Chai Tea Latte from Hi Point Cafe

I ran into a friend from college the other day and we decided to meet for coffee.  I suggested a place close to her, Dunkin Donuts.  I really wanted to try their flavored hot chocolates for the blog.  As it turns out she ended up on the other side of the valley, and suggested we meet at Hi Point Cafe.

I'm not gonna lie, I felt like I was cheating on Swill for a bit.  It's very similar set up, both independently owned coffee shops running on Square and locally ingredients.  Okay, that last bit might just be made up...but it sounds great doesn't it?

I looked for my go-to fake coffee, the Chai Latte.  The Chai Tea Latte was all I could find on the menu, so I ordered that.  It was, as suspected, more of a tea than a latte.  That is not really my jam, but it was great for what it was.  It was a great little cafe, wonderful for chatting and getting coffee if you are in the Kings Row area.  The only thing I'm not really fond of is that they close at 4:00 PM, so you have to make your dates pretty early if you want to hang out.

Hi Point Cafe
3687 Kings Row, Reno, NV 89503
(775) 787-2477
Monday-Sunday 7:00 AM-4:00 PM 

Cookie Monster Shake at The Original Mel's Diner inside The Sands

I don't have a very good history with Mel's Diner inside the Sands.  In college I got food poisoning twice, and to this day still can't eat mozzarella sticks.  I'm still wary of it, and most of the time I end up just getting a milkshake.

They recently made up some new milkshakes and I was eager to try out the "Cookie Monster," an oreo and cookie dough combo.  For the $6 price point I was hoping it was going to be good.

It tasted like a normal run of the mill oreo milkshake out of the gate.  It seemed near the end (as you can sort of tell from the photo) they had chunks of chocolate chips and cookie dough at the bottom.  Since you drink it out of a straw, and the lumps are too big for the straw, I have to think this wasn't really a great idea.  I'm also kind of sad to report that the chocolate chips were the waxy kind, and not really suitable for a quality shake.  They almost tasted like small nuts to me.

Overall I was pretty underwhelmed and won't be trying it again.  I'd be more apt to buy some oreos and put them in some cookie dough ice cream for a better outcome.  Mels does have another new one that is an orangesicle type of flavor, so I will be checking that out soon.


The Original Mels
345 North Arlington Ave Reno, NV 89501
775-337-6357
Open 24 Hours

Pack a Mean Punch at Rawbry

The Basement has officially opened, and it is hipster paradise.  The grey walls with stark white faux brick, the low black ceilings...it's a beautiful design.  You forget that you are actually in the basement of the old post office, even though you took a rickety looking set of stairs to get there.

Until it is revealed which "major retailer" is taking over upstairs (my money is on an Anthropologie or UNIQLO), this is all there is.  While I was there they were doing lots of construction, I think on a stage small enough it could only take poetry slams, and even then only Haiku's.

That's a joke, son.

Anyway, along with a coffee shop, flower shop, barber shop, and chocolate shop, there is a juice bar.  Locally owned Rawbry says that they are raw juice, and I think their location was inside the old jail cell, so robbery.  Raw + Robbery= Rawbry.  They even have a video on their site that looks like a local filmmaker saw Spring Breakers and decided to get creative.  The branding is so intense that I really thought this was a national brand that had deigned to come to Reno.

However it ended up happening, I'm very glad that they came.  When we arrived, they were very nice and gave us a lot of information about how they make their juice.  They gave us a sample of their "juice of the day" which happened to be the "Pack a Mean Punch."  It has Pineapple, Apple, Lemon, and Ginger.  It actually does have a bit of a kick to it, due to the ginger, but I loved it.  I love all four  ingredients, and together they were so great.  This amazing drink comes in a large glass bottle that looks like a wide mouth version of an old time milk bottle.  Because it's pretty, and made of glass, you feel like you need to hold onto it.  Rawbry gets that, and you get a dollar off your next drink if you bring it back to them.

You'll need that dollar, because this particular juice will set you back just under $10.  That's not a mis-type, you could go cheaper by getting the most expensive burrito bowl at Chipotle.  However, as I sit here thinking about how much I want the rest of the juice, eyeing the fridge, feeling my mouth water...geez it's almost worth it.

As I perused their website, I saw a few others that I wanted to try out; the Rawket Science, Matcha Latte, and the Jalapen'yo Business.  Of course the ones that sound the best to me are also the more expensive ones.  They do go as low as $5, and that might be the one I get next time.

As they are a local business, they might actually be in the running for the official state drink of Nevada.  I'll just have to take out a small loan in order to try the rest.

Rawbry
The Basement
50 S. Virginia St
Reno, NV 89501
775 384 3468

Monday-Friday	7AM–7PM		Satruday-Sunday 10AM-6PM

A Look Back: Dirty Martini @ParkonFremont

Happy New Year!

I started this blog about a year ago, and it's important to remember where I came from.  I've had many drinks in the last twelve months, and all of them are better than anything I ever got in Las Vegas. 

Case in point: The photo is a dirty martini that I ordered from Park on Fremont.  Let me first say that I love this bar.  It has a secret see-saw in the back, an amazing back patio, and the art on the walls is beautiful.  They have taxidermy animals all over the inside of the bar arranged in a way that makes it look like they are en flagrante.  It's that kind of interesting take on things that makes me want to come back to a bar, and I did go frequently while I was a Las Vegas Local.

That being said, the photo is a dirty martini that I ordered from Park on Fremont.  This wasn't after I finished half of it, and it's not a full size mason jar either.  This tasty 3/4ths of a shot of dirty martini set me back $10.00.  Though this was good, it tasted the same as the dirty martini I've gotten at Shea's in midtown, a super dive bar, for $5.00. 

If I found myself in Las Vegas again, I wouldn't turn down a trip to Park, but I wouldn't dare order something not on the special cheap menu.

Park on Fremont
506 Fremont St Las Vegas NV 89101
(702) 834-3160

Sunday-Thursday 11:00 AM-1:00 AM
Friday-Saturday 11:00 AM-3:00 AM