The story of the Snow Lion is a story that makes me very sad. I first ate at the Snow Lion in the summer of 1992. At that time, there was guy named Tony whom did about 85% of the cooking there. He always did a good job. On busy nights, the owner himself, Jigme Norbu, would come in and cook beside Tony, in order to accommodate a rush. Tom managed the restaurant, and when Tom cooked, on occasion, he did an excellent job as well. My meal would always consist of milk tea, salad, and a rice/meat dinner. I always enjoyed it. In fact, I loved it. Lots of people did. The Snow Lion was huge back then.

To understand the fate of the Snow Lion, you need to understand a few of the many facets of Jigme. At his core, Jigme is a very talented guy, whom is very ambitious and can accomplish anything in the short term. In his early 20s he developed the salad dressing and the core menu items at the Snow Lion, which, as far as I know, are original. When well prepared, they are very tasty dishes. Sure, one can argue that they arent really authentically Tibetan, or not really authentically anything. That isnt the point. Its kind of like Star Wars, though. Does knowing that there isnt noise in space cause you to enjoy it less? I hope not. Jigme has an incredible talent for making things pleasing to an American palate.

Once Jigme developed the few dishes and the salad dressing, nothing came after that. The appetizers and side dishes, as well as the Indian Curry, are all store bought and merely passed on. If Jigme sat down and developed, say, a flatbread, you can be sure that it would totally knock you out. But he never did. Instead he buys hummus and pita at Kroger. If the same kind of care and planning were put into a total menu, the same way Jigme did with the core recipes and the salad dressing, and there were always someone there to competently carry it out, the Snow Lion could have a been a legendary place, a great place.

So this brings us to the the other side of Jigme. He has been too ambitious in business, and has worn himself thin, often cutting corners in order to merely make a profit. At one time during the nineties, I believe he owned/co-owned a dozen, or perhaps even two dozen, or more businesses. Restaurantsrental propertiesa hotel, etc. Focusing his energy on the Snow Lion would have made it a fantastic restaurant, and it also might have kept him out of financial trouble.

Tony is now long, long gone. Tom went several years later. All of the complaints and bad reviews I have read online about the Snow Lion are directly about John, Tonys younger brother. John wasnt cut out to work in a restaurant, let alone manage one. But Jigme will always keep John, because hes loyal and has been willing to work long hours, 7 days a week, for years. There are other cooks that have worked at the Snow Lion over the years and some of them have been ok. But you never know what youre going to get when you go. Jigme has had his hands in too many things to focus his full attention on the Snow Lion. If he ever did, it could be good again. And to be great, he needs to finish up the menu, and spend more time in the kitchen, like most small restaurant owners do.