Reno Convention - Silver Legacy

[GlennJr]

I'm going to Reno for a convention and staying at the Silver Legacy hotel. Not very familiar with the area at all. Any suggestions on good restaurants within walking distance? A nice place to take a good customer? A fun place for lunch?

Thanks in advance.

[nancyhudson]

Your post doesn't state when your convention is, so i may have missed it already...prior recommendation of la famiglia for italian is right on. great food, great atmosphere and an easy walk to corner of 1st and lake streets. bistro roxy in the eldorado (adjacent to silver legacy) is good, too.

[SteveTimko]

Nancy:
I finally ate at La Famiglia for the first time last night. I guess I need some recommendations for dishes to get because I was unimpressed.
I saw it when I went to Pho 777 on Tuesday night and it put in the mood for some pasta. So I went there Wednesday night. The place was packed, a sign they must be doing something right.
I looked at the menu and was immediately put off by the cost of the appetizers. I had to sit at the bar and asked the bartender to recommend their best pasta and he said he liked the basic spaghetti and meat balls, so that's what I got. I also ordered a salad with pears.
The lettuce in the salad was stale and so was the dressing. The pear slices were fresh.
The spaghetti and meat balls were no more than okay. The pasta may be homemade, but it didn't seem as good as say American Beauty. I didn't like the meatballs. They didn't have much flavor, it seemed like there were too many crumbs or some other filler used and I think they also may have used too lean of meat.
The red sauce was very good, though. I also like the Santa Crista sangiovese they offer for $8 a glass and it would go well with a lot of the items on the menu.
Another gripe is that it took forever to get my food. That's probably a sign of their success. The guy sitting next to me at the bar ordered a steak with pasta as a side dish. That looked pretty good and I think I'll try that next time. But my first visit to La Famiglia left me unimpressed.

[janetofreno]

Steve: I last ate at La Famiglia about a year ago and also was not overly impressed. The noise and crowd was so offputting as to affect my enjoyment of the food (which was pretty good). We had to wait a half hour after our reservation time, and when we did get our table the waiter had to lead us maze like around the tables, as they were so close to each other that a direct route was impossible.

I was with my father, and he couldn't hear a word any of us said due to the ambient noise. The three of us ended up eating in silence, as conversation was impossible. It just wasn't an enjoyable dining experience for me.

[SteveTimko]

I had the same problem with noise in the bar. I had to have the bartender repeat himself several times and he was standing in front of me.
That and slow service diminished the experience. I'd go back if I know what to order.

[nancyhudson]

Hi Steve & Janet - haven't been on for awhile...can't get used to the new format. Anyway - so sorry that you are both disappointed in La Famiglia. Went again about a month ago, and still very happy with the results. I usually stick to either the angel hair w/tomatoes and basil, which has large chunks of fresh mozarella tossed with it, or the lasagna - both have never failed me. I got the pear salad last time, too, and it was fine. It was a Thurs nite, and they were full - we were relegated to their private dining room with another party. Atmosphere was lacking, but we could hear! There were 4 of us - I can only remember what my daughter ordered, which was the special of hankerchef (sp) pasta in a pesto sauce, tossed with potatoes. The concept was good, put the pasta had folded onto itself when cooking, and it was stuck together, making it a bit dense - reminded her of gnocchi. Pesto sauce was good, tho. Very fresh. Oh well, cross that one off your list!

[SteveTimko]

I used to list the Awful Awful in the downtown Reno Nugget as a Chowhound must. However, the casino changed hands. The former owner used it as a loss leader to draw customers in. It was a great burger and fries for $3.50. The fries were cooked in lard, something you seldom find anymore. The sign over the entrance said it all: Nine out of 10 vegetarians don't eat here. I haven't tried it yet under the new owner, but my understanding is that the quality changed considerably.
No, I've never eaten at the Sterling.

[melly]

My husband and I stayed at the Silver Legacy for Thanksgiving a few years ago. We had a stellar meal at The Sterling, right in the Silver Legacy. We have always mused about how it was one of our all time top favorite meals ever. The service was very prompt and professional. It was $$$, but worth it. Maybe it's not as good now?

Timko says he avoids the restaurants there...but I'd like to know if he has ever eaten at The Sterling.

For a great burger, hit The Nuggett Casino close to the Legacy. It has a little hole in the wall diner in the back (Awful Burgers) that is wonderful. Actually, this old casino is a hole in the wall. Think saturday night live skit "hamburger,hamburger,cheeseburger,cheeseburger,pipsi,pipsi." Not much room to sit in the diner (usually busy for lunch and dinner) so order there and eat them at the bar in the casino. We had a ball there...just watching the cooks and the crowd. It was like a scene from a NYC diner. (Lots of crunchy wonderful ffries too).

[SteveTimko]

The good news is that the Silver Legacy is connected directly to the Eldorado across the street and most of the restaurants in the Eldorado are pretty good. LaStrada is particularly noteworthy. It's Italian.
I haven't eaten there in a couple of years, but in the other direction is a sushi bar called Kokopelli's located in a southwest-style restuarant in Circus Circus. Last time I ate there it was the best sushi place in Reno. Don't know if it still is.
I can say generally to avoid restaurants in the Silver Legacy and Circus Circus.
Across North Virginia Street from the Silver Legacy is a nice Chinese place called The One that's been discussed on this board. They serve dim sum for lunch. When I first went there it was the best dim sum in Reno. It probably still is, but from what I can tell they no longer make it fresh each day but are reheating frozen dim sum. It's dropped a bit in quality. They also have other good Chinese food. The One can be hard to find. Ask board member JanetofReno. It shares a wall with the pawn shop at Fourth and North Virginia.
If you're looking for Mexican food, behind the Silver Legacy about a dozen blocks is Beto's on Fifth or Sixth Street near Ralston. Cash only and cheap but delicious Mexican food. Probably at the extreme limits of walking, but if you want to try good Mexican food, I'd say it's worth it. Check it out on a map to make sure it's not too far to walk. Citifare buses run regularly down Fourth Street. You could get off at Ralston and walk the few blocks north, if it's too far to walk.
If you want to give Vietnamese a try, there's Pho 777 on East Second Street near Lake Street. Again cash only and small and well worn, but I like the pho and the other Vietnamese food there.
There's an Italian place called La Famaglia or something like that on First Street at Lake Street. I still haven't tried it but others have and recommend it.
So a place to take a customer would be LaStrada or Kokopelli's. Some of the others for fun.