Category Archives: Nevada

Flying in for Breakfast, and Maybe Some Pie at Courtyard Cafe in Fallon, Nevada

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Owner Deborah Nelson displays breakfast plates at Courtyard Cafe & Bakery in Fallon, Nevada

Owner Deborah Nelson displays breakfast plates at Courtyard Cafe & Bakery in Fallon, Nevada

I’m at the Courtyard Cafe & Bakery, in Fallon, Nevada for breakfast. But they’re already tempting me with dessert. That’s because inches in front of my counter seat is a thick apple crumble pie, elevated on a pedestal, calling my name. Only the protective lid is preventing me from reaching over for an unobserved nibble or two.

Tempting deep-dish pies line the counter

Tempting deep-dish pies line the counter

My simple breakfast sandwich quickly returns me to mid-morning reality. It’s just fried eggs, crispy bacon and melted cheddar, enveloped in wonderful sourdough toast. Ironically, the sourdough is one of the few breads, baked goods or pretty much anything else that owner Deborah Nelson and her friendly staff don’t make themselves.

As I’m chatting with Deborah, the cook, Anna, keeps putting delectable egg scrambles, Benedicts and other breakfast treats up on the deck. It’s almost enough to keep my mind off deep-dish pie.

"Order up!"

“Order up!”

Note: Fallon is a sprawling city (a half-hour detour off the I-80 northeast of Reno), noted for the naval base where “Top Gun” pilots train.

The Courtyard Cafe & Bakery
55 East Williams Avenue, Fallon, Nevada
Daily 7:30 am-2:30 pm
The Courtyard Cafe & Bakery on Urbanspoon

No Shorts but Great Short-Order Cooks at The Griddle in Winnemucca, Nevada

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The Griddle is a colourful, go-to place for breakfast in Winnemucca, Nevada

The Griddle is a colourful, go-to place for breakfast in Winnemucca, Nevada

Maybe The Griddle‘s gone corporate. A friend tells me of servers in short skirts and a cook in an apron-covered bikini during long-ago visits.

Things are much more sedate when I roll in recently at 6 am, met with a friendly greeting and a display case of bottled jams and salsas for sale. (The Griddle has expanded beyond this flagship location to three others in Nevada and California.) Still, there’s sufficient character in the green vinyl booths, the big horseshoe counter and the gleaming wood-panelled ceiling.

And the Griddle delivers where it counts—on the plate. I swear my Caribbean French toast arrives in under three minutes. It’s two thick slices of Texas toast dipped in a coconut batter and grilled till the little coconut slivers are slightly crispy. A good, refreshing take on a standard, though a little pricy at $8.30.

A Caribbean take on French toast, featuring coconut

A Caribbean take on French toast, featuring coconut

The Griddle obviously knows what it’s doing at breakfast. By the time I’ve licked my plate clean at 6:20, seven tables are full.

The Griddle
460 West Winnemucca Boulevard
Daily 6 am-2 pm
Griddle on Urbanspoon

Basking in Basque Cuisine in Northern Nevada

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Customers sit at communal tables for the Basque-style meal at The Martin Hotel in Winnemucca, Nevada

Customers sit at communal tables for the Basque-style meal at The Martin Hotel in Winnemucca, Nevada

A quick glance at the The Martin Hotel‘s dinner menu is a bit sobering for the frugal road tripper. Thirty-two bucks for lamb shank, $28 for a full rack of ribs. But those plate-filling main courses are well into the future should you decide to sit down at a long, shared table in this Basque-style restaurant in Winnemucca, Nevada (Note: There’s a strong Basque presence in northern Nevada, thanks to long-ago gold mining and sheep herding immigrants).

For starters, there’s soup and salad, along with a basket of bread. Then arrive little dishes of green beans, mashed potatoes and chorizo. Did I mention, the server plunks down a carafe or two of included red wine for the table? All this is mere preamble to the table-shuddering mains, along with an overflowing plate of fries. Oh, there’s bread pudding or maybe ice cream for dessert. Hope you crawled through the mountain desert for three days to prepare for this extravaganza.

There seems no getting around this all-in, very popular, menu. But I manage to sweet talk my way into ordering just a side dish of that Basque specialty, tongue ($7), plus a few furtive sips of wine.

A Basque specialty, a heaping bowl of tongue

A Basque specialty, a heaping bowl of tongue

And I must say, it kinda tastes like…. beef stew. Lots of tender, thin slices of tongue in a rich sauce; must be more than one critter’s mouth parts sacrificed for the cause.

As I leave, a bartender shouts out: “How was the tongue?” “Cat got it.”

