11.11.2012 - Entry #16: Northline in the Neighborhood - Cal Neva

Route from Eldorado Casino to Cal Neva

"The Cal Neva Top Deck restaurant re-hired her and when they did, she asked to be put on graveyard shift...The drunks were there, but a security guard and a manager walked the floor and together they made sure the customers stayed in line." - Northline, Pg. 90

I used to frequent the Terrible's Casino and Hotel back home with my family, especially whenever my grandparents came to visit. It'd be the same thing every time- we'd enter, walk through the somewhat occupied casino floor, go up the escalators, and get brunch at their buffet there or the cafe across from it where we were always served the same kind of food. It was comforting somewhat, despite the fact that I didn't particularly like my grandparents. It was the same thing with Grand Cafe at Sunset Station; at least once a week, twice a week this past summer, my family and I would drive head there around 2AM every night when my dad got off work from his other job at MGM for their late night steak & eggs special. We'd always sit at the same table, have the same waitress, and would generally order the same food.

That's the impression I have of the Cal Neva Top Deck Restaurant as described within Northline. Allison's descriptions of her regulars and her daily routine is resonates with my own experiences. The appearance of the casino fits well with the somewhat cheesy themes I'm familiar with. It's unfortunate that I didn't have the time to frequent the actual restaurant, but the outside appearance is enough to give me the impression of a place of a different kind of comfort food, familiar only to Nevadans and their casinos.