It’s always sunny …

One of the hidden gems of Sun Valley, north of Reno, is the steakhouse in Hobey’s Casino. For about a decade, Maitre d’ Marco Brown, a 27-year veteran of food service with astute wine knowledge, has shaped this 80-seat food emporium, with an ambience having all the trappings of a traditional steakhouse, into a top-drawer bistro. Subtle lighting, padded booths, proper linens and a seasoned, friendly staff makes this beefsteak bastion worthy of the moniker. The room chef, James Shepard, has a passion and a well traveled culinary background including stints at Topaz Lodge, Charlie Palmer’s, John Ascuaga’s Nugget and the Carson Valley Inn.

The well structured menu covers everything from chicken Alfredo ($19), to veal Oscar ($28), to cedar plank salmon ($22). The most popular item on the menu is the daily filet and a Maine lobster tail special with soup or salad, a vegetable and a starch for $21.95. You could have two lobster tails if you didn’t want the beef.

A nice variety of appetizers ($8-$12), including the one that caught my eye, grilled marinated portobello mushroom with grilled asparagus and bleu cheese fondue ($10). Three medium slices of the mushroom topped with the asparagus and coated with a grand fromage sauce lived up to my expectations. It was rich with layers of savory, creamy tang and a bit of saltiness. It was a blend of bleu cheese and parmesan creamed with white wine, shallots, garlic, and butter—a sauce that made a flavor statement.

Headline soups and salads: hot spinach, Caesar, French onion—all $7. I tried the lobster bisque ($9). The mouth texture was not too thick, and the meaty broth held the Maine lobster au jus through my mouth with a nutty hint of sherry on the finish.

The always changing menu is another indicator that Brown is a seasoned operator and knows how to keep folks coming back. The new Tuesday and Wednesday special is a New York strip and prawns combo for $16.95. Prawn options are coconut with an orange marmalade dipping sauce, scampi with lemon garlic butter, and New Orleans blackened or beer battered with Cajun remoulade.

The New York, grilled to medium-rare, came out with a tremendous aroma of a well-seasoned fire grill, splashed with a butter/garlic/parsley drizzle. The coconut prawns batter was a combination of pina colada mix, Myer’s rum and fresh coconut. The beer batter was Myer’s Rum, garlic, onion salt and Sierra Nevada Pale Ale.

Both were lightly fried, leaving not a hint of grease. The orange marmalade with the coconut prawns was a sweet, tropical essence with every bite. The remoulade paced the beer batter with hints of Cayenne, garlic, Creole mustard, tomato—both complemented the meat with more flavors and textures, true culinary moxie.

The wine list is right on for this restaurant with a good variety ($24-$50) and most everything is served by-the-glass ($5-$9). I went with a blend, Eagle Eye Voluptuous ($8), with aromas of blackberry and dark cherry with earthy spice. The mouth feel is soft and powerful with silky tannins and bright fruit. This is a blend of six grapes starting with cabernet, ending with a long finish—the fruit and spice of Zinfandel ever present.

Finding a hidden gem like this that gets it right by providing quality food and excellent is a real live dining experience.