As for the rest of the full-fledged customers, suffice to say no one staggers away hungry. Not sure they all stagger away.

The Martin Hotel
94 West Railroad Street, Winnemucca, Nevada
Lunch weekdays 11:30 am-2 pm, dinner daily 4 pm-9 pm
Martin Hotel on Urbanspoon

KoMex is Fusion Gone Wild in Las Vegas

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At KoMex Express, the fries adopt the flags of several nationalities

At KoMex Express, the fries adopt the flags of several nationalities

As the name suggests, KoMex Fusion is all about mixing ethnic cuisines. Obviously, there’s a Korean component—witness kimchi and bulgogi—and Mexican standards like enchiladas and burritos, along with some cross-breeding of the two at this little strip-mall diner in Las Vegas. Chimichanga with marinated cabbage anyone?

But at KoMex, the boundaries have been further expanded to embrace Chinese (wonton soup) and American cuisine. All this comes together in my Bulgogi fries—with melted mozza, meat, pico de gallo, jalapenos and Korean hot sauce all soaking into a mound of fries. It’s a surprisingly good, filling amalgamation. The substantial order is only $6 and, along with complementary chips, salsa and guacamole, is a substantial lunch.

The owners are in the throes of expanding their boundaries beyond Vegas. Here’s hoping they don’t lose that grunge attitude of experimentation at their flagship shop.

KoMex Fusion
633 North Decatur Boulevard (one other Las Vegas location)
Monday to Saturday 11 am-8 pm. Closed Sunday
KoMex Fusion on Urbanspoon

Bachi Burger in Vegas Puts Asian Twist on American Classic

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Bachi Burger's glorious wagyu patty, loaded with onion rings and an egg

Bachi Burger’s glorious wagyu patty, loaded with onion rings and an egg

When I see oxtail chili fries on the menu, I know I’m in for a decidedly different dining experience. And Bachi Burger certainly delivers, bringing an Asian twist to American classics like burgers, fries (there’s also a truffle version) and sliders—here converted to a steamed bun containing, say, Peking-style duck. The list of cocktails and beers also includes drinks like black milk tea and cherry yuzu soda.

My miyagi-sans burger features a wagyu patty that is rich, moist and just past the advertised medium pink. The crispy onion rings and thick pieces of caramelized bacon provide some crunch to offset the fried egg and splash of chili mayo.

The poor Taiwanese-style sweet bun takes a bit of a mauling, and I eventually resort to knife and fork to savour small bites. This is one great, complex burger, and I’m glad there’s no cheese, lettuce or other paraphernalia to distract me.

Bachi Burger
470 East Windmill Lane (two other Las Vegas locations)
Sunday-Monday 11 am-11 pm, Tuesday to Thursday 11 am-midnight, Friday-Saturday 11 am-1 am
Bachi Burger on Urbanspoon

Great, Healthy Fare at the Bronze Cafe in Las Vegas’s LGBTQ Center

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Eight Pass Route 303

Ready for something healthy and unexpected in Sin City? Just head to the scruffy fringes of downtown Las Vegas and, yes, the gleaming new LGBTQ Center, with a lovely front garden patio. That’s where you’ll find the Bronze Cafe, where Carmen greets me with a thousand-watt smile.

Beautiful front garden at the Center

Beautiful front garden at the Center

As I’m perusing the breakfast options, she asks if I’d like a sample dixy cup of soaked-overnight Swedish oatmeal, served cold with fruit and agave nectar. Yum. As I’m polishing this off, she hands me a taster of an Ethiopian teff cereal (interesting!) and a swallow of ice-brewed coffee. At this rate, I won’t have to order anything.

Finally, I  succumb to a half Tree of Life, a pita flatbread containing a cornucopia of roasted peppers, avocado, house-made pickled onions, cashew crema, Brazil nut crumble and a mango-ginger vinaigrette. It’s a delightfully different wrap and vegan to boot, like much of Bronze’s scratch-made menu. But fear not, carnivores, there’s a much-lauded maple-glazed bacon sandwich, slathered in bacon jam.

Tree of Life goodness with a healthy side salad

Tree of Life goodness with a healthy side salad

As I’m leaving, another server gives me a sample of a refreshing watermelon-chia drink. Oh, and it’s a hot day, so here’s some ice water for the road.

The LGBTQ (Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender, Queer/Questioning) Center supports a lot of neighbourhood social projects and offers meal discounts to area residents. And apparently free samples to road-tripping bloggers.

Bronze Cafe
401 South Maryland Parkway, Las Vegas
Weekdays 7 am-10 pm, weekends 10 am-8 pm
Bronze Cafe at the Center on Urbanspoon