Visitreno

[remano]

Just a few random thoughts:

Siena has taken some flack here lately but I like the place. I think the decor is bright and attractive, unlike some of the other dimly lit downtown casinos including the new Siri's. Of course, it helps that they recently sent us a coupon good for $100 credit at Whitewater, their new high end restaurant. The place unfortunately seems to have new management or a new theme every six months or so, but I hope this one stays. We went on a Monday night and it wasn't busy. The room was clean and quiet and we were immediately shown to a window table featuring one of the most scenic views of the Truckee Trickle as it flows through downtown. Service was prompt and the food was great. We had filet mignon for $22, sides were $5 to $8 each and that night they were including a lobster tail for no additional cost. With drinks and dessert we barely used up the $100. We hadn't been there in about a year but on checking found our free play credits were still good so we played a little bar top video poker while watching the football game. Drink service at the bar was also good. A few weeks later we got a "One good turn deserves another" offer for another free $100 credit, so back we went and found the place to be just as enjoyable.

Baldini's is a small locals casino in a mostly industrial area at the intersection of Rock and Glendale in Sparks. If you're not familiar with the area, it's about midway on a straight line between GSR and Ascuaga's Nugget. Anyway, they recently ran an ad saying they were bringing back live blackjack on a limited basis. There is a "pit" of three tables near the sports book where they deal from six deck shoes, double any first two cards, dealer hits soft 17, three dollar minimums. They are only open Thursday through Sunday, mid-afternoons until 11:00 p.m. In the same part of the casino, where the buffet used to be, the High Sierra Brewery and restaurant is about to open. Based in Carson City for the last three years or so, the story is they had outgrown that location and couldn't work out an affordable lease for more space. Baldini's offered them what they needed so the entire operation is moving. I heard they are planning a soft opening around Dec. 6 and plan their official grand opening just before Christmas, Dec. 20 or so.

Mark Estee's latest venture, Reno Provisions, is about to open as well. Located in the old Penney's building at W. First and Sierra it will be a multi-faceted business mostly focused on the food business. Some of it might not be of much interest to most visitors (butcher shop for example), but there are other features like the deli and gift shop/retail store that might be worth a visit. Here's a link to a downtownmakeover report with more detail:

http://www.downtownmakeover.com/11-26-14-Reno-Provisions

Hoppy Thanksgiving to all!!

[stan_allen]

Thanks for the notes - so Blackjack is becoming a "weekend only at certain times" kind of thing at some places? That's a depressing footnote, but it jibes with what I observed last time in Vegas, which is that the days of low-minimum tables are largely over, and it's easy to see why: the profit margin is just too small for the casino. If you were running a casino, putting in Blackjack tables is going to be far more costly than machines or even Craps - in the beginning, when the human labor was cheaper, it made more business sense, but now? Fuhgedaboudit. A shame, but what can you do? I just hope Cal-Neva will hang on until I check out for the big casino in the sky....