The Reserve Casino Hotel in Central City, Colorado

July 12, 2012 William Carbone

Originally published June 21, 2012
New information/photo added July 12, 2012.
****New Gaming information below.

The Reserve Casino Hotel
321 Gregory St
Central City, Colorado
(800) 924-6646

In the space previously occupied by Central City’s long struggling FORTUNE VALLEY Casino Hotel, THE RESERVE Casino Hotel is making a stand – just a minute from the west-end of Central City Parkway, which is an entry point into the gaming, mountain-town of Central City, Colorado – 45 minutes from Denver. Fortune Valley struggled for years against the “big-boys” on the other-side-of-town (a five-minute drive) in Black Hawk. The big-boys were, at that time, The Ameristar and The Riviera.

Central City had the lock on mom & pop gaming until neighboring gaming-town Black Hawk started building Las Vegas-style casinos down the mountain. Then Black Hawk was getting the lion’s share of business – so… Central City – of Colorado Opera fame – fought back with a new road direct from I-70 into Central City: Central City Parkway (four-lane, 8.4 miles) which is an easy drive from I-70. It’s a safe(r), mountain-valley type, scenic road that passes by old, gold mines and gold/green pasture – and in the winter-time bypasses the sometimes dicey (when snow or other winter conditions are present) Highway 6, paralleling Clear Creek. Now Black Hawk is fighting back: building a four-lane road up/down Highway 6, but that’s another story for another day. I’ll report when the road is finished. The two main entrees into the area are: Highway 6 approaching from the east, paralleling Clear Creek, entering the east end of Black Hawk – at The Riviera! And from the west on Central City Parkway, down from I-70 east passing a few casinos then passing in front of The Reserve! As one can see, both are strategically located – hence the Highway Wars fighting for **the richest square mile on earth.

The Reserve sent me a hotel-room-comp with a chit-for-a-small-amount-of-playing-cash, food discounts and more. I graciously accepted the offer and took a break with the free room.

The hotel has been rethought as a vintage rock & roll showcase with scores (no pun intended) of 60s, 70s music-posters, such as The Grateful Dead, Jimi Hendrix, Mothers of Invention etc. as well as (authentic) celebrity-autographs on guitars, like Eric Clapton’s, as well as someone’s Gold Record. I recall seeing a photo of Willie Nelson, can’t remember if it was autographed. Willie items are certainly appropriate since Willie Nelson used to live just over the hill near Evergreen, Colorado back in the day. I don’t think the guitars or the gold records are authentic, but was told that there is provenance with the autographs. Besides dozens of guitars, there are also American bike replicas like Captain America’s/Peter Fonda’s) American-Flag motorcycle from the great film classic, EASY RIDER. And to boot there is a huge 15-20 seat tabletop, video-poker bar shaped like a guitar, appropriately called The Guitar Bar (see below.) The Reserve is definitely an authentic, vintage rock & roll casino hotel. It’s a little bit like the Hard Rock in Las Vegas, but just to the extent that there are rock memorabilia everywhere. The theme seems to work and it seems to be the real deal. 60s and 70s groups like POCO, THE FABULOUS THUNDERBIRDS and FOGHAT are currently booked in The Lava Room.

“Colorado’s Only Casino Showroom”
“This 300 person showroom is home to National music acts, local bands, comedians, UFC viewings, sports parties and club type feel in the evenings.”

“The Lava Room is fully equipped with a state-of-the-art sound system, HD TVs at every turn, dance floor, private bar, sunken stage with three levels of seating and standing area, specialty VIP sections, and new outdoor patio conveniently located opposite of the stage.”

The Reserve’s website shows basic room-rates from around $90.00 to $180.00. On the upper-end, suites run $140.00 to $200.00.

The rooms are definitely rock & roll: done-up in ***black/orange, yellow/black etc. That took a while to digest, but knowing the black/orange, black/red are all about the “color of fire” makes sense. The important things are that the rooms are clean and secure with flat-screens, coffee-makers, iron/ironing boards, hair dryers, shampoo/conditioner etc. and ice-makers/vending machines just down the hall, small refers and acceptable carpeting. It seems as though Fortune Valley was not in perfect condition when The Reserve took over. All in all it’s acceptable lodging, in my opinion. The beds are extremely comfortable.

