Have you ever wandered into a new place on your own, thinking it would be a boring, quiet night, only to have this thought smashed and an evening unfold in front of you? The last time I can recall a night like this, I was in Madeline Island MN, it was some time ago.
I started this evening by asking at the hotel which place is the most popular in town for dinner. She replied immediately that The Star Hotel is the place to be. I took a Lyft to the location and sauntered into the bar, only to be greeted warmly by Angie Lawson, who would take care of me the whole night.
This is a Basque-style restaurant as many Basques had moved to Mexico, California and Nevada during the start of our country's history. Think gold. As such, Basque was kind of on the menu all night. I started with their Basque cocktail, then a beer and some charcuterie at the bar.
Once I recovered from that delicious starter, I gave Angie the nod and she took me to their main dining room. They sit everyone family style and while I did sit with two others initially, they picked up and left (their meal was over) and I was on my own at a back table. It worked out fine, I could concentrate on the food.
Everyone gets fresh-baked bread, soup, and salad along with your decided main course. I loved it all. Very tasty, very friendly folks...
Mmmm, pork chops...
Once my main meal was completed, I quickly returned to the lively bar area. I sat back down at the bar and had some more drinks, and the bread pudding below - which is awesome, btw!
All in all I believe I ate, drank and chatted with folks for 5 hours that night. It was a great way to spend a solo evening out in the small town of Elko, NV (which is still known for their gold mining to this day). I would 100% recommend The Star Hotel and make sure you tell Angie, "Hi - Marty sent me!".
