Laughlin Entertainer: Cover Stories

With a bit of nostalgia on our minds, we are featuring a casino restaurant on our cover that has bloodlines going back to an earlier day in Laughlin.

Actually, it goes back to an earlier time of dining in America at large-a time when chain restaurants were a rarity and little gem steakhouses could be found in almost every town from Como, Mississippi to Guadalupe, California (two towns, by the way, which continue to have great steakhouses).

The Laughlin connection to this throw-back steakhouse-the kind that brings you a relish tray before you even order-is the Hickory Pit Steakhouse within the Edgewater.

Located between the Grand Buffet and Coco's Restaurant on the lower river level of the property, the Hickory Pit is a descendant of the old Embers Restaurant-a popular early Laughlin eatery once located on the main casino level of the Edgewater. Some 17 or so years ago, long time Laughlin visitors and locals were wary when the Hickory Pit replaced the Embers. But they soon came to realize the transition was going to work as many of the touches of the old were incorporated into the new (even the “Embers” name was carried forward to the small lounge connected to the Hickory Pit). That trend of not turning their backs on the past has been the history of the room-through each transition up to the present.

The following is a closer look at one of Laughlin's enduring traditions. The little steakhouse that could.

HICKORY PIT STEAKHOUSE

The cuisine: Steaks, chops, seafood, chicken and veal dishes with a little BBQ thrown in for good measure.

The atmosphere: An unpretentious room that offers a fine dining feel without stuffiness. The decor has been “cowboy-upped” over the years from it's original Virginia City-burgundy-wallpaper look to a more ranch house feel (though the saloon murals still remain). Wood tones, Western-theme bronze sculptures, “wood branch” chairs and overall earth tones to the room are predominant. This is a dark room with lighting turned down to a campfire glow.

There is table seating in the center portion of the room with isolated booths wrapping the walls. The linen and lighting allow for some romance to go with your wrangle.

Comments: As stated in the opening paragraph of this article, the Hickory Pit has been one of Laughlin's staples for many years. Though the menu items have changed over the years, the Hickory Pit still contains a lot of the traditional fare that has helped make the room a success. Thus, you can find such items as the trademark hot-croissant-like cheesebread, an updated version of the room's popular French onion soup, the pound of Alaskan crab legs and some of the best steaks in town.

The name “Hickory Pit” connotes a BBQ place, but this restaurant is really a “Hickory Grill.” While the BBQ items on the menu are fine-they now feature Herschel Walker St. Louis Ribs-it is not the star of the show. That role belongs to the steaks and they rarely disappoint.

We tried a New York steak on a recent visit and found the New York to have a filet tenderness. With such a cut of meat it is almost a sin to slaver it with anything other than salt and pepper. And that is the point of this room. You can have the steaks unfettered-forget the often salty spiced butter blend as is the case in many other steakhouses. But, if you insist, you can also doctor it up if you so wish with peppercorns, bearnaise sauce or other seasoned rubs.

Any of the steaks are a good bet (the bone-in ribeye is the surest of the bets). The porterhouse is a signature steak and, like all good steakhouses of old, it is a must for the serious meat and potatoes guy.

But this room doesn't live and die by the steaks alone. The prime rib is some of the best we've had at any restaurant, anywhere. It is tender and juicy throughout and not pasty and bland at the core as so many cuts of prime rib tend to be.

The rack of lamb and Colorado lamb chops are a favorite of many Hickory Pit diners who could care less about ribs and steaks as long as they can order the “other red meat.” The job done on lamb in the Hickory Pit would do any Basque proud.

For those wishing to stray from the red meat department, the room offers select chicken dishes (including a tasty chicken francese with a tart lemon/butter/garlic sauce); seafood dishes (including the aforementioned Alaskan crab legs plus a creative bamboo salmon dish-even live Maine lobster). There is also one veal dish to be found in the veal marsala.

One of the changes to be noticed by long time Hickory Pit diners is the absence of a vegetable with the main entree (other than potato). If you want a veggie you can order one from a list of sides.

To handle a possible wait for a table or rendezvous for diners, the Embers Lounge adjoins the Hickory Pit and makes for a convenient jump off spot for dinner. However, the nearby Edgewater Sports Bar makes for a less expensive rendezvous spot while also offering the latest televised sports action.

Service: The servers in the Hickory Pit are prompt, efficient, friendly, knowledgeable-all the ingredients you would want in service.

Menu:

The following is a sampling of the THE HICKORY PIT STEAKHOUSE menu...

