Reno

Reno is not in Nevada.  It even says that on the floor of the dining room.  While it does have a rustic look, as might be expected to be found in Nevada, it has an unfinished ceiling, hardwood floors and tables, chairs of wood and wrought steel, and antique brick walls, the restaurant is located on the square of Logan Square next to its sister restaurant, Telegraph.  While it is one restaurant, it wears two completely faces for Breakfast and Lunch, and Dinner.  For Breakfast and Lunch, it is largely a coffee shop, serving flame-roasted bagels, bagel sandwiches,  pastries, and Stumptown Coffee.  For dinner, it becomes an Italian and Pizza joint, using their brick oven to make great, semi-Neapolitan-style pizzas.  They are very different but they sounded good so I came twice to try both versions of Reno.  For my breakfast, I started with a Snickerdoodle Muffin.  Snickerdoodles are cookies covered in cinnamon and sugar and generally have a cracked surface.  A snickerdoodle muffin is the same thing in muffin form.  The outside was cracked and crispy and the inside was soft and fluffy.  It was big, sweet, and nice, and I would be happy to eat it again. 

For the main part of my meal, I had to have a bagel as that is what they are advertising.  They have six types of bagel: Sesame, Everything, Olive & Herb, Poppy Seed, Cheese, and Pumpkin Seed which are flame roasted.  You can get a variety of schmears or jams or have it made into a bagel sandwich which is what I did.  I ordered an Everything Bagel (which has, as you might expect, sesame seeds, poppy seeds, pumpkin seeds, and herbs).  The sandwich was a standard breakfast sandwich with cheese (in this case, aged cheddar), scrambled eggs, and sausage.  The bagel was crisp and chewy with a slight smoky flavor although it doesn't quite have the chew of a boiled bagel and the sandwich that was built inside it was pretty good.  I really liked these bagels and I will definitely be back for them again.

For dinner, it becomes an Italian restaurant/pizzeria.  I was quickly seated and ordered.  The pizzas did look good but I was by myself and I wasn't going directly home.  I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to handle an entire pizza and I had no desire to carry a pizza box around all night.  I instead, went the standard restaurant route and ordered appetizer/side, entree, and dessert.  For my start, I ordered Shredded Brussels Sprouts with Red Cabbage, Tasso Ham (a spicy, slight cured piece of pork shoulder), and Chestnut Vinaigrette.  I like Brussels Sprouts but this was ridiculously good.  It looked like coleslaw with ham which, in a manner of speaking, it was.  It was crisp and spicy and the vinaigrette provided a creamy nuttiness.

For my entree, I had more pork.  I had Rigatoni with Pancetta, Guanciale, and Bacon with Amatriciana Sauce (a tomato based sauce using guanciale and pecorino cheese) and fresh Pecorino Cheese.  The Rigatoni was cooked perfectly.  It was smooth and slightly toothsome and there was pork in every bite.  I really liked this and would happily enjoy it again.

For dessert, I went with the Apple Crisp with Cinnamon Ice Cream.  This is a fairly standard comfort food dessert but prepared really well.  The crisp was wood fired and was served warm.  The Cinnamon Ice Cream was obviously served cold with a caramel sauce spread over it.  The crisp was crisp and a little tough to get through to get to the apples.  It was all crunchy, chewy, and sweet.  The apples were slightly tart and crisp and the ice cream provided the sweet, spicy, and cool.  I really enjoyed this and would definitely have it again.

I have enjoyed my trips to Reno (not Nevada) and will definitely be back.  They are very casual, relaxing, and make some great food.