A Tale of Three
Wine Bars
International Wine Cellar, 3900 Paradise
Rd., 702-892-9424
The Freakin' Frog, 4700 Maryland Parkway, 597-9702
Milo's Best Cellars, 538 Nevada Way, Boulder City,
702-293-9540
Las Vegas is not big on wine bars, so it is amazing that three have now sprung
up around town, all quite different in atmosphere, price and clientele--a
couple for hard core drinkers, one for cigar-puffing bourgeoisie, and one for
regular folk (with or without a few bucks to blow).
 The
International Wine Cellar is across from the
Hughes Center, conveniently located if you're in that part of town on business,
or if you're attending one of the conventions down the street at the convention
center. The proprietors run several cigar stores around Las Vegas, and this
location is a combination cigar store-wine shop-bar. When you step inside, you
enter the cigar area, with a sales counter and cafe-type tables where someone
is usually puffing away. The small restaurant/bar area is in back. The wine
menu is extensive, with plenty of selections around $8 per glass and up. The
restaurant is mostly a deli, with a deli case on display and sandwiches on the
menu. Quiche was listed on the menu, but it was no longer available when we
visited. We did have a nice cheese platter with fruits and nuts that was a good
value for the $10 or so price. It's open for lunch, but is not very lively at
midday - the atmosphere is more of a nighttime place, when the regulars show
up. If you're looking for food, there are a dozen restaurants within two blocks
- go to them instead, and come back here to smoke and drink, and be prepared to
open your wallet. The wine shop area is nicely designed in windowed cellar-type
rooms, but don't expect to get out of there with much under $20.
 The Freakin' Frog is one of the biggest surprises in Las
Vegas. It's a wine and beer bar, and the beer is probably the most amazing part
of the offerings. There are well over 100 beers on the menu, practically all of
them exotic. How about Chimay, Arrogant Bastard, and Lindeman's Framboise
Lambic on tap? Prices range from the 99 cent Coors Light (has to be on the menu
for a joke), through many selections for regular beer prices (by which I mean
$6 or $7), a few $20 bottles, and the kicker, the Sam Adams 25% alcohol for
$200. The owners play movies on the wall of the ilk of Animal House and The
Blues Brothers, There's a happy hour in the afternoon where almost everything
is half price (not counting the Chimay and Framboise, unfortunately). One
Sunday a month there's a brewmaster's dinner where you will sample several
beers and have a pretty good dinner with food specially paired to the
selections. A very interesting bar if you like exotics. The seating is not the
most comfortable, though, mostly hard backless stools that make you want to
prop yourself up on the wall after a while.
 Milo's Best Cellars is the
biggest thing that has happened to Boulder City since Bob Broadbent emancipated
the town from the feds. People even come from over the Pass to spend a few
hours at this cozy, well-stocked and friendly new place. Unlike the rest of
downtown, which rolls up its sidewalks at night, you'll see people having a
good old time any evening at Milo's sidewalk tables. The wine and beer list has
new items all the time, with a good range of wines from $3.50 per glass on up.
The $3.50 house wines are even good. There is also an extensive selection of
the more exotic bottled beers - the ones you usually don't see on a menu, stuff
like La Fin Du Monde, Great White, Ace Pear Cider and Lindeman's, between $3.50
and $7. The food is very upscale bar food, including sandwiches, salads, cheese
platters and always a special or two. The wine store features a rack of
"100 bottles of wine on the wall for $10 or less," and there is very
little junk on that rack. There is a good selection of higher priced wines too,
and a selection of liquors. Wanna spend some cash? The reserve list goes up to
$180 a bottle. (Don't ask me what it is, the Arrogant Bastard is more my speed.
But you can ask Cameron, their master sommelier.) The indoor area is probably a
one-of-a-kind item in southern Nevada - a non-smoking bar! The smokers can
indulge themselves at the outside tables, though, where there are misters when
it's hot and heaters when it's cool. There's live entertainment on weekend
evenings, Ladies' Night on Wed. and P.I.G. Night (Professional Intelligent
Gentlemen) on Fri. Call to reserve a spot for wine tastings on Tuesday nights .
OK, I must mention a 4th wine bar, a big "corporate" one in a major
hotel:
The Wine Cellar and Tasting Room at the Rio really feels
like a cellar in a chateau. Situated downstairs, below casino level, it is an
extensive room broken up by arches and columns covered in faux castle stone,
with low vaulted ceilings, every wall lined with boxes and racks of wine. It
even has the pleasant "wine barrel" smell of an actual wine cellar.
The bar itself feels intimate and cozy, broken into sections by the stone
pillars. Or go around a corner and find yourself an arrangement of deep leather
sofas and chairs just right for a few people. The extent of the tasting menu is
amazing. Page after page of 3-selection tasting flights, with all selections
also available by the glass. There are nooks and crannies where you can wander
a bit and look at the display pieces, including some very old bottles. The
atmosphere may be a bit cold with all the stone, but it does feel authentic and
is interesting. And with the huge wine selection, it is well worth a visit if
you are serious about sampling wine and not afraid to spend a few bucks. |
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