The thing that’s more than acceptable is the little cafeteria/restaurant that serves, in my opinion, one of the best all-things-considered breakfast-buffet ever. $1.99 w/players card gets you: scrambled eggs – in several varieties, pancakes, biscuits and gravy, ham/sausage/bacon, hash-browns, fruit, muffins, bagels with a schmear and all of the rest of important basic American breakfast fare. The buffet is very compact compared to the bigs, but it’s really very adequate. I’ve not sampled the lunch or dinner yet but will in due time. Even if I stay at a different hotel, I’m sure I’d do The Chef’s Kitchen for breakfast.

Lil Buffet at The Reserve — Lil' Buffet at The Reserve

Here are the current prices and hours:
Breakfast: Monday through Friday, 7am – 11am, $5.99 – $1.99 w/players card
Lunch: Monday through Friday, 11am – 4pm, $7.99*
Dinner: Sunday through Thursday, 4pm – 8pm, $10.99*
Champagne Brunch: Saturday and Sunday, 7am – 4pm, $10.99*
Specialty-Dinner: Friday, Steak & Shrimp and Saturday, Prime Rib, 4pm – 8pm, $10.99*
*No discount with players card

There is also a little sandwich shop called Java Express that offers several Panini sandwiches for $5.99;
they also serve salads for about $4-bucks, beverages and Pizza slices ($1.99 or $.99 w/players card)
and whole pies for $5.99 and $10.99, or Calzones $7.99. Beer is available here by the glass or pitcher.

The Reserve also sports a fine-dining Tuscan steak house. Ardore, the Italian restaurant at the casino and hotel, features a 500-bottle wine display. This upscale restaurant is open Friday – Sunday evenings. Dinners are $16.00 – $23.00 – visit the website for complete menus. “Tom Celani is one of the owners of Reserve Casino Hotel, and has a commitment to provide Ardore Tuscan Steakhouse-Seafood-Wine Experience with the highest quality wine, food and guest service. Celani Family wines are featured in Reserve’s gourmet room, named after the Celani Family vineyards prestige wine Ardore.”

****I really can’t comment on the gaming since I really don’t know the casino yet other than saying that they have the standard electronic slots, including video-poker, Keno, Double Bonus and all of the Micky Mouse machines that are so prevalent today. Live tables include poker, blackjack, craps and roulette. ****New gaming information below.

**”The Richest Square Mile On Earth:” “The Colorado Gold Rush began in 1858, leading prospective miners and settlers to discover modest gold deposits in the South Platte River and Cherry Creek in the modern-day Denver area.” “In May of 1859, a major gold strike was found close to Clear Creek in the Rocky Mountains, and Central City was born. By July over 10,000 people lived in the new town of Central City and the surrounding areas.” “By the end of 1859, between $1-1/2 & $2 million in gold was estimated as having been discovered, and the region quickly became known as “The Richest Square Mile On Earth” read more…

***After spending another comped night at The Reserve, I was delighted to find that they also have more tastefully decorated rooms like the room with Robin-blue walls in the photo below.

****Well I finally tasted the gaming at The Reserve, and it tasted pretty damn good. Usually I don’t like to comment on gaming since it can be a dicey situation if someone reads an article and looses cash. I’ll just lay it out as it was, but please don’t “bank” on the information leading you to winning hands. I searched for a particular type of machine. I like to play Video Poker and Keno machines, usually in small denominations like pennies or nickels. I found a machine and it was smoke’n. In a two-hour stretch, I hit several four-of-a-kinds, one of which was four-4s which, as you may know pays pretty good. This was a Multi Game slot with variable coin choices of $.05, $.25, $.50 and $1.00. This could be a fluke or as is usually the case I just happened to be in the right place at the right time. Whatever the reason, it’s always better to win than to loose. I reserve the right to not reveal the slot or the location – other than saying that I was on the lower floor. Are the slots in the Colorado mountains finally loosening up a bit?

