Last weekend, I was invited by THE ROW to experience their newly renovated “city within a city” – 3 resorts, 25 restaurants, and 22 bars and lounges. I hadn’t been to Reno in YEARS. I think the last time I was in Reno was back in high school for a volleyball tournament. And we actually stayed at Circus Circus back then (one of THE ROW’s 3 resorts), so I was excited to go back and see what they’ve done with the place.
I’ll be honest – I usually prefer being outdoors, so the thought of spending a weekend inside a massive indoor “city” (all 3 resorts are connected together)…I didn’t really know what to expect. But they’ve actually got so much going on. There’s so much to do, see, and most importantly, EAT. You’ll be plenty occupied. And the location is actually within walking distance of the downtown area. So all in all, lots to do.
We got there Friday evening, and our first experience there was The Brew Brothers – one of the 25 restaurants at THE ROW. The food was amazing!! As was the beer – and I’m usually not a beer person. Really enjoyed the beer flight that they had. They also make their own root beer, which I don’t have a picture of, but was also delicious! The short rib tacos…also a hit. The wings were probably my favorite! They make almost everything in house. Ingredients are super fresh, and they change up the dishes seasonally. We got to tour the in-house food production area the next day, so I’ll talk about that later in this post š Needless to say, we were stuffed after this meal, haha. Thankfully, we had a magic show after this so we could sit and digest!
The Illusionists Experience – broadway’s biggest selling magic show, was awesome! I can’t remember the last time I saw one of these magic shows. Definitely reminded me a lot of that movie…Now You See Me? There’s 5 magicians that are a part of this show, each with their own special talent. It’s super interactive and the acts were all great. Still trying to figure out how they pulled everything off though…but I suppose that’s the point š
That just about wrapped up our first night. The next morning, we got to tour the food production facilities. Holy crap man…it was like another city within this city of a city. Kinda makes sense though when you have 25 restaurants to supply. They do almost everything in house. They’ve got a butcher shop, bakery, pasta shop, you name it. And it was super cool to see everything in action.
The freshly made gelato was amazing. I had never seen gelato being churned out on the spot before. So many different flavors too! They make their own cronuts, which were so so good. Perfect texture – light, fluffy, with a slight crisp. Topped off with pistachio glaze, powdered and cinnamon sugar. Definitely going back for more of those next time. You definitely get the feel that this place sees cooking as an art. Ivano, the head chef, kept talking about how he doesn’t mind at all when things don’t look “perfect.” After all, that’s how you know when things are real and home made. SO TRUE. The food here definitely has personality, and that’s thanks to all the amazing chefs working behind the scenes to bring their creative vision to life š We actually saw an internal “testing menu” at their brewery, which shows a bunch of combinations that they’re trying out. Some of them sounded…interesting, haha. Others sounded delicious. But super cool to see that they have the flexibility and willingness to try new ideas.
Alright, so enough about food. Some other highlights/activities from the weekend:
- The Spa at Silver Legacy: One of the most relaxing environments I’ve ever experienced. I’ve never shown up to a massage one hour early before…but here I can see why you would. There are so many facilities to take advantage of – relaxation rooms, salt inhalation chamber, outdoor jacuzzi, not to mention a glass of champagne š
- Topgolf Swing Suite: This was surprisingly fun! And surprising just because I’ve personally never played golf outside of mini-golf. But the simulation is done really well. Bonus points for being able to order food and drinks directly to your suite. If you’re not feeling golf, they’ve got other simulation games and equipment you can use as well: zombie dodgeball, football, carnival games, etc. Worth the visit!
- Carnival Midway @ Circus Circus: This is probably the only thing I remember from my last trip to Reno 8 years ago. Gotta love those carnival games. We realized the best strategy is to play those games that involve more people. The bigger the group, the bigger the prize. I was stalking the whack-a-mole game waiting for people to show up, haha. But it paid off. Two wins gets you a large prize. Totally worth $4 of gameplay.
All in all, it was an amazing weekend. They’ve definitely done a lot with this place in the past few years. More activities, renovated rooms, new restaurants, etc. I know I definitely want to go back and try more of the 25 restaurants š
XOXO,
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