Reno-Tahoe

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.

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

A new donut shop just opened up in Reno, and it deserves to be talked up, not just because they make donuts, but that their donuts are made with the best ingredients and oils, and some are over a foot long.  Something also to note is that you can get a fresh cup of Joe and a glazed for only $2.

This family run business got its start in Camarillo, Ca, where they have been making donuts for over 30 years at the sister store “Rolling Pin Donuts”.  DoughBoys is run by Bob, Marge and Jay (whom you may remember from his UNR baseball days) Kenny, and every once in a while you can find even younger generations behind the donut case.   DoughBoys gets its name from the Army enlisted soldiers and non-commissioned officers in World War 1.

One thing to note is the donuts and pastries at DoughBoys are not small, even the donut holes are larger than the fist of most children.  The Tigertail is over a foot long and the Bearclaws could really fit on a bear.  They even have specialty donuts like; the Wolf Pack Paw (a smaller claw dipped in frosting and either chocolate chips or sprinkles – just right for kids), the Chocolate Chip Roll (just like a cinnamon roll, but topped and filled with chocolate chips and chocolate frosting) and even 8 different filled croissants.  Also don’t forget their good coffee and colder options of juices, milk and sodas.

Make sure you stop by when the urge arises and try one or a dozen.  You won’t be sorry!

DoughBoys Donuts
57 Damonte Ranch Parkway
Reno, Nevada 89521
775-85DOUGH (36844)

Open daily from 5am to 10pm

“Donuts. Is there anything they can’t do?” – Homer Simpson

By Dave Kidder

“If Mama Ain’t Happy … Ain’t Nobody Happy,” reads the sign as you walk in the door of Casale’s Halfway Club. When my date, Monica, and I looked through the smoke-filled bar, we could see Mama Inez hustling in the kitchen with her helpers, in the middle of plating up her famous spaghetti and meatballs, raviolis, and pizzas. Several of my native Reno friends recommended Casale’s as one of the most historic restaurants in Reno. Since 1937, the Casale family has been offering good home cooking.

To say this place has character is an understatement. There is so much character here, it’s oozing out the walls-from the pictures of Mama Inez to the electric grape lights lining the entrance to the dining room. Cigarettes are welcome here because, as Mama said, “This is Nevada!” If eating in a smoking establishment bothers you, you might want to pass on this one.

Mama is the server and the chef. She came out to our table and asked us if we were ready to order. I asked her what she recommended, and she said the ravioli, meatballs and pizza. I will always order what is suggested to me by the chef of a restaurant, so I ordered the ravioli with meatballs ($10.50), the Royal Combo pizza ($10) and the “with” ($3.50). The “with” is what you eat with pizza: a salad, salami and pepperoncinis.

Right after we ordered, Mama came to our table with garlic bread and salad. She told us that the food takes a long time to prepare because everything is made to order. She was right, it took about an hour to get the food. I was OK with that because I was busy soaking the place up, looking at all the stuff on the walls and talking to the bartender. A trip to Casale’s is as much about the experience as the food. The salads were great, and the garlic bread was the perfect snack to tide us over until our food came.

The food arrived just in time-we were very hungry and out of garlic bread. The pizza had sausage, onions and mushrooms atop the sauce and cheese. It was amazing. It had the kind of home-cooked flavor that only a grandmother knows how to make, when everything is just right. I’m sure Mama has made so many of those pizzas that she has it down to a science. The ravioli and meatballs were also delicious. The meatballs are big, about the size of a tennis ball, and they have a little spiciness to them but not too much. The raviolis are probably the most perfect raviolis I’ve ever seen, stuffed with just the right amount of meat and sealed with precision. They were flawless.

I asked Mama if she had a pasta making machine in back, and she said, “Oh, no! No machines!” Then she went on to tell me about how her son made her a new cutter, but it was too sharp, so she went back to the same one she had been using for more than 50 years-if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

I’m really glad Monica and I came here, it was a pleasurable experience. It’s a great taste of Reno’s heritage, and Mama will make you feel right at home.

Casale’s Half Way Club
2501 E 4th St., Reno
(775) 323-3979