The Reserve - Blue Hotel Room — The Reserve, Blue Hotel Room - photo by WCCarbone

On my last trip up to Central City I snapped this cool (and wet) photo with my little Canon SD 1200 IS. A very welcome rain was saturating the mountain-side. FYI: Those mounds of golden-hued earth are tailings from the gold mines.

Central City in a summer rain - photo by WCCarbone

Some photos are from The Reserve. See more photos on The Reserve’s website.

Visit The Reserve’s Official Website
Visit the Main pages of LasVegasBuffetClub.Com

Miscellaneous

CHESTNUT WINS 6TH STRAIGHT HOT DOG TITLE

July 4, 2012 William Carbone

AP Associated Press

Nathans Top Dog, Joey Chestnut — Nathan's Top Dog - Joey Chestnut

Joey Chestnut – sets new record by eating 68 franks in annual contest.

NEW YORK – Joey Chestnut ate his way to a sixth straight win at the Fourth of July hot dog eating contest at Coney Island on Wednesday, tying his personal best in a sweaty, gag-inducing spectacle.

The 28-year-old San Jose, Calif., man nicknamed “Jaws” scarfed down 68 hot dogs in 10 minutes in the sweltering summer heat to take home $10,000 and the mustard yellow belt. He bested his main rival by 16 dogs.

“I feel good, it was a great win,” Chestnut said after the contest, adding he wished he could have eaten a record number of hot dogs for the audience. “I tried my best. I’m looking forward to next year already.”

Second place went to Tim Janus of New York with 52 hot dogs, who received $5,000. Third place went to Patrick Bertoletti of Chicago with 51, who won $2,500 read more…

Nathan’s Hot Dog Contest – Official Page…

Miscellaneous

The Full Buck Moon: July 3rd at 2:52 PM, Las Vegas Time

July 4, 2012 William Carbone

July is the month of the Full Buck Moon.

Bucks begin to grow new antlers at this time. This full Moon was also known as the Thunder Moon, because thunderstorms are so frequent during this month.

Find more about July’s Moon at The Old Farmer’s Almanac…

Las Vegas Gaming, Las Vegas Information

Casino owner Steve Wynn surprises needy Las Vegans with $2 million, sends tongues wagging

June 26, 2012 William Carbone Leave a comment

Arrogant Casino mogul Steve(ie-boy) Wynn — Arrogant casino-mogul Steve(ie-boy) Wynn, A.K.A Stephen Alan Weinberg - LVBC*

Julie Jacobson, File/Associated Press – FILE – In this April 27, 2011 file photo, Steve Wynn is interviewed in Las Vegas. Wynn was revealed as the Las Vegas casino owner who donated an anonymous gift of $500 each to 4,000 southern Nevada families in recent months. The $2 million gift to the United Way of Southern Nevada was the charitable organization’s largest donation to date, and for months, guessing the identity of the donor

By Associated Press, Published: June 25

LAS VEGAS — To LeRoy Stapleton, $500 could mean the difference between prolonged homelessness and finding a job that could get him back on his feet.

“It would be a big help,” said Stapleton, who lined up with 30 other people outside a Las Vegas unemployment office Monday morning waiting for it to open. “You need money to make money. If I had some gas, I could find a job.”

A Las Vegas casino owner’s anonymous gift of $500 each to 4,000 southern Nevada families in recent months has had tongues wagging in a state with the highest unemployment rate in the nation. The $2 million gift to the United Way of Southern Nevada was the charitable organization’s largest donation to date, and for months, guessing the identity of the donor became a popular pastime in Las Vegas.

The first round of families received $500 bank gift cards just before Christmas 2011. Another 2,000 families received the donations Saturday in Las Vegas. The families were not told how much they would receive. Casino titan Steve Wynn confessed earlier this month to a newspaper columnist that he was the not-so-secret donor, but the families were never told Wynn was behind the funds read more…
——————————————————————————————————————–
*Tag by LasVegasBuffetClub.Com
“But he wouldn’t shake their hands” “Stevie-boy doesn’t like plain-citizens to stand too close to him.” – LVBC editor & janitor
The question remains, did Steve Wynn ruin Las Vegas?

