Louis' Basque Corner

Not the best Basque food in NV, but good none the less.

After two days of casino buffets and casino restaurants, with overpriced grayish food colored by excessive use of neon. I didn’t have high hopes for the glossy tourist magazine in the room, but one place stood out. The quarter page ad for Louis’ Basque Corner showed a dusty weathered canopy with the name of the restaurant in what was definitely not neon lights, and the description mentioned oxtails, tripe, and tongue. When we finally got there, it was better than I expected. A small bar and dining area, with a sort of VFW hall decor—faux wood paneling, rickety chairs, framed sayings on the walls that would probably leave a shadow of years of accumulated smoke and dust on the wall if they were ever removed. The most promising sign was the Basque aphorism that were were seated next to: “Better a good name than riches”. The whole meal was fixed price and family style (with the 6 other strangers we were seated at the long table with), including cofee, beverages, and house red wine. We chose between 4 meats for our main course, and a big bowl of vegetable soup for the table came out right away. Side dishes of bread, salad, french fries, and beans served plainly in big bowls came out next. My favorite dish was the oxtail first course. My brother Ray and some of the other people at our table didn’t like it so much, so Joe and I consumed most of their shares of the platter to. All of the food was very much in the homestyle comfort food category, and the friendly waitresses in “traditional Basque costume” kept on asking if we needed any more wine, french fries, etc. Definitely very far from the casino buffet experience.