newest craft brewery and distillery in reno, wonderful building, but high prices. the depot brewery and distillery just opened new years eve 2014, so it's a brand new restaurant and bar. the building is almost as much of a draw as is the food and drink. the building is from the early 1900's and served as a train depot. long abandoned, it has been renovated into a new brewery and distillery serving cutting edge modern food. from the looks of the inside, an enormous amount of effort went into the renovation, from a complete redo of the heating and air conditioning and plumbing and electrical to the installation of the commercial kitchen, all while keeping the original structure intact. the floors are complete with original wood from the old building, refinished so perfectly. downstairs on the first floor is the brewery and bar area, serving a full complement of modern cocktails and glasses of their own beer. parking is in the adjacent lot, although somewhat limited. enter the parking area on the left side of the building on 4th street.
the interior comes across as nice and open with plenty of outside light coming in. we are greeted right away and seated up stairs in the dining room. it's much more quiet and less frenzied upstairs, rather than sitting in the main bar area. we get a nice seat by the window. our bubbly and friendly server greets us and takes drink orders. we start with a flight taster of 4 beers they have available today. ($8.00) i hear eventually they will have up to 16 beers on tap. we peruse the menu as we came for lunch. there are quite a few salads and sandwiches on offer. i decided on the ruben sandwich served with fries ($14.00) and my friend had the polish sausage served covered in grilled onions and served in an artisan bun. ($14.00). as you can see the prices are a bit above average compared to most brew pubs in town, but wow! was it worth it!
so, on to the beer! the flight was served in four 6oz. glasses arranged from lightest to darkest. i can't remember all the names, but the lightest was called the ranch hand, brewed mainly for quenching thirst and drink fast. very light, but a bit too light for me. the next 2 were blonde sort of beers. both were a bit fuller tasting and one had a good bitter bite at the end. the last was the dark beer, and full of robust flavor or chocolate and hops. i actually like best, the third beer next to the darkest. this was a good way to get to know what they brewed here.
i'd say the highlight of our visit was the food. the ruben i had was one of the best i ever tasted! perfectly grilled crunchy rye, mixed perfectly with the grilled pastrami and sauerkraut. see my pic. the fries were served in a cute little pot thingy and were quite tasty and fried perfectly. my fries were served with a little ramekin of house made catchup. how many places do you know that make their own catchup? the polish sausage was equally as scrumptious, also served with fries.
our server laura was well trained and was able to answer all of our questions. she seemed so happy and enthusiastic about her job! i could tell this was not her first time being a server. the training and professionalism really shows here. the kitchen made our food just as ordered and in a timely manner. i truly hope the investors here are able to make back their huge investment in the building. many of the original fixtures and window frames are still here. in the downstairs men's room, the original huge wall safe is still there, see my pic. you can tell a lot of thought went into the renovation and skill and details were adhered to. this looks to be a great addition to the reno foodie scene and renovation of 4th street. check it out! website is up with the menu. i migt not come too often because of the prices, but i do enjoy it when i do.
-----20 jan, 2015-----
ruben sandwich $14.00. this was probably the best ruben sandwich i ever had! the meat was grilled and mixed with the sauerkraut served on a perfectly grilled and buttered rye bread. the bread had the perfect texture to meld with the scrumptious filling creating an exquisite experience across my tongue. the fries were great with the house made catchup, now who does that? ($14.00)