By james art Cassandra Northwick is the head chef of Station Casinos’ small property division, which means she oversees culinary operations for all 10 Wildfire Casino locations located in the Valley, as Henderson notes Barley’s and The Greens. These are primarily gaming-focused establishments, while the company’s familiar local casinos offer an elevated overall experience.
Cowboy burger at seventy six
With the new Seventy Six pub brand — also overseen by Northwick — Station is moving in a new and different direction.
“We have everything from an ultra-luxury Durango resort to the local Wildfires, but we hadn’t visited the local tavern,” she says. “For a lot of locals, you get off work and you want to go somewhere and have a drink and get to know your bartender and have them know what you like. It gives you that relaxed and comfortable neighborhood feel.”
Valley residents certainly have an established comfort level at their nearest property, Station Casinos, but the intimacy of a neighborhood tavern is something else—a feeling Seventy Six tries to capture.
The first location debuted earlier this month at Lamb and Centennial in North Las Vegas, open 24/7 with happy hour specials offered twice daily, from 3 to 7 p.m. and 3 to 7 a.m. There are only 15 slot machines, 20 draft beers, high definition televisions for Golden Knights and football games and a variety of seating options for solo guests or large or small groups.
“We don’t have all the big fancy bells and whistles,” says Northwick, who has been at Station for eight years. “But you can sit down and talk … and we can really get to know you. You can sit on a progressive machine with your friend or significant other and have a group experience, but we also recognize that it’s more of a solo experience for a lot of people.”
Fish and chips at Seventy Six
And while you might not characterize the Seventy Six experience as pretentious, the food is designed to wow you, even if it hits those familiar bar food notes. Northwick boldly states that the tavern serves “arguably the best wings in the Valley,” never frozen, always made fresh in-house ($14). Tenders ($12), tuna nachos ($16) on wonton chips with sriracha aioli and avocado, flake shrimp ($13) and fried chicken street tacos ($12) round out the entree selection.
Burgers take the spotlight on the main menu, which also includes salads, flatbreads, fish and chips ($16) and Philly steak ($14) or French dip ($16) sandwiches.
“Chef Danny Wilkins and I worked really hard on this menu. You’ll see the classics, but we’ve twisted it a little bit in a lot of places,” says Northwick. “We have a cowboy burger, but instead of onion rings, it has fried poblano rings, so it’s a little different.”
Maple whiskey cake
This burger ($15) is also piled high with cheddar cheese — and topped with crispy bacon and house-made barbecue aioli — signifying another twisted menu trend. There’s a version of the suddenly sensational French Onion Burger ($15) and it’s similar with Swiss cheese and caramelized onion stuffing. “When we made friends and family [preview dinners]it was one of the first three courses. They just loved it,” she says.
Probably taking priority over the environment and food and beverage is the customer service, always a hallmark of Station Casinos establishments.
“That’s one of the things we’re banking on,” says Northwick. “We’ve all worked very hard to get to this level, and that’s a big difference between us and a lot of local taverns, getting that local experience with serving Station guests.”
The second Aliante location is slated to open in early 2025, and locals can expect more expansion soon. “We’re just really excited about this venture and it’s been an amazing, fun experience,” says Northwick. “I’ve opened restaurants with the company … but none of us have done a tavern before, so we’re very excited to see how our locals respond.”
SEVENTY SIX 6345 N. Lamb Blvd., 702-631-7000, seventysixtaverns.com. Daily, 24 hours.
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