Greater Vegas — Basque

Of all the quality, quantity, and variety of food that Las Vegas offers its 40-plus-million visitors and two million residents, one type of cuisine isn’t available and never has been: Basque. For Basque restaurants, you need to go out into Greater Vegas.

The Basque people, who inhabit the Pyrenees between Spain and France, are the oldest ethnic group in Europe. Their language is unrelated to any other in the world and is believed to date from before the Indo-European expansion; Neo-Latin languages rendered all other similar languages extinct.

Basques migrated to South and North America in the 19^th and 20^th centuries; many settled in northern Nevada and became sheep ranchers. Shepherds herded sheep in the summers and in the winters, most lived in boarding houses, the Basque cultural centers in rural Nevada.

Though the hotel part of the Basque boarding house is mostly a thing of the past, the dining rooms endure and are open to the public. Several are more than 100 years old.

Some serve two or even three meals, but dinner is most common. It’s served family-style: You sit at large tables with strangers and pass the big dishes and bowls full of food to one another. These start with bread and butter, soup, and salad. Then come the French fries, pasta or beans, and the entrée—chicken, beef, or lamb—that you order off the menu. Many bake their own bread and pastries.

Carafes of wine are often included, though the national drink is Picon Punch, made with Amer (a liqueur) and grenadine and topped with a quick shot of brandy. The Basque toast is “Oso garria!” (which literally means “very brave” or “highly impressive”).

Reno has two Basque restaurants: Louis Basque Corner (Anthony Curtis’ favorite) and the Santa Fe (my favorite). Carson City has one (Villa), while Gardnerville has three: J.T.’s (often voted best in the state), the Overland, and Carson Valley Country Club.

Elko has two: the 117-year-old Star, and Toki Ona (which means “Good Place”).

But Winnemucca is the center of Nevada’s Basque heritage, with its annual festival and two restaurants: the Martin (which dates back to 1898 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places), and Ormachea’s.

No traveler to Greater Vegas should leave without experiencing a meal at a Basque restaurant.