Sporting Life Bar
Warm Pretzel Bites – Beer Cheese Dip
Cracklin’ Jacks – Pork Rinds, Chipotle-Honey Roasted Peanuts
Duck Confit Flatbread – Medjool Dates, Goat Cheese, Sweet and Savory Moustarda
Bourbon Bread Pudding – Salted Caramel Ice Cream
Located on South Jones and long on my radar as a place to watch The Buckeyes it was finally for Saturday NFL action that I stopped in to The Sporting Life, and setting aside an early service gaff that left me entirely ignored for nearly ten minutes the subsequent hundred minutes and four plates passed during the course of a Panthers victory over Atlanta was a mix of the expected, impressive, and truly surprising.
Open 24/7 with packages for all the major sports allowing them to cater to all varieties of interests, it was just after 3pm that I entered the windowless tavern and with Christmas decorations still lit juxtaposing a central bar plus a few rounded booths and several tables it was suggested I seat myself – a hightop in the back with views of NBA, NHL, and playoff football action in full display as servers dressed in Scarlet and Grey and Cleveland Browns polos made me feel right at home – the lack of an annoying bar-tunes soundtrack an added bonus, though I’m told it plays on other nights when trivia or darts crowds fill the room.
Treated to complimentary WiFi while sticking to water as my drink of choice it was to a wide ranging menu of bar-food staples and intriguing upscale options that I focused my attention and opting to sample a little of each a four part order was crafted, the kitchen expedient while service improved dramatically after bonding over Ohio State’s New Years Day win.
Starting with competent $5 Happy Hour Pretzel bites paired with hoppy melted cheese served alongside a Cracker Jack-riffing composition of pork-rinds and peanuts that tasted every bit as ludicrous and decadent as it sounds it was at a deliberately slow pace that savored each bite and eventually finding the tilted bowl empty the second part of the order was sent out, a crisp flatbread somewhat uninspired in its lightly charred crust but exponentially upgraded by toppings that walked a fine line between sweet and savory, the confit surprisingly moist while well-chopped dates and poignant goat cheese each found a willing dance partner in acid forward moustarda far more nuanced than one would ever expect in a ‘bar.’
Admittedly biased in my love of desserts it was still to the server that I deferred when asking which sweet ending he thought was best and although it would have been ordered anyway his strong support of the bread pudding should not go without notice, the half-melted-on-arrival ice cream a bit of a turn off, but the texture and flavor of the amalgam of butter, caramel, and flan-soft brioche truly transcendent and on par with that at Truffles n’ Bacon for the best of this style served in the valley.
THREE AND A HALF STARS: With 24/7 bars featuring video poker, cheap drinks, smoking, and weekday party games as much a staple of Las Vegas culture as the 24/7 diner is to that of The Big Apple it is more than a little impressive to see a place like Sporting Life willing to take chances with the menu and although not everything here is perfect, particularly the smell of smoke in the air, one would be hard pressed to name another place turning out a duck confit pizza at 6am – no less a top notch bread pudding available at all hours of the day.
RECOMMENDED: Bread Pudding, Cracklin Jacks
AVOID: Pretzel Bites were mundane and those calories could be better invested in something more interesting, though those desiring a good pretzel will likely be satisfied.
TIP: Check out the daily specials board to the left on entry, an item I only noticed on exiting that featured stuffed dates, a gnocchi of the day, and an apple pie as well as several drink specials.
WHAT THE STARS MEAN: 5 World Class, 4 Excellent, 3 Good, 2 Fair, 1 Poor
http://sportinglifebar.com/
