There's no shortage of places to eat in South Reno, but when a new restaurant comes to town, a stampede ensues. Five Guys Burgers, a chain that grew out of Arlington, Virginia, recently opened shop at 6395 S. McCarran Blvd.
About 2 p.m. this past Sunday, every table at Five Guys was full and the line to order food was nearly out the door. Not wanting to eat in our car, my family decided to return to Five Guys a few weeks from now. Maybe by then, the dust will have cleared.
It didn’t take long for us to come up with Plan B for lunch. Across the street, at 4999 Kietzke Ln., is the South Reno location of Red Robin Gourmet Burgers.
Red Robin was founded in Seattle in 1969. When my daughter attended University of Washington, we often dined at the original location at Furhrman Ave. E. and Eastlake Ave. E., near the University Bridge.
The building dated back to 1940 and was first known as Sam’s Tavern, then as Sam’s Red Robin (inspired by the tune “When the red, red robin comes bob, bob, bobbin’ along …”) and then simply as Red Robin.
That now-shuttered restaurant had a great view of Portage Bay, although the crazily sloped parking lot was a real problem when wet and slippery. Even in ideal weather, when you opened your car door, you sort of fell sideways out of your car. Adding to the funhouse atmosphere, the original Red Robin restaurant sported an image of the mascot holding something that resembled “weed.” This was long before the state of Washington legalized marijuana. Who knew???
The menu and decor at the South Reno Red Robin are very similar to what you’d find at any current Red Robin location in the U.S. or Canada.
Unique to South Reno, however, are nods to Lake Tahoe and Virginia Street and a map of Nevada, with the Red Robin relishing regional activities such as skiing, rodeo-riding, Hot August Nights and The Great Reno Balloon Race.
Gourmet burgers and “bottomless” steak fries (unlimited refills on the fries and soft drinks) are the mainstays at Red Robin.
We hardly need to look at our menus, as each person in my family has an old favorite: My husband loves the Guacamole Bacon Burger; my son is loyal to the Whiskey River BBQ Burger; I’m a fan of the Banzai Burger with pineapple and teriyaki sauce; and our daughter always asks for a Whiskey River BBQ Chicken Sandwich. Oh, and you can order burgers at Red Robin with a turkey or veggie patty instead of beef or with a whole-grain bun.
Other Red Robin sandwiches, including the Baja Turkey Club and BLTA Croissant, are very good, too, as are the various salads. My one-and-only Red Robin regret (back at the Seattle location) was ordering a salmon burger. Ordinarily, seafood in Seattle is primo. But when a restaurant prides itself on its gourmet burgers, why mess with perfection?
Just as the food at Red Robin is consistently fresh and tasty, our servers at the South Reno location have always been pleasant and attentive.
How will Five Guys Burgers in South Reno measure up? Checking it out is on our "to-do" list.
To view a Red Robin menu, or learn more about its history (as well as its focus on giving back to the community), visit http://www.redrobin.com/ .
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