NV50 mixes drinks and fine food
 |
|
Becky Bosshart, [email protected]
January 21, 2005
Print
Email
NV50, a new restaurant/lounge east of Carson City in Mound House, is
a $2 million endeavor to establish a late-night hotspot and a family restaurant
in one package.
Owner Dennis Hof, most well known for his Moonlite
BunnyRanch brothel, said his plan to open an upscale restaurant in the Carson
City area began about three years ago. It opened Dec. 28.
But getting
away from his reputation as a world-famous brothel owner may take a little
longer - his BunnyRanch is less than a mile away.
NV50, at 10051 Highway
50 E., is the operational name for the Moonlite Bar and Grille and its Ultra
Lounge. The lounge is a crushed-red velvet-upholstered social setting complete
with flat-screen TVs, a fireplace, an Internet station and a pool
table.
"People will find with my place that the food quantities are huge
and the price is right," Hof said. "When people ask me to describe NV50, I say
it's like a Cheesecake Factory meets California Pizza Kitchen."
And it's
not a strip club. Hof said people walk in daily looking for adult entertainment;
instead, they find a family restaurant with hardwood floors, Michael Goddard
artwork on the walls and the gilded mirrors.
"Someone spread a rumor that
it's a strip club, and it went around like wildfire," Hof said. "We have a sign
that says 'live entertainment,' and a lot of people just assumed 'live
entertainment' meant strippers. But it's not that way. We have the best DJs and
Rockin' Robin."
Rockin' Robin is NV50's featured
entertainer, whom Hof recruited from Carnival Cruise Lines. During his
performance, the singer walks through the restaurant with his guitar around his
shoulders, greeting patrons with a wireless microphone.
Since Hof is so
well known for his brothel business, he said diners often request to take a
photo with him and some may ask if the two enterprises will mingle. But Hof said
Lyon County didn't address this possibility.
"They never talked to us
about it because they know that's not what it is," he said. "And there's no need
for that. Everybody in America knows where the BunnyRanch is. We're world
famous."
Despite Hof's assertion that NV50 is a family restaurant and a
party place for all ages, the Adult Industry News Web site suggests a little
more.
In an article on its Web site, it says, "NV50 will be a great place
for outdates. The BunnyRanch customers will be treated as VIP at NV50 and the
Moonlite Grille." The source it credits is a Moonlite BunnyRanch company press
release. That quote is also on the BunnyRanch's Web site.
Hof selected
all of NV50's management, including Gordon Flett, who is the director of
operations. Flett was previously the general manager of Le Petit Pier in South
Lake Tahoe.
"Our goal is to offer high-quality service and products at a
very reasonable price in an upscale facility," Flett said.
NV50 is about
6,000 square feet and has about 40 employees. Flett said the menu contains 50
items, including Angus-certified beef hamburgers, steak, seafood and pizza. The
wine list includes 60 wines and champagnes.
Rockin' Robin performs Tuesday to Saturday from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. DJs
spin music on Wednesday, the over-18 dance night, Friday and Saturday from 9:30
p.m. until 3 a.m.
Chef Larry Lawrence, who owned Inn Cognito in Genoa,
said he likes home- style food with a flair.
"We tried to fashion our
menu so that everybody can come in and enjoy it, from the Rockin' Robin crowd to
the hip-hop crowd at night," he said.
Contact reporter Becky
Bosshart at [email protected] or
881-1212.
NV50 Moonlite Grille and Ultra
Lounge
10051 Highway 50 E.
Mound
House
246-4477
http://www.nv50.com/
The restaurant is open
daily at 4 p.m.
Full menu offered until 10 p.m. Sunday to Thursday and
11 p.m. Friday and Saturday
Ultra Lounge open until midnight during the
week and until 3 a.m. on weekends
