Tour world of food at Tivoli Gardens
by Harold Ardon, Outpost contributor
The El Dorado's Tivoli Gardens is great for those who like variety.
It was my favorite restaurant a few years ago, but I haven't been there for a long time because of my budget. But I soon rediscovered that the food is reasonably priced even for those on a tight budget.
 Tivoli Gardens at the El Dorado Hotel and Casino feeds international tastes 24 hours a day. Photo by Rhina Guidos |
Tivoli Gardens is convenient because it is open 24 hours and located downtown. It took three minutes for the hostess to seat me, my sister and her boyfriend. For a Sunday night in Reno, it's not a bad wait.
Most diners were casino guests, but a few locals and college student were there, too. The servers were dressed in Aladdin-style uniforms. The décor is a Caesar Palace design mixed with an East Asian theme. The lights were not dimmed like other restaurants where you barely see your hand in front of you. This gave the restaurant a cheerful atmosphere.
The tables were small and close together. