to get a bit of outdoor exercise in while indulging in some great food and drink options?

When you’re outdoors, the best thing to start with is a warm cocktail. It pulls double duty as a hard warmer and also gives you just the right amount of liquid courage to take your talents to the rink. For me, that double barrel action was in the form of their Toasty Noir.

Their take on a mulled wine comes in the form of pinot noir as the base wine. It is steeped with a little orange and allspice, which give it a great holiday smell. A cinnamon stirring stick is added along with an orange slice for garnish.

It goes down light and smooth while also warming up the cockles of the heart, which everyone can use a bit of this year. The spices combined with the wine, and steaming with warmth, is the perfect start to an evening under the stars — or snow — we won’t complain.

Next on the list, especially if you’re toting the littles along with you, is the White Cheddar and Truffle Popcorn. This fun little primer starts out with some love from the Edgewood kitchen. Not only are they dehydrating their own white cheddar but they’re also making their own black truffle powder and combining it with our favorite sodium chloride to make their own truffle salt.

The popcorn is cooked in white truffle oil and fresh from the popping, it gets a hearty dosing of the white cheddar dust and truffle salt. To finish it off it gets a light drizzling of truffle oil.

While you might think that’s an awful lot of truffle shuffle going on, it is. But, it never overpowers. You do get the distinct truffle smell and taste, but the corn and white cheddar help to balance it out.

This elevated play on the classic kid’s favorite is sure to put a smile on everyone’s face. If you want to add a bit more of sophistication, throw the pinky out with each popped kernel you toss down the chute. It won’t change anything, but I guarantee if you talk in English accents, you’ll get some fun out of the experience.

Rounding out the experience is the Fungi Flat Bread. This pizza-esque dish is right up my alley. If anyone has been reading me, you’ll know I’ve never met a pizza I didn’t like. Pizza is like horror movies. Even the worst are still not bad. Thankfully, there’s no “worst” here — this one is delicious.

Much like their truffle/cheese spices, they are doing these ingredients in-house as well. The dough is a great mixture of chewy, airy, and crispy and is the perfect vehicle to drive the rest of the ingredients.

The three types of sausages (elk, boar, and house) are all made on-site and hung in their dry aging cabinet, which I think might be a pre-requisite for all man caves moving forward. It’s such a game changer when it comes to the taste of the meat.

It’s sliced and piled high on a gooey bed of smoked mozzarella and topped with a mixture of organic mushrooms.

With the sausage and mushroom combination, you get a super meaty bite each and every time. A little earthiness from the mushrooms, combined with the bursting flavors of the sausage and an ever so slight brightness from the parsley, and it had me at hello.

Just exactly how are you supposed to skate with a belly full of all of this? If you’re me you use it as an excuse to let it “settle” while the rest of the fam carves up the ice. If all goes well I can parlay it into only one trip on the skates.

If you can’t tell, I’m no good on ice skates and I prefer my butt not cold and wet. If I can give you one tip, bend your knees and stay over your heels, because once those feet get outside of the shoulders nothing good happens from there — except maybe another Toasty Noir.

Edgewood Tahoe Resort is located at 180 Lake Parkway in Stateline, NV. For more information, or to book your ice skating experience, visit them online at edgewoodtahoe.com or call at 888-881-8659.