We really enjoy living here in Mesquite, Nevada: the air is fresh, not much traffic, no crime, and the scenery is beautiful.
Our little city of 20,000 people, astride Interstate 15, features the 500’ Flat Top Mesa on the west, the 8,000’ Virgin Peak on the east, Casablanca Hotel and Casino at the south end of town, and the Eureka Casino Resort and Virgin River Hotel and Casino at the north end of town. We also have eight golf courses, a WalMart, a hospital, an Ace Hardware, a huge discount liquor store, and the Deep Roots Harvest (Marijuana) Dispensary.
The latter two facilities keep the circumspect southern Utah Mormons supplied with mind-altering chemicals.
What else does one need?
Well, for one thing, nice places to eat. Other than the decent steakhouses inside the Eureka and Casablanca casinos, the Samurai 21 teppanyaki restaurant, and a couple of Thai joints, it’s a gastronomical desert out here in the desert.
We could really use a Black Bear Diner.
Our good friends Dan and Peggy Quinn are coming to visit us, and I know they like to go to bars, have a drink and some bar food, and meet locals. So, we’ve been doing some scouting around, in advance, to identify a few watering holes for our friends.
They might try the 1880 Grille up at the Conestoga Golf Course. There’s a sports bar inside and a patio with great views on the outside.
There’s also Wedgies, a sports bar on Pioneer Boulevard. It can get noisy in there, as it is a favorite of golf groups after a round at Falcon Ridge or the Oasis courses.
Another place for a drink, snacks, and a great view is the Terrace Restaurant at the Wolf Creek Golf Course clubhouse.
Yesterday, we tried a dusty old casino/bar on Mesquite Boulevard called the “Golden West”. It is right across the street from City Hall and just north of the local museum. Word has it that the hamburgers there are the best in town, so we thought we’d give it a shot.
I got the Classic burger. It was about 4″ thick, a monster of a burger, and pretty good. Charlie’s Golden West burger was better, though: if I was to come back, I’d order that one. It had all kinds of goodies in it sandwiched between two pieces of grilled sourdough. Excellent, it was. With our drinks and tip we were out about $33.
As I mentioned, this old joint also features a sports bar and a mini-casino. We decided to play some video poker at the bar afterward. I shot my $20 pretty fast, as did Charlie. She decided to play another $20, so the little “date” at the Golden West was going to set us back a total of about $93.
I went outside to take a couple of photos of the old dive. Interestingly, it is one of the oldest buildings in Mesquite, having once been a “tithing lot” for the Mormon Church back in the 1890’s. Farmers would do their tithe to the Church in produce.
Nowadays, in Nevada, tithing (to the State) takes place at the slot machines.
I returned to the bar to find my wife with a big smile: she had hit four Aces for 450 credits ($112.50) !!! Yay, I love that girl, always providing for the family.
Anyway, we walked away from the Golden West with a net profit of about twenty bucks.
We highly recommend this bar: free food.