I first went to the Monte Carlo Pub and Brewery, located in the Monte Carlo hotel and casino in Las Vegas, about six years ago. I thought their beer was pretty good and the food fare was equal to above some brew pubs I've visited.
During our annual trip to Las Vegas for the Consumer's Electronics Show, we had to spend one night at the Monte Carlo due to a scheduling snafu. I was actually looking forward to doing so as I'd never stayed at the Monte Carlo, and it had been a while since I'd been to the Pub and Brewery.
The Pub and Brewery touts itself as being one of the largest brew pubs in the world. It's open and ornate with a lot of brass and dark woods throughout the place. Actually, I guess I didn't remember much about it being more of a sports bar when I was there before, but they had televisions throughout the place (they were showing the 2006 Orange Bowl game when we were in there).
I had a couple glasses of the Jackpot Pale Ale to start off. I guess I don't remember it being that weak of a Pale Ale in taste. It wasn't unpleasant, but it certainly wasn't as flavorful as other Pale Ale's I've grown accustomed to drinking. I felt they must tone down the hoppy-ness and bold nature of the Pale Ale for the tourists.
I then went to a High Roller Red lager. It sort of tasted flat and lifeless. It definitely was not like other Red's that I've had in the past. Once again, it wasn't unpleasant - but after traveling all day from Moline to Dallas-Fort Worth to Las Vegas, anything with "beer" in the title would be fine with me.
One of my colleauges got the Silver State Stout, which he also characterized as pretty weak in taste. He ended up switching to Bud Light, it was that unpleasing to him. We all agreed the taste of the beers probably had to appeal to a wide range of tourists and they probably made them weak just to appease the multitudes of tourists that come from all over the world. To me, I'd go just the opposite. But that's me.
I had the rib-eye steak sandwich served on a huge sourdough roll. It was too much bread. I ended up just eating the steak and leaving the bread. The fries that came with them were seasoned, but I didn't eat many of them.
The consensus in our group was the Pub and Brewery at the Monte Carlo was in the "fair" category. Nothing special about it, at all. I was disappointed because I somehow remember it as being a better brew pub than that. In addition to being more of a sports bar, they turn the place into kind of a disco with a D.J. after 10 p.m. on some nights, other nights they have a live band playing (a Prince tribute band - Purple Reign - was playing the nights they had live music). That's not a brew pub in my book.
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