Viva Las Vegas

Last week I was able to do a little R & R in Sin City, better known as Las Vegas. While there I was able to hit a few good beer spots while I was saving my money staying out of the casinos. As I mentioned last week I had my Thanksgiving dinner at the Hofbrauhaus which is located across the street from the Hard Rock. I actually ate there twice for dinner and once for lunch during the week because I love good German food (and beer of course). They have 3 beers, a dunkles, a helles lager and a hefeweizen. The Hofbrauhaus is a little bit pricey but the beer and desserts are fantastic. Other than the ommpahpah band playing it is generally pretty mellow although there was a little bit of excitement one night as this one guy in his 20's or early 30's had a drug overdose and his heart stopped beating. Let that be a warning to everyone, don't mix drugs and heavy German food.

While in Vegas I did also eat one day at another German restaurant there called the Heidelberg Inn. This was my first time there and I think I will be sure to visit it again on future trips. They had a good selection of German beers, they included the usual suspects, Weihenstephan, Paulaner and Spaten, and they also had a couple of obscure ones from a little place in Germany named Sonthofen, the brewery was named Hirschbrau. This place was a lot like the German Corner and German Deli on Indian School. Not only was it a restaurant and bar but it was a store and deli also.

Another good new discovery was a place called Rosemary's Restaurant. I didn't eat there but the menu looked great (and expensive). The chef used to work at Emeril's so that should give you an idea of what it is like, definitely high end. A six course fixed price meal was $110 with beer or $130 with wine. The beer selection was very good for Belgian beers, although like the restaurant they were very pricey. A draft Chimay was $9.50 and a bottle of Rochefort was $11. O.K. so why am I telling you about a place that has overpriced beers? Because at happy hour they were half price. Such a deal.

Enough of the imports in Vegas. The locals there have a number of good places to go to. In Henderson there is a brewpub called Barleys that I enjoy. On the strip there is a brewpub at the Monte Carlo although I am not a big fan of it. Not so much because of the beer but because they have a dress code where you can't where baseball caps in there at night and how often have you ever seen me without a baseball cap on? Downtown there is a good brewpub at the Main Street Casino. They had a very good barley wine and a good Monday night football deal. A pitcher of beer and 18 wings for $12.

In Vegas there are a couple of chains, Gordon Biersch and BJ's both have places and there is a local chain called Big Dogs, their places have different names. Some of you might remember the Holy Cow, which was a member of the chain. I think the best beer I had there was at one of their places called the Draft House in North Vegas. It was the only place in town that I was able to find a Double IPA at. All in all I have to say I am glad I am back at Papago where I can get my daily dose of hops without having to go to far.

Prost, Ron