JUST BREW IT
Tenaya Creek tenders handcrafted beers and tasty food
BY JARRET KEENE
Located in northwest Las Vegas, MountainView Hospital comes highly recommended, and after enduring my wife's 18-hour labor, I now see why. The staff is superb and super-friendly, the rooms are clean and large, and - hey, what do you know? - the food is actually palatable. But this month's dining column is not, in fact, dedicated to the cuisine at MountainView. Instead, we'll take a closer look at where the hospital's scrub-donned staff most likely takes a break from the cafeteria to enjoy a Creek Reuben, a Cheyenne BBQ pizza, or an order of Fried Raviolis every now and then.
Established in 1999, Tenaya Creek Restaurant & Brewery is just a bandage's throw from the hospital, and from the window of my wife's recovery room, I could make out its shimmering sign, which tempted me at all times with promises of hops-heavy beer and upscale bar food. Having not eaten for nearly a day, I was famished by the time I finally walked across the street, plopped myself in a leather booth, and started cell-phoning friends and family.
Overall, Tenaya Creek is an attractive place, not too different from a PT's Gold - flat-screen TVs, comfy seating, etc. (Thankfully, though, there was no cracking pool tables or chirping arcade games.) The menu isn't all that different either, but there are a few items unique to Tenaya Creek.
For starters, there's the Fresh Artichoke ($6.59), served steamed with drawn butter and lemon aioli. Soft and fresh, the artichoke slivers went perfectly with the Golden Pilsner (a lager that won the gold medal at the 2002 Great American Beer Festival for "European-Style Pilsner"). If I hadn't been so exhausted, I would have thought to match the Hefeweizen with the artichoke. Still, the Pilsner prevailed.
Next, I sampled one of the restaurant's specialties: the Creek Salad ($7.99). It's a simple offering that's nonetheless easy to screw up. Romaine and iceberg lettuce, roma tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil sound great in theory, but unless everything is spot-on fresh, it doesn't work. The Creek Salad works, arriving with exactly the right amount of oregano Dijon vinaigrette. (Lesser restaurants mask a lack of freshness with dressing.) I risked going with the tuna salad dollop, and it paid off. This is a great salad that doesn't rely on bacon, heavy cheese, or creamy dressing to make an impression.
Then, a walk on the cholesterol-heavy side, for which I have three words: Garlic. Cheese. Ravioli ($6.99). Breaded, fried, served with marinara, this is the best version of the dish in town, and as long as you're taking Lipitor regularly, you should survive the full-on grease assault - that is, if your tongue doesn't slap your brains out over the taste.
Having veered down a fatty road with no chance of turning back, I made peace with my arteries and demanded to know what the cooks in the kitchen preferred on the menu. "They're always eating the BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich ($7.79)," my server revealed. It's a soft sesame seed bun loaded with slow-cooked pork hand-pulled and smothered in Tenaya Creek's patented India Pale Ale BBQ sauce. An ample amount of coleslaw is applied like a condiment. A little sweet, a little salty, this sandwich requires a knife and fork - or a bib - and it's well worth the effort. Oftentimes, slow-cooked means overcooked; not so with Tenaya Creek's pulled pork. It's tender and delicious.
Don't wait for an extended hospital stay for an excuse to visit Tenaya Creek. This is an independent establishment owned by the Etter family, who have longstanding roots in Southern Nevada. The food is great; the beer - all handmade, no commercial labels - is better. It was too cold the night I showed up to enjoy patio seating, but in the coming months, I imagine it's a valuable seating option. Also, there are glass walls where you can witness firsthand the brewing process. Brewery tours are also available all year long.
Tenaya Creek Restaurant & Brewery is located at 3101 N. Tenaya Way at Cheyenne. The bar is open 24 hours; the restaurant is open daily from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Call 702-362-7335 for more information. LW
