What do you get when you cross Napa Valley with Lake Tahoe? The Sierra Gold Tavern.
At least that's what the Golden Tavern Group was aiming for in its new restaurant and bar.
Interiors were planned and designed by the Las Vegas offices of the Atlantic City, N.J.-based Friedmutter Group.
Architect for the building was Jessie Maheu of JAM Design Studio, Las Vegas.
The owner of several other northern Nevada establishments, including five Sparky's Sports Bar & Grill locations, the Golden Tavern Group is targeting the South Reno lunch and after-work crowd with its newest offering.
The Sierra Gold includes a pool table lounge, gamers lounge, fireplaces, several large, flat-screen televisions and breakfast, lunch, dinner and happyhour menus.
Also, the tavern includes 15 bar-top video gaming machines.
The 15 gaming machines had some impact on the design, according to Steve Arcana, vice president of Golden Gaming Inc., which owns the Golden Tavern Group.
The business's restricted license allows for up to 15 machines per establishment.
The Golden Tavern Group, by housing two separate entities, the Sierra Gold and the Sierra Junction,within the same building sharing a kitchen, but with separate entrances allows the building to house 30 gaming machines.
The design showed a "creative, entrepreneurial spirit," says Sharon Zadra, Reno Ward 2 Council Member.And though there was no code violation, the establishment's design alerted her to the extra wiggle room allowed in current regulations.Voicing concern about the creation of neighborhood casinos, she has been leading a review of the codes to halt similar creativity in other neighborhoods.
The Sierra Gold,meanwhile, has gone forward with a design that includes its 15 machines and achieves an "upscale-casual" style that reflects northern Nevada.
And how do you get that upscale feel? Top-of-the-line materials and interior points, from a copperstamped ceiling to a brass bar top to handcrafted tables and fireplace screens.
Then you custom-design and craft the ATM machine and fire extinguisher cases from wood to match the rest.
"We did a tremendous amount of detail work," says Arcana.
Designers sought out that fine line between upscale and woodsy.
To achieve the style, the design incorporates elements reminiscent of an alpine lodge, including mounted animal heads and antler chandeliers, a stacked stone wall, hardwood floors and cowhide-covered bar stools.Huge wooden beams cross the ceiling above the bar, a design nod to Napa Valley's vineyards.
Throughout the tavern,meanwhile, the vintage northern Nevada work of renowned photographer Elliott Erwitt is displayed.
"We thought to enter that market,we had to do something that would be appreciated by the community,"Arcana says.
The Sierra Junction, occupying the other side of the building, caters to gamers who prefer a quiet atmosphere.
Its 15 gaming machines are bar-top video machines.
Its decor is similar to Sierra Gold's, but it has only a few dining tables and is a fraction of the size of Sierra Gold.
The design of the Sierra Gold had its challenges.
One was incorporating the wooden beams above the bar.
Initial plans called for smaller beams, but once the design team got inside the building, it realized the beams needed to be larger to achieve the right look, Arcana says.
"But then when the beams were widened on paper, the frame of the building had to be redesigned to support the bigger beams."
The owner encountered another challenge with the outdoor patio, which features seating and a fire pit.
"In Las Vegas there's not a lot of patio dining because it's too hot, but we knew outdoor dining was a big deal in the Reno market," Arcana says."But one of the things we never realized was the substantial amount of wind that sweeps down from Mount Rose."
The owner plans to add sliding glass windows this spring to provide protection from the wind."But we'll keep the roof open so it will still have an open-air feel,"Arcana says.
Golden Tavern Group plans to open additional Sierra Gold Taverns in both Reno and Las Vegas this year and in 2006,with similar design themes as the South Meadows location.
