Great restaurants are a labor of love. Why else would anyone want to devote the countless hours required to make a restaurant a place that diners want to return to again and again?

As third generation restaurateurs, Charlie Abowd and his wife, Karen, knew what they were getting into when they took over the reins of Adele’s Restaurant & Lounge from Charlie’s parents, Paul and Adele.

Fortunately, Charlie and Karen take pleasure in serving the finest food with impeccable service to people from all corners of the world.

In the kitchen, Charlie oversees the preparation of more than 75 diverse menu items and at least a dozen daily specials. There are no short cuts in Charlie’s kitchen. He uses the freshest possible meats and seafood, fruits and vegetables. Sauces and dressings are made from scratch. Never one to rest on his laurels, he is constantly developing new dishes that push the boundaries of Continental cuisine.

To complement the menu, Charlie uses his skill as a sommelier to maintain an extensive, award-winning wine list of more than 170 selections.

For her part, Karen keeps plenty busy pursuing her successful interior design career. Yet, she still finds time to direct the refurbishment of Adele’s, working to update the look of the historic building while maintaining its Comstock-era Victorian charm. She also oversees the front of the “house,” ensuring that guests receive the warmest, most courteous service.

In everything they do, Charlie and Karen embody the family spirit that characterizes Adele’s and underlines the restaurant’s motto: “Nothing less than the best is acceptable.”

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A Native of the San Francisco Bay Area, Charlie is a third generation restaurateur. His parents, Paul and Adele, opened Adele's in 1977 and were the first to inspire his culinary creativity that exists today. Charlie joined his parents in the restaurant in 1980 and eventually bought Adele's in 1998 with his wife Karen.

Under Charlie's leadership, Adele's has received widespread acclaim, earning awards and recognition from the likes of the International Restaurant and Hospitality Rating Bureau, Wine Spectator, Nevada Magazine and a variety of regional publications.

The restaurant boasts a wine list with more than 400 selections and a menu that features 75 fixed items as well as more than 30 daily specials, which Charlie adjusts according to the seasons and as fresh ingredients become available. Charlie continually challenges himself to create new and innovative dishes and focuses individual attention to each task he performs. This special consideration transcends his cooking to the carefully cultivated relationships he develops with his suppliers, allowing him to secure the best ingredients on the market. And of course, Abowd values the relationships he has with his employees and customers as well.

When Charlie is not in the kitchen, you can find him outdoors enjoying the splendor of Lake Tahoe with his family. As an avid music fan, Charlie stays involved in the music promotion business and proudly displays photos of the musicians who have dined at Adele's.

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Karen Abowd is no stranger to the restaurant industry. Like her husband Charlie, she has been in the industry for as long as she can remember. Waiting tables, managing employees, designing desserts, as well as planning and coordinating local events and fundraisers are all par for the course for this experienced restaurateur.

When Karen and Charlie bought Adele's Restaurant & Lounge in 1998, they already had a few ideas as far as interior design and atmosphere go. "I wanted to work with mom's style," Karen explains, "but add more color and my flair to it." She revealed that many of the additions are elements that they collected over the years from their travels; such as the New Orleans inspired veranda and the Italian influenced pizza menu.

"When we first bought the restaurant, we wanted to increase appeal to the younger generations and at the same time retain our more established clients who had been coming for years," Abowd said. Seven years later, Adele's has surpassed their expectations for success. With the Summer Concert Series as well as the varied menu styles and prices, the husband and wife team have accomplished making Adele's one of Carson City's number one hot spots for all age groups.

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