YES, RENO IS A COLLEGE TOWN: STROLLING THE UNR CAMPUS

When someone mentions Reno, the words “college town” don’t automatically spring to mind.  Yet The Biggest Little City is home to the flagship campus of University of Nevada.

Founded as the State University in 1874 in Elko, the university moved to more populated Reno in 1885.  Presently, University of Nevada, Reno — or UNR, as it is commonly called in-state —  boasts a delightful mix of old and new architecture on its pretty campus, just north of downtown Reno.

If you park in the multi-level garage or surface lots near the Lawlor Events Center, some of the first buildings you’ll see are the modern, “green” Joe Crowley Student Union, which opened in 2007 and the Mathewson-IGT Knowledge Center (library) which opened in 2008.

Joe Crowley Student Union

Mathewson-IGT Knowledge Center

At the far south end of the UNR campus, facing “the quad,” is Morill Hall which dates back to the late 1800s.

The UNR Quad, with historic Morill Hall at the south end

You don’t have to be a student or faculty member to enjoy a stroll around the grounds at UNR.  My family did just that on a recent sunny day.  It was  refreshing to see signs of spring all around us. 

And we had just eaten lunch elsewhere, but if that had not been the case, there are several restaurants in UNR's student union, serving bagels, sub sandwiches, Mexican, Italian and Asian foods.

A few months back, my husband and I attended a wonderful performance by UNR orchestra students at Nightingale Concert Hall.   Tickets were inexpensive and the concert included a guest soloist from the Reno Philharmonic.

I’ve also been impressed by UNR’s L-Cubed series: “Look, Lunch, Listen.”  These are free, noontime music recitals in the Rotunda at the Mathewson-IGT Knowledge Center.  Community members are invited to bring a lunch or snack, while advanced music students and professors play chamber music.  (Several of these sessions happened last fall; I'm not sure when they will be scheduled again.)

Some fun facts about the UNR campus:  In the 1940s, several Hollywood movies were filmed there, including “Mr. Belvedere Goes To College," “Andy Hardy’s Blonde Trouble” and “Mother is a Freshman.”

And Gutzon Borglum, who carved Mount Rushmore with his son Lincoln Borglum,  was the artist who carved the bronze statue of  John Mackay that stands in front of  UNR’s Mackay School of Mines.  Irish immigrant John Mackay was instrumental in directing the extraction of more than $100 million in ore during Virginia City’s  glory days in the 1870s.  Mackay's heirs funded many facilities at UNR and the football stadium is named for the family, as well.

John Mackay statue at Mackay School of Mines

I’ve always known that UNR had a strong mining program, an award-winning journalism school, a respected medical school and so on.  More recently, I’ve learned that UNR is a leader in earthquake research — and nature conservation studies, aided by Reno’s proximity to Lake Tahoe.

It’s obvious, too, that Nevada’s athletic teams, the Wolf Pack, generate a lot of pride and excitement here in Reno. 

If you’re a local who has ignored the UNR campus or a visitor to Reno, don't be a stranger! Take some time to discover what the university has to offer.   

A campus map and much more information are online at http://www.unr.edu/discover-nevada .

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LIKABLE LUNCHES AT BANGKOK CUISINE SOUTH

Like most kids, mine went through phases when they’d only eat chicken nuggets or macaroni and cheese.  Years later, they go for piquant cuisine such as Thai or Indian.

My son is in South Reno this week and he had a taste for Pad Thai.  His local Thai favorite is Bangkok Cuisine South, 5851 S. Virginia St.  The location is fluky — it’s attached to a Days Inn Motel, where you’d expect to see a diner like Denny’s, rather than an ethnic restaurant.

But during our noontime visit on Wednesday, many fellow diners were conducting business lunches.  And the atmosphere at Bangkok Cuisine South is suited to that.  It’s not ultra-formal but it’s much more refined than a burgers-and-fries joint.

Bangkok Cuisine South offers daily lunch specials for $7.95.  These feature a choice of two entrees, accompanied by a curry pop (it looks like a jalapeno popper but is stuffed with curry), steamed rice and a small cup of wonton soup.  I selected Fried Tofu with Mixed Vegetables and Chicken with Bean Thread Noodles.

Lunch combo at Bangkok Cuisine South

Additional lunch specials that day were Chicken Curry with Mixed Vegetables, Beef with Basil Leaves or Sweet and Sour Pork.

My son’s Pad Thai ($11, from the regular menu) was a plate of  stir-fried Thai noodles with chicken, shrimp, tofu, egg, ground peanuts, bean sprouts and scallions.  Our server brought him a complimentary cup of soup, too.

