Reno-Tahoe

Drink one Picon Punch, and you might be alright. Drink two and they’ll call you a cab. Drink three and they might have to call the paramedics.

The famous Basque drink is ubiquitous in Northern Nevada, brought to the region by Basque immigrants who came to virgin land to herd sheep. Today, the connection to Basque tradition remains alive in the many local descendents of the first settlers, the Basque restaurants that serve their famous food, and the festivals that celebrate Basque heritage.

One such establishment is Louis’ Basque Corner, located just outside of the downtown Reno corridor. Since the late 1960s, locals and visitors have made Louis’ one of the mainstays of the Northern Nevada culinary mix. Here, hearty Basque food is served in a family style setting. And when you come, you are among old friends. At the bar, the Picons start flowing in the afternoon, and well into the evening. And the party gets a little louder – and a lot more fun – as the evening moves on.

The next time you hit Northern Nevada, hit Louis’, or any of our fine Basque restaurants, and experience the unique Basque culture and flavor. But be sure to pace yourself with the Picon Punches.

Video: Making a Picon Punch:

Basque in Northern Nevada:

• Louis’ Basque Corner: 301 E. 4th Street, Reno, NV 89512. (775) 323-7203
• Santa Fe Hotel: 235 N. Lake Street, Reno, NV 89501. (775) 323-1891
• JT Bar and Dining Room: 1426 Hwy 395 N., Gardnerville, NV 89410. (775) 782-2074
• Overland Hotel: 691 Main, Gardnerville, NV 89410. (775) 782-2138
• Villa Basque Deli: 730 Basque Way, Carson City, NV 89706. (775) 884-4451
• Reno Basque Festival: Held each July in Downtown Reno’s Wingfield Park

Basque Picon Punch Recipe:

• fill glass with ice
• 1 teaspoon grenadine
• 1 ½ ounces of Picon or Torani Brand Amer
• Shot of seltzer water
• Top with a splash of Brandy
• Add a lemon twist (peel only)
• Serve and enjoy

Sterling’s Seafood Steakhouse at the Silver Legacy Resort Casino presents a Ferrari-Carano Jazz Dinner featuring music from CeCe Gable on Thursday, July 9 at 6 p.m.

Chef Neil Campbell will pair the five-course meal with selections from Ferrari-Carano vineyards. The inclusive meal is $99 per person.

The first course is a Lollipop Colorado Lamb Chop surrounded in blueberry, a balsamic butter sauce (PreVail, West Face, ’04.) The second course is a Chilled Leek, Chive and Potato with English Clotted Cream (Fume Blanc, ’06,) followed by a Butter Lettuce and Double Cream Roquefort Cheese Salad (Alexander Valley, Chardonnay ’06.)

For the main course, guests will enjoy a Filet of Fresh Chilean Sea Bass with Lobster Crust, Butternut Squash Risotto and Caviar Sauce (Tre Terre, Chardonnay. ’06.)

Dessert is an Apricot Chocolate Ganache, Almond Pecan Nougatin and Chocolate Mascarpone Cream in a Hazelnut Sweet Dough Shell (Eldorado Noir, ’06.)

For reservations, guests can call Silver Legacy at (775) 329-4777.

Where the Truckee River meets Reno in the Eastern Sierra, water isn’t the only thing that flows. Here, a lively community of breweries and pubs has sprung up, offering visitors to the gateway to the Nevada desert a place to quench their thirst with microbrew beers, listen to a few tunes and get a taste of fun.

For years, downtown Reno has been enjoying the handcrafted goodness of the beers at Silver Peak Brewery, where at any given time there beer aficionados will find brews like Red Roadster, XXX Blonde, Baileywheat Hefeweizen, Peavine Porter and Silver Peak IPA while enjoying a great dinner menu as well as kicked back social scene.

