Nevada
Reno restaurant with deep roots in Nevada’s history named among best in US
Louis’ Basque Corner is one of USA TODAY’s best restaurants of 2024
Take a look inside Louie’ Basque Corner in Reno, NV, named one of USA TODAY’s best restaurants for 2024
A restaurant that celebrates Nevada culture and the spirit of the gold rush of the Old West has made national news: Along with 46 other restaurants, Louis’ Basque Corner was included in the 2024 USA TODAY Restaurants of the Year list.
General Manager Craig Benson said he and the Louis’ team were honored to be included.
“It’s fantastic and very flattering,” Benson said. “And it makes us feel like all the hard work we do is being recognized. To be a part of this list on this level is incredibly special.”
How many have you been to? Check out USA TODAY’s 2024 Restaurants of the Year
Our criteria for USA TODAY’s Restaurants of the Year for 2024
What makes Louis’ Basque Corner stand out
Basques first arrived in the West during the Gold Rush, finding terrain similar to their native lands in present-day France and Spain. In Nevada, Basques prospered as sheep and cattle herders. They have been an integral part of the Silver State’s social fabric for over a century.
Louis and Lorraine Erreguible opened Louis’ Basque Corner two days before Christmas in 1967, in a turn-of-the-last-century Reno hotel that catered to sheepherders in town for the winter. The restaurant has remained in the same spot ever since.
Over the decades, the restaurant helped popularize Basque cooking and celebrate Basque culture in Northern Nevada.
Today, owners Chris Shanks and Brian Elcano continue Louis’ vision. Diners are seated at communal wooden tables. Sides are served family style: Basque beans, soup, salad, bread and fries to sop up the juices from a rotating menu of entrees, including steaks, chops, oxtail stew, sweetbreads and lamb, all seasoned to perfection.
The restaurant’s interior is rustic with brick and wood-paneled walls showcasing a deer trophy and portrait of Louis Erreguible in traditional Basque garb. A flight of creaky narrow stairs delivers guests to the second floor, with a full bar, pool table and banquet space.
To Benson, whose own grandparents were immigrants from Norway, Louis’ is a cornerstone of Reno culture.
“We realize that we’re an iconic place not only in Reno but the state of Nevada, the country and world,” Benson said. “We get people flying in from Spain, France, and this is their first stop.”
What to order at Louis’ Basque Corner
Roast leg of lamb. Louis’ serves regal portions of slow-roasted leg of lamb served in a brown sauce. Louis’ lamb chops are another option.
Steaks. Cooked-to-order sirloins, New Yorks and a filet mignon that doesn’t skimp on the sauteed garlic that comes as an extra. The oxtail stew is another classic dish.
Sweetbreads. Louis’ sweetbreads come sautéed with garlic, peppers, mushrooms and onions or prepared in a red wine and mushroom sauce.
Picon Punch: A rite of passage for Northern Nevadans, this cocktail packs a Pyrenees-sized punch. A staple of Basque cuisine, the Picon Punch consists of Amer Picon, grenadine, brandy and sparkling water.
See the full menu.
Did you know?
The key ingredient of the famed Picon Punch was invented by Frenchman Gaëtan Picon in 1837. The drink found its way from a French aperitif into the hands of the Italians and Basques. From there, the beverage traveled through the American West, finding a home in burgeoning Basque-American communities.
Local legislators even tried, and failed, to make Picon Punch the official drink of Nevada.
Details: Louis’ Basque Corner, 301 E. Fourth St., Reno, Nev.; 775-323-7203, louisbasquecorner.com
RENO, Nev. (KOLO) – The Nevada Army National Guard hosted their groundbreaking ceremony to begin construction on the Nevada Army National Guard qualification training range.
When completed, the range will become the only department of the army approved qualification range in the state of Nevada.
The project has been in the works for years, and those who have had a hand in it say this has been a long time coming.
“I’ve been working on it for about eight years myself. And there’s a couple of the other individuals that are standing around in the background over here that have been working on it even longer. So, it’s been about 10, 12 years that we’ve been trying to get this thing together,” says Major Jacob Sanford, Deputy G3 with the NV Army National Guard.
The new range will allow Nevada soldiers to meet military marksmanship standards without having to leave the state
Since 2019, the Nevada army guard has sent more than 1,000 soldiers to neighboring states annually for marksmanship qualifying.
Which is an expensive task and keeping this in state will create economic benefits for Nevada.
“So we’re very much looking forward to what we’re gonna be able to do out here and be able to train about 12,000 soldiers a year out here. Economically, it’s gonna be a great boon for the state. We’re gonna be able to embolden the Mineral County and the Hawthorne community out here,” says Sanford.
“They’re working together, training together. It’s only going to just benefit our community of Hawthorne, our service community, our National Guard, but I would say our entire country,” says Nevada Senator Jacky Rosen, who NV Army National Guard personnel say had a major role in getting the funding necessary for this range.
Units spend up to four training days annually and. The four days equated to more than 15 percent of the unit’s allocated training days and significantly impacted on the soldiers’ ability to train on other tasks.
The new $20 million Hawthorne Army Depot Record Fire Range facility will include 16 lanes for rifle training, 15 for pistol, four machine gun lanes (up to M240) and seven buildings. Four full-time U.S. Army, federal employees will maintain operations at the range.
“It’s just one of those things that Nevadans have known, but the fact that other people are figuring it out is like, hey, we can do that out there, let’s do that,” says Congressman Mark Amodei.
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LAS VEGAS (KSNV) — The Nevada System of Higher Education Board of Regents has approved a lease agreement for a Nevada State University building in North Las Vegas, marking the first official step toward establishing a campus in the city.
North Las Vegas Mayor Pamela Goynes-Brown expressed enthusiasm, stating, “This campus will fundamentally transform our downtown core and open doors to better career paths for our residents.”
Goynes goes on to say, “I am so proud to have Nevada State University as a partner in bringing educational opportunities to the heart of our community.”
The planned three-story, 30,000-square-foot academic building will be part of the “NLV Gateway,” a 19-acre mixed-use development by Agora Realty and Management at Lake Mead Blvd. and Las Vegas Blvd. North.
The campus will offer academic programming, workforce development opportunities, and student support services, reflecting a partnership between the city and Nevada State to expand access to higher education.
Dr. Amber Lopez Lasater, acting president of Nevada State University, highlighted the collaboration as a “bold investment in Nevada’s future,” emphasizing its role in driving workforce development and economic growth.
The project is backed by public and private investment, including support from NV Energy and an anonymous donor.
NSHE Board of Regents Chair Byron Brooks noted the campus’s role in “expanding access, supporting student success, and strengthening Nevada’s workforce.”
Lake Tahoe, NV (Amazing America TV) — If you ever wanted to feel like Disney’s Snow White, with little songbirds eating out of your hand, we’ve got just the trail for you.
Lake Tahoe, Nevada, is home to the Chickadee Ridge Snowshoe Hike, and to say it’s sprinkled with magic is an understatement.
The trail is just over two miles round trip, with plenty to see. While chickadees are abundant, it takes patience and exploration to get the best chance of a visit from one of these songbirds.
They get their name from the “chick-a-dee-dee-dee” call they make, which is also part of their survival arsenal. The number of “dee” notes can signal the level of threat from predators.
These hardy little birds thrive in winter by lowering their body temperature. If you want to bring something safe to feed them, bring black oil sunflower seeds or unsalted pine nuts.
As for the trail, expect beautiful views and plenty of pine trees.
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