Pad Thai

Wonton soup

Entrees at Bangkok Cuisine South can be ordered mild (one star), medium (two stars) hot (three stars) or all the way up to 10 stars, if you want your food so incendiary that Adam Richman of “Man v. Food” might show up to film you while you’re sweating profusely and crying.  My son usually sticks with two stars.  On a previous occasion, he asked for three stars and was begging for water.

My entrees were lightly spiced (one star) yet really flavorful. The fried tofu wasn’t greasy and the vegetables (carrots, broccoli, cabbage, green onions and pea pods) were perfectly tender-crisp.   The chicken and super-fine bean thread noodles included onions, basil, cilantro and scallions.

Service was speedy, another positive selling point for lunch specials at Bangkok Cuisine South.  Diners who are on the clock won’t have to holler, “Check, please!”  Soft, instrumental background music and attractive Asian art also make this a relaxing setting, conducive to conversation.

We’ve never visited Reno’s Bangkok Cuisine Midtown, at 55 Mt. Rose St.  It is owned by the same folks and appears to have the same menu, including curry dishes, noodle dishes, fried rice, seafood, duck, appetizers, desserts, beer and cocktails.

For more information about Bangkok Cuisine South and Bangkok Cuisine Midtown in Reno, visit  http://thaifoodreno.com/ .

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RENO RIVERWALK: A PLACE TO SEE, BE SEEN AND SOAK UP SOME SUNSHINE

“In your Easter bonnet, with all the frills upon it, you’ll be the grandest lady in the Easter parade …” was the introduction to Irving Berlin’s tune from the classic musical “Easter Parade.”  The song recalls society ladies and gents strolling down New York City’s 5^th Avenue in their holiday finery — in the days when grown women still wore Easter bonnets.

In downtown Reno, a likely place for an unofficial fashion parade — on Easter weekend or any fair-weather weekend —might be the Reno Riverwalk.  This “see and be seen” promenade, which follows the Truckee River between South Virginia Street and Arlington Avenue, was quieter than usual this past weekend.  Although the weather was sunny, there was still a nip in the air.

But you can bet that as the temperatures climb, you’ll see much more activity around this district that has been named among America’s Coolest River Walks by Travel & Leisure magazine.  That list was topped by river walks in San Antonio, Chicago and Milwaukee.  It’s a big deal when the Biggest Little City can be included in such company!

Going west from Virginia Street, you pass trendy restaurants such as Wild River Grille and Campo and the Century Theatres.  Even in cool weather, you’ll nearly always see a few kayakers. 

If you keep walking west past Arlington, you can see some of Old Southwest Reno’s stately homes.

At the center of the riverwalk, there are places to sit and views of  a couple of historic houses of worship, First United Methodist Church and Trinity Episcopal Church.

On the east side of South Virginia Street, there’s a plaza (where the famous Mapes Hotel stood, long ago) that is used as an ice skating rink in the winter.  In the spring and summer, skateboarders and food trucks can be found there.

Upping the appeal of the riverwalk is its close proximity to cultural attractions such as the Nevada Museum of Art, Pioneer Center for the Performing Arts and National Automobile Museum (home of the internationally-acclaimed Harrah Collection).  

The Reno Riverwalk District also hosts popular wine walks. And a special “Dine The District Food Tour” event is planned for Saturday, May 4, 2013.

To learn more about all the things to see and do near the Reno Riverwalk, visit http://www.renoriver.org/ .

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MIGHTY MEATBALL SANDWICHES AND MORE AT NIK-N-WILLIES PIZZA-DELI

Nik-n-Willies Pizza-Deli has a cute slogan: “Friends Don’t Let Friends Eat Franchise Pizza.”  Celebrating its 20^th anniversary in South Reno, this rustic, family-owned restaurant is located at 1485 Geiger Grade (NV-341), about a mile east of The Summit shopping center.

Westbound Geiger Grade (NV-341), heading toward The Summit shopping center

The countrified dining room at Nik-n-Willies isn’t the best spot for a marriage proposal.  

Yet a Little League team or Scout troop would be perfectly comfortable here. And in fact, photos and plaques on the walls reflect the restaurant’s support for nearby schools including Brown Elementary, Damonte Ranch High School and Galena High School.

At dinnertime on a recent Saturday, no one was eating-in at Nik-n-Willies but the teens in the kitchen were engaged in filling a steady stream of carry-out orders.  

Several customers knew the employees personally and shot the breeze with them while waiting for take-and-bake or hot-to-go pizzas.

The take-out menu for Nik-n-Willies emphasizes that its “hand-tossed dough and savory sauces are homemade and our selected cheeses are grated daily.”  There are long lists of Nik-n-Willies Favorites pizzas with regional names like Comstock Lode, Sierra, Washoe Zephyr and more, plus loads of individual ingredients for Build-Your-Own Pizzas, in sizes from small to extra-large.