Down the road in Sparks at Victorian Square, the brewers at Great Basin Brewing Co. are busy with batches of the famous “Icky” IPA (Ichthyosaur IPA, which seems to be the favorite among locals and visitors alike), or any one of a dozen or so craft beers with names like Jackpot Porter, Katie’s Cream Ale, Mollie’s Irish Stout, Nevada Gold, Old Fitz Bourbon Stout, Risky Biscuit Barley Wine, Rock Mai Bock, Stone Mother Marzen, Truckee River Red, Wheeler Peak Wheat and Whoop-Ass Witbier.

Nevada’s oldest and most decorated brewery serves it all with a hearty helping of live music, great pub-house fare and local flavor.

The area’s newest brewery, Buckbean, has quickly gained a following, as much for the tastiness of their signature beers like Orange Blossom Ale and Black Noddy, to their unique packaging – tall (16 ounce) cans. Or visitors are welcome to step into the brewery’s tasting room to get it straight from the tap.

Dozens of bars, nightclubs and restaurants support Nevada’s homegrown beers. So if you’re in town, hit up the favorites – Silver Peak, Great Basin, Brew Brothers, BJs – or just order something local. Your tastebuds will thank you.

Resources:

• Silver Peak
• Great Basin Brewing Company
• Buckbean
• Brew Brothers
• BJs
• Fifty Fifty

By LJ Bottjer

We’ve all been here.

One wants Italian, the other Chinese and the recurrent dieter desires nothing but salad bar fixings.

Such edible diversities can often cause strife and discord, and destroy a vacation’s harmony unless, while in Reno, your hungry horde heads for the Buffet at the Eldorado.

Read the complete article Here

By LJ Bottjer

Freshness tops the list of descriptive phrases in this tiny eatery at 719 S.Virginia St in the downtown section of Reno.

Owners Christian and Kasey Christensen, along with amiable staff, create a bistro experience similar to thousands of others across Europe. Colorful posters announcing upcoming local events surround the entrance. Small tables, inside and out, welcome not only diners but often conversation as the sharing of tables is encouraged. Small placards announcing “I will share my table” are found at a basket near the register.

Read the whole article Here

By LJ Bottjer

A good breakfast assures the day is filled with promise.

Fortify the promise by dining at Reno’s Peg’s Glorified Ham n Eggs, on 420 S. Sierra Street.

Everyone is greeted warmly whether it is the 1st or 101st time they cross the threshold. Some opt for tables or booths while others settle in at the counter. Here strangers swap conversation while the counter man generously shares a picture book and colorful insights of Guanajuato, his Mexican birthplace.

From 6:30 am – 2:00 pm daily, except for Thanksgiving and Christmas Day, Peg’s offers breakfast standards with a flavorful twists. Over 40 items, in addition to daily specials, fill the menu. Diners overwhelmed by the choices should know longtime local favorites include fresh salmon and eggs served blackened, and grilled, or Peg’s namesake – ham steak and eggs.

Read the whole article Here

Last night I needed to pay back my wife for all the late hours at work and at home, so I recommended we try a localfondue establishment called The Melting Pot.

We arranged for a babysitter and headed out.  Upon arriving, I was first amazed at the scale of the restaurant – from outside The Melting Pot looks pretty modest, but it’s actually quite large; two stories with tables that were set for two to 10. We also noticed a large contingent of high school kids … apparently it was prom night.

After being escorted around a great bar and wine cellar, we sat in a comfortable booth near the back. Drinks were ordered and we reviewed the menu. Our waitress walked us through the menu, and made a few suggestions about her favorites. We decided to try the “Big Night Out” which includes your choice of a cheese fondue, any salad, choice from three different selections of meats and, of course, a desert fondue.

We chose the Spinach & Artichoke Cheese Fondue, which includes: Fontina and Butterkäse cheeses, spinach, artichoke hearts and garlic.  It was accompanied by three different breads, Grannysmith apples and a selection of different raw vegetables.

As we started to finish the cheese fondue, a busboy named Pablo quickly cleared our plates and refilled our drink order.  Our waitress brought or next course, two Insalata Caprese salads, and helped us decide how to cook our meats. We chose to use oil so that we could also tempura a few items, but other options include infused broths.