Visit the main pages of LasVegasBuffetClub

Colorado Information

La Loma Mexican Restaurant in Denver

June 17, 2012 William Carbone

First published 5/29/2012

La Loma is the Real-Deal traditional, Mexican restaurant in an old house in the “old neighborhood.”
2527 W. 26th Ave.
Denver, CO 80211
Phone (303) 433.8300
Fax (303) 433.8309

As I sat at the patio (above left behind the wall) behind a thick vine as patches of sunlight, cool shade and leaves were soothing the mind as the very decent Margarita was soothing the rest of me, I thought that this may be the very best traditional Mexican restaurant in the Denver area.

Knowing about the patio but never sitting there, as we did yesterday, was like discovering a new restaurant. The old patio is adorned with old brick of varying shapes and shades, wood shutters and as aforementioned, a wall of lacy vines – not to mention white tablecloths on the dozen or so tables along the narrow patio. This is the class of Mexican culture at it’s very best.

This old, Denver tradition, Mexican restaurant on the west-side is serving classic Mexican food in an old house (the house on Diamond Hill) built in 1887. The restaurant is richly decorated in rich woods with dark accents, high ceilings with skylights, quality tables/chairs/booths, a warm inviting vibe and a vintage tortilla machine. A cozy bar for 10-12 is the perfect place to wait a few minutes for a table. Happy hour (Mon – Sat/ 2pm – 6pm) offers $6-7 Margaritas, wine, beer and discounted apps.

The menu (click the main website) offers the classics: Enchiladas (two/ $9.75-10.25,) Tacos (3/ $9.95-11.25,) Burritos (2/ $8.75-10.50,) Combinations: 1/ 7.95 2/ 10.25 3/ 12.25 4/ 13.95 as well as Fajitas (around $10.95-$16.95, $25.25, for two) and other specialties – check the La Loma’s website for the full menu. The salsa is thick and hot and the tortillas are hand crafted. This my friends is a good restaurant.

The main dining room is warm and cozy of course, also with dark woods, a high ceiling and cozy booths.

The lovely Juana, all in black, graced our table with good cheer and Latin beauty.

The Official La Loma Website
Visit the main pages of LasVegasBuffetClub.com

Miscellaneous

And yet another Full Moon June 4, 2012

June 2, 2012 William Carbone

The Strawberry Moon will be 100% full June 4, 2012 at 4:11 AM Las Vegas time, according to The Old Farmer’s Almanac.

The month of June’s full Moon’s name is the Full Strawberry Moon. June’s Full Strawberry Moon got its name because the Algonquin tribes knew it as a signal to gather ripening fruit.

It was often known as the Full Rose Moon in Europe (where strawberries aren’t native).

June 2012 – by Bob Berman, as featured in The 2012 Old Farmer’s Almanac:
“A skimpy partial lunar eclipse, visible from western North America, occurs just before dawn on the 4th . The year’s celestial highlight is the transit of Venus across the Sun’s face on the 5th. This rare event, visible in the afternoon in the United States and Canada, will not recur until 2117. Observing this transit requires eye protection but no other special equipment. Meanwhile Mercury is a low evening star, at its brightest and most easily seen from the 12th to the 20th. Mars crosses into Virgo and hovers above the Moon on the 25th. Saturn, high in the south at nightfall, sits at the left of the Moon on the 27th. The solstice brings summer at 7:09 P.M. on the 20th.”

Visit the main pages of LasVegasBuffetClub.Com

Miscellaneous

Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’s 45th Anniversary

May 31, 2012 William Carbone

Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band turns 45 this Friday June 1, 2012. The album was issued on June 1, 1967.