Calzones, chicken wings, salads and sandwiches are on the menu, too.  The description for the Hot Meatball Sandwich ($5.95) reads, “Our signature sandwich will not leave you hungry!  Zesty meatballs marinated in red sauce, with a generous helping of melting mozzarella cheese. IRRESISTIBLE!”

Well, if something is labeled a “signature dish”  — at a neighborhood restaurant that’s been around for 20 years — that means you have to try it. 

The Nik-n-Willies Hot Meatball Sandwich is indeed a hefty and delicious “knife-and-fork” kind of  sandwich, big enough for two people to split, as my hubby and I did.

It had the made-from-scratch quality you’d expect from your grandma’s kitchen.

Nik-n-Willies Hot Meatball Sandwich

Other eye-catching options,  to possibly try on a return visit, include Hot Italian Dip or Hot Pastrami sandwiches ($5.50 and $5.95, respectively).

Since pizza here is the main event, of course, we tried a couple of those, too —  a small sausage pizza ($8.50) and a small Earthborn pizza ($12.50) topped with mushrooms, black olives, green peppers, red onions, artichoke hearts and tomatoes.

Small sausage pizza at Nik-n-Willies

Nik-n-Willies Earthborn pizza (with parmesan and crushed red pepper)

We didn’t know, until after we’d ordered our pizzas, that thin-crust pizza is available at Nik-n-Willies.  We’ll request that next time, as the medium-crust pizza was “bready” for our tastes.  I really liked the abudance of  fresh veggies on the Earthborn pizza, however.

Nik-n-Willies seems very keen on pleasing local families and frequently mails out coupons urging South Renoites to discover the difference from franchise pizza. (By the way, please note that Nik-n-Willies on Geiger Grade is not affiliated with a similarly-named Nick-N-Willy's chain in Colorado).

While the pizza at Nik-n-Willies is not gourmet — at least not by my Chicago pizza standards —we try to help local businesses and would surely choose Nik-n-Willies over a chain like Papa John’s.  

To order from Nik-n-Willies, call (775) 851-4400. To view the menu, visit http://www.pizzanik.com/menu.html .

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RENO PHILHARMONIC DAY AND A WORLD-PREMIERE

Sunday, March 17, 2013 was Reno Philharmonic Day in the State of Nevada, as declared by Governor Brian Sandoval.  The Reno Philharmonic presented Classix Five, a sold-out concert including a world-premiere.

Chesapeake: Summer of 1814 was composed by Michael Gandolfi as an exclusive commission for the Reno Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus. It pays tribute to “The Star-Spangled Banner.”  The 200^th anniversary of our National Anthem will be celebrated in 2014.

As explained in the program notes, written by Dana Bonstrom, “Chesapeake: Summer of 1814 is a meditation on the importance of music in the lives and endeavors of our forebears (and their British cousins) in the early years of the nineteenth century. The work is predicated almost exclusively on contemporary accounts of the music that was sung and played in the course of the prosecution of the War of 1812.”

The Classix Five concert took place at Downtown Reno’s Pioneer Center for the Performing Arts, 100 S. Virginia St.  

Pioneer Center in Downtown Reno

The Chesapeake: Summer of 1814 segment featured visual direction and design by artist Anne Patterson.

My husband and I missed much of that, due to being seated at the very front of the auditorium, directly in front of the cello and bass violin players.  

We had thought our seats were in the back of the main floor.  Our close-up view was interesting, to a certain extent —  we could very clearly see music director Laura Jackson, who is extremely animated while conducting.  And the string players were obviously passionate about the music.

In the future, though, we’d like to sit farther back, to see the rest of the orchestra, the chorus and the visual effects, as well.

"The House" at the Pioneer Center

NOTE: Photos inside the Pioneer Center were taken before the concert began.  Photography and videography are not permitted during performances.

Also on yesterday's Reno Phil program was William Schuman's Casey At the Bat, with outstanding solos by choral director/soprano Jennifer Tibben and baritone Craig Verm.

For us, the highlight of the concert was Manuel de Falla’s Scenes and Dances from The Three-Cornered Hat, a very complex piece with a Spanish flair.

Prior to Classix performances by the Reno Phil, Laura Jackson leads a lecture/discussion which is free for all ticket holders.  This is a nice feature for music students or anyone who wants to learn more about the composers and the stories or events which inspired the music.

The Reno Phil also sponsors several youth programs to supplement and encourage music participation throughout Washoe County School District in Northern Nevada.

Another performance of the Reno Phil's Classix Five program is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 19, 2013 at the Pioneer Center.

For more information about the Reno Philharmonic and its upcoming events, call the Pioneer Center Box Office at (775) 686-6600 or visit http://www.renophil.com/ .