Meats and vegetables included lobster, teriyaki-marinated sirloin, white shrimp, marinated pork tenderloin, filet mignon, breast of chicken, potstickers, mushrooms, a spinach cheese filling, two types of tempura batter, melted garlic butter, and a variety of sauces – bleu cheese, spicy cocktail, light mustard sauce, plumb sweet-and-sour and teriyaki. For desert we indulged in fondue called the Flaming Turtle, made mostly of milk chocolate, caramel and chopped pecans, which were flambéed tableside, accompanied by several types of cake, brownies, fruits and marshmallows.

All in all the meal took a little over two hours to complete, so make sure you plan accordingly. For what we received, in both ambience and food, the price was within what I would expect.  The service was wonderful – everyone was helpful and knowledgeable about the establishment.  I would also note that this is not necessarily family friendly … not due to the restaurant, but having hot oils and broths with skewers can’t be a safe option for smaller children. I would suggest you try out this if not for dinner, then for at least a special dessert for you and your significant other.  Also I would suggest making reservations, especially if it is a special day for you.

The Melting Pot
6950 S McCarran Blvd, Reno 89509
(775) 827-6500
www.meltingpot.com

Lunch Hours
Daily 11 AM to 2 PM

Dinner Hours
Sundays 4 PM to 9 PM
Monday to Thursday 5 PM to 10 PM
Friday and Saturday 4 PM to 11 PM

By: Melinda Chemor

The old, pink building is not much to look at, but the food at Bangkok Cuisine is worth the venture in.  The parking is difficult and the alley is dark, but the smell of the food lures you inside.

Bangkok Cuisine serves up traditional Thai dishes, which range on a spiciness scale from 1 to 10. Photo by Becca Ewert/Nevada Sagebrush

When you walk toward the entrance, the enticing smell of meat and spices greet your nose. The restaurant is ornately decorated with trinkets. The cashier desk displays their famous homemade peanut sauce for sale by the jar. The costumed hostess is quick to seat us.

The conversation, laughter, sizzling food and plates clattering hide the fact that the restaurant does not play music. The menu is not too intimidating. There are traditional Thai dishes, but the detailed descriptions allow you to order with confidence.

For an appetizer, the golden baskets ($11) sounded a little intimidating since they mention fried tofu but it was actually very good. The tofu was accompanied by mushrooms, baby corn, peas and carrot mix inside a soft, flaky pastry shell with a side of their famous peanut sauce. The peanut sauce looked a little daunting, but a small taste was all I needed to completely drizzle my golden basket in peanut sauce.

For the vegans out there, the Bangkok Cuisine is very accommodating and advertises on the front of their menu that they will specially prepare their dishes for vegans. Vegetarians will enjoy the veggie pud thai ($9) which also included fried tofu that was surprisingly delicious. The dish also comes with stir fried noodles, egg, ground peanuts and garden veggies to make a deliciously sweet dish served in a large platter decorated with a slice of red bell pepper. The portions are big and served family style.

For the meat lovers out there, the beef bamboo shoots ($8) are also good, the beef is stir fried and served with bamboo shoots, mushrooms and scallions. It was not as flavorful as the veggie pud thai, but it is nothing a little peanut sauce can’t fix. The dish was colorful with the reds of the bell peppers, the green of the scallions and the yellow of the bamboo shoots.

All dishes come with a side of rice and you can mix and match your table’s orders onto your plate thanks to the family style serving. The spiciness ranges from 1 (mild) to 10 (above native Thai hot).

For a daring dessert there are the traditional deep fried bananas. These served with ice cream ($5) may not seem appealing, but one bite and you will be hooked. The slightly greasy, crunchy outside is complimented with the soft, gooey banana inside. The experience is heaven in your mouth.

For the less adventurous they also offer plain old vanilla ice cream ($5) but don’t judge a dish without trying it.

Bangkok Cuisine
55 Mt. Rose St.
Reno, NV
Hours: Mon.-Sat.: 11 a.m.-10 p.m.  Sun.: 4 p.m.-10 p.m.

Melinda Chemor can be reached at arts-entertainment@nevadasagebrush.com