Sunset Specials

The Hickory Pit offers a special menu of “Sunset Specials” available to members of the free-membership ACCESS Players Club (see the players club center on the main casino floor for sign-up if you are not a club member). The “Sunset Specials” are offered Sundays through Fridays from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., excluding holidays. Each of the special dinners are priced the same at $12.95 and include soup or salad, fresh breads and a vegetable tray. The entrees are:

*Pecan crusted salmon-served with sauce Dijonaise and roasted garlic mashed potatoes;

*Petit top sirloin steak-a char-broiled 8-oz. top sirloin steak topped with maitre d' butter and served with twice baked potato; and

*Shrimp scampi jardiniére-shrimp sautéed with garlic and vegetables in a delicate cream sauce, served over linguine pasta.

regular menu

-Appetizers ($7-$12)

*Oysters Rockefeller;

*Spinach and artichoke dip served with baguette;

*Shrimp cocktail;

*Colossal onion flower (a nod to chain cuisine);

*Steamed clams;

*Oysters on the half shell (half-dozen);

*Pan-seared scallops with pear balsamic reduction (the table next to ours ordered these-they looked delicious and the diners gave them a thumbs up);

*Jumbo crab cakes served with mixed greens and raspberry vinaigrette (we ordered these and found the cakes to be quite good; but the real treat was the melding of their flavor with the greens and raspberry vinaigrette).

-Soups and Salads ($6-10)

*Five onion soup (this has replaced the original signature French onion soup of the Hickory Pit; the new version isn't a broth but rather a creamy soup and isn't buried under a pound of cheese-we prefer the new version);

*Soup du jour;

*Caesar salad;

*Shrimp Snoopy salad-butter leaf lettuce, hearts of palm, shrimp, cucumber, avocado...why Snoopy? We forgot to ask);

*Caprese salad-with buffalo mozzarella.

-Entrees

Most entrees come with relish tray, cheesebread (plus other breads), soup or house salad with choice of rice or potato (baked, twice- baked, garlic-mashed or baked sweet yam).

-Chicken ($17-18)

*Cordon bleu;

*Chicken Francese-egg-dipped chicken breast, sauteed with butter, lemon, garlic and capers;

*Roasted half chicken-with either marinated herbs and spices or BBQ sauce;

*BBQ grilled chicken breast.

-Seafood & Pasta ($19-market)

*Deep-fried jumbo shrimp;

*Halibut;

*Ahi Tuna-encrusted in black sesame seeds with ponzu and wasabi glaze;

*Bamboo salmon-oven-baked salmon garnished with green mussels and shrimp;

*Seafood linguini-shrimp, scallops, clams in spicy tomato sauce served over linguini;

*Filet and lobster combo-one lobster tail or twin tails;

*Shrimp scampi-over angel hair or linguini;

*Alaskan King Crab legs-1 pound, steamed;

*Live Maine lobster-1.5 pounds or 2.5 pounds (if you want, you can have the lobster tail stuffed and baked for an additional cost);

*You can also add a lobster tail to any dish for an additional cost.

-Prime Rib ($21-25)

*Queen cut (12 oz.) or King cut (16 oz.).

-Herschel Walker's

St. Louis Style BBQ Ribs ($15-21)

*Half rack or full rack

-Char-Broiled Steaks and Chops ($23-34)

*Petit filet mignon (7 oz.) or filet mignon (12 oz.);

*Porterhouse (24 oz.);

*NY steak (16 oz.);

*Bone-in ribeye;

*Top sirloin gorgonzola;

*Rack of lamb Provencal-honey mustard basted encrusted with parsley bread crumbs;

*Colorado lamb chops;

*Veal marsala.

-Side Dishes ($2.95-3.95)

* These include asparagus with Hollandaise sauce; creamed corn; creamed spinach; shoestring french fries; sauteed mushrooms; Yukon Gold roasted mashed potatoes; and baby vegetables.

-Desserts ($5-6)

* Includes NY cheesecake; peach cobbler; chocolate cake; fresh mixed berries; and creme brulee.

-Wines

* There is a rather extensive wine list including many domestic and import varietals-everything from Klaus Dillmann Reisling and Ferrari Carano Sauvignon Blanc to Mezzacorona Pinot Grigio and Dom Perignon. A unique “Flight” offering allows you to sample three wines (3 oz. samples) from any of a list of designated wines.

The hours: The Hickory Pit Steakhouse is open daily from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Reservations are suggested and can be made by calling 702-298-2453 (for same day before 4 p.m.; for same day or future day after 4 p.m. ask for ext. 3816). The room is located on the lower, river level of the resort next to the Grand Buffet and Coco's.