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LEGENDS MALL AND THE SPARKS MARINA PARK

The Legends Mall, 1310 Scheels Dr. in Sparks — a short drive east of Reno — is officially called Outlets at Legends, although not all of the shops there are actual outlet (discount) stores.

Among the outlets at Legends  are Adidas, Ann Taylor, Banana Republic, Carter’s, Gap, Guess, Jones New York, Lane Bryant, Old Navy, Skechers and more.  Non-outlet stores include Scheels, Best Buy, Bath and Body Works, Forever 21, Game Stop, Lowe's and more.

Dining at Legends ranges from cheap, fast food (Taco Bell, Subway, Popeye’s, etc.) to moderately-priced restaurants such as Olive Garden, Fuddruckers and BJ’s Brewhouse.

My family has never had real success shopping at this mall.  The outlet merchandise isn’t dazzling and the non-outlet stores don’t have much that we couldn’t buy at the more conveniently-located Summit or Meadowood malls in South Reno. 

History buffs and outdoor art fans, though, might appreciate the tributes to Nevada Legends scattered around the open-air Legends Mall.  Plaques and sculptures honor such figures as Mark Twain, Pony Express riders and big horn sheep.

Mark Twain

A Pony Express rider, traversing the state of Nevada

Big Horn Sheep

The Legends Web site includes links to local casinos, hotels and RV parking.

It is hard to believe that anyone would consider Legends a tourist destination, but perhaps folks who are passing through Northern Nevada or staying in Reno/Sparks for other events might enjoy a few hours looking for outlet bargains.

Very near Legends is the Sparks Marina Park.  Located at 300 Howard Dr., Sparks, the park’s focal point is a small lake that came about accidentally.

The site was a gravel pit, operated by the Helms Construction Company from 1968-1995.  In 1987, toxic waste was discovered at the site and a comprehensive cleanup ensued.  In 1996, the City of the Sparks took over the property — by then, decontamination had been fully completed —  to create a municipal park with a recreational pond.  The plan was to fill the gravel pit with approximately 30 feet of water.  But the Truckee River flooded in 1997, filling the pit.

Presently, the average depth of water in the lake at Sparks Marina is 60 feet. Some parts are as deep as 120 feet.  As such, different areas of the lake are designated for activities including swimming, fishing, boating and even scuba diving.

In warm-weather months, the Sparks Marina Park is very busy.  There are walking trails, picnic and playground facilities, volleyball courts  and special events with music and other entertainment.  A perfect example of making lemonade out of lemons!

For more information about Legends Mall, call (775) 358-3800 or visit http://www.experiencelegends.com/ .

To learn about the Sparks Marina Park, visit http://www.cityofsparks.us/residents/parks-and-facilities/sparks-marina .

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BUILD A BOWL OF STIR-FRY AT SOUTH RENO'S GENGHIS GRILL

You can order from a menu at Genghis Grill but it’s a treat to build your own bowl.

This stir-fry restaurant is part of a large chain but the South Reno location, at 191 Damonte Ranch Pkwy., was the first Genghis Grill I’d ever encountered. 

Genghis Grill is unique because you can truly customize your bowl.  For starters, you’re not limited to just one type of protein or the portion size of protein that goes into your bowl.  You can dish up a variety of meats or seafood — including some unexpected choices like pepperoni or sausage.  (Just leave enough room in your bowl for your other ingredients!)

There are also dozens of options among the seasonings, fruits, vegetables and sauces that you can put into your bowl.  This is a real draw if you’re trying to boost your consumption of produce or control how much sodium goes into your food.  And you won’t get stuck with an ingredient you loathe.  In my case, that would be baby corn.

Next, you take your bowl of goodies and your sauce selection to the stir-fry station and request the starch of your preference — white or brown rice, Udon noodles, spiral pasta or tortillas.

On our recent visit, my husband and I both ordered noodles.  I loaded my bowl with shrimp, tofu and veggies.

My husband’s bowl featured chicken, pork, pulled pork and veggies.  (We liked the Prepare to Attack wrapper from the fork and napkin, as seen from behind this bowl.  The Genghis Khan theme at this restaurant is silly, but a kid at a nearby table seemed amused by banging a gong while her mom stared at her iPhone.) 

Appetizers and “bottomless bowls” are also available at Genghis Grill but the regular-sized bowl is pretty satisfying.  Note: Take-home containers are not available with the bottomless bowl, for reasons that should be obvious.

The atmosphere at Genghis Grill is casual and service is quick and friendly.

By signing up for Khan’s Klub, you’ll get e-mails about promotions such as “kids eat free” days, as well as a free birthday bowl.  Genghis Grill also offers nutrition information online, so you can plan ahead if you’re trying to eat healthy.

For more information about the South Reno Genghis Grill, call (775) 851-2695 or visit http://www.genghisgrill.com/ .

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