Critic constitutes sports bar as appetizing alternative to monotonous meat
Though Amendment 21 has been open since February, I have really only known it as a bar. Those nights when I just couldn’t suffer another incoherent conversation with someone I don’t remember from high school, as I am bound to do at Imperial or Silver Peak, Amendment 21 has been a saving grace.
Successfully marketed as a high-class sports bar, Amendment 21 is frequented mostly by 20-something professionals, a demographic they court by combining an upscale bar with a video game lounge, pool table and free Wi-Fi.
The entrance way has custom wooden shelving and a hostess table, relics from all of the steakhouses of yore. But don’t bother waiting – Amendment 21 is mostly a seat-yourself operation.
In my experience, depending on the night, you’re likely to get a menu whenever someone notices you. I last went on a Tuesday evening and found the place pretty empty. Sitting at one of the high café tables with my friends Tim and Jack, I perused the sizeable menu – an assortment of the usual bar fare of soups, salads, burgers and sandwiches with some high-end entrees and appetizers scattered throughout.
Jack ordered from the only food group he seems to recognize: barbeque. To accompany his barbeque tri-tip sandwich ($10.95), he chose the red potato salad from the array of side options including coleslaw, fries and a house salad.
Tim went for the Melt 21 ($8.95), listed as a “legendary” sandwich with turkey, bacon, tomato, red onion, Monterey jack cheese and garlic mayonnaise on sourdough. He selected a side of fries while I flipped to the back of the menu to studied the classier entrées and pizzas, settling on the chicken with sun-dried tomatoes over pasta ($10.95).
As we waited for our order, each of us watched a different sports game on one of the many large flat-screen TVs scattered throughout the room. We didn’t have to wait for long – service was quick, though that’s not saying much on a slow night.
I could, however, say volumes about the meal. Jack’s sandwich was stacked with sweet, tender tri-tip and a layer of shoestring onion rings smothered in barbeque sauce. Although I couldn’t quite explain the orange hue of his potato salad (no redskin potato I’ve ever used did that) it was good.
The Melt 21 is a now a new favorite of mine. I’m not sure if it was the garlic mayonnaise or just the choice of fresh ingredients and perfectly grilled sourdough but the whole combination caused me to bogart an entire half of Tim’s order. The side of deliciously soft shoestring French fries finished off the plate perfectly.
The chicken and sun-dried tomatoes over pasta was also a great dish. The juicy cubes of chicken soaked up all of the flavor in the oil from the tomatoes and a white wine finish complimented the whole dish.
I think on my next night out I’ll start avoiding the usual hangouts a bit earlier in the evening and grab a table at Amendment 21. With fantastic food, drinks and entertainment all in one place, there’s no reason to spend a Friday night anywhere else.
Info
425 South Virginia Street
Reno, NV 89501
(775) 786-0808
www.theamendment21.comHours:
Everyday 11:00am – close Grade: A
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on Monday, May 5th, 2008 at 11:10 pm and is filed under Arts & Entertainment, InsideReno.
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