Visit the main pages of LasVegasBuffetClub.Com

Miscellaneous

Memorial Day – May 28, 2012

May 26, 2012 William Carbone

From USMemorialDay.Org

“Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation’s service. There are many stories as to its actual beginnings, with over two dozen cities and towns laying claim to being the birthplace of Memorial Day. There is also evidence that organized women’s groups in the South were decorating graves before the end of the Civil War: a hymn published in 1867, “Kneel Where Our Loves are Sleeping” by Nella L. Sweet carried the dedication “To The Ladies of the South who are Decorating the Graves of the Confederate Dead” (Source: Duke University’s Historic American Sheet Music, 1850-1920). While Waterloo N.Y. was officially declared the birthplace of Memorial Day by President Lyndon Johnson in May 1966, it’s difficult to prove conclusively the origins of the day. It is more likely that it had many separate beginnings; each of those towns and every planned or spontaneous gathering of people to honor the war dead in the 1860’s tapped into the general human need to honor our dead, each contributed honorably to the growing movement that culminated in Gen Logan giving his official proclamation in 1868. It is not important who was the very first, what is important is that Memorial Day was established. Memorial Day is not about division. It is about reconciliation; it is about coming together to honor those who gave their all”.

“Memorial Day was officially proclaimed on 5 May 1868 by General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, in his General Order No. 11, and was first observed on 30 May 1868, when flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery. The first state to officially recognize the holiday was New York in 1873. By 1890 it was recognized by all of the northern states. The South refused to acknowledge the day, honoring their dead on separate days until after World War I (when the holiday changed from honoring just those who died fighting in the Civil War to honoring Americans who died fighting in any war). It is now celebrated in almost every State on the last Monday in May (passed by Congress with the National Holiday Act of 1971 (P.L. 90 – 363) to ensure a three day weekend for Federal holidays), though several southern states have an additional separate day for honoring the Confederate war dead: January 19 in Texas, April 26 in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and Mississippi; May 10 in South Carolina; and June 3 (Jefferson Davis’ birthday) in Louisiana and Tennessee” read more…

Visit the main pages of LasVegasBuffetClub.Com

Miscellaneous

Everything you need to know about the May 20, 2012 Eclipse

May 20, 2012 William Carbone

Play this video as you browse the story, would be my suggestion…

From NASA

Annular Solar Eclipse of May 20

The first solar eclipse of 2012 occurs at the Moon’s descending node in central Taurus. An annular eclipse will be visible from a 240 to 300 kilometre-wide track that traverses eastern Asia, the northern Pacific Ocean and the western United States. A partial eclipse is seen within the much broader path of the Moon’s penumbral shadow, that includes much of Asia, the Pacific and the western 2/3 of North America.

The annular path begins in southern China at 22:06 UT. Because the Moon passed through apogee one day earlier (May 19 at 16:14 UT), its large distance from Earth produces a wide path of annularity. Traveling eastward, the shadow quickly sweeps along the southern coast of Japan as the central line duration of annularity grows from 4.4 to 5.0 minutes.

Tokyo lies 10 kilometres north of the central line. For the over 10 million residents within the metropolitan area, the annular phase will last 5 minutes beginning at 22:32 UT (on May 21 local time). The annular ring is quite thick because the Moon’s apparent diameter is only 94% that of the Sun. Traveling with a velocity of 1.1 kilometres/second, the antumbral shadow leaves Japan and heads northeast across the Northern Pacific. The instant of greatest eclipse [1] occurs at 23:52:47 UT when the eclipse magnitude [2] reaches 0.9439. At that instant, the duration of annularity is 5 minutes 46 seconds, the path width is 237 kilometres and the Sun is 61° above the flat horizon formed by the open ocean read more…

NASA’s official site

LasVegasBuffetClub's Blog

The Reserve Casino Hotel in Central City, Colorado

CHESTNUT WINS 6TH STRAIGHT HOT DOG TITLE

The Full Buck Moon: July 3rd at 2:52 PM, Las Vegas Time

Casino owner Steve Wynn surprises needy Las Vegans with $2 million, sends tongues wagging

La Loma Mexican Restaurant in Denver

And yet another Full Moon June 4, 2012

Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’s 45th Anniversary

Memorial Day – May 28, 2012

Everything you need to know about the May 20, 2012 Eclipse

LasVegasBuffetClub's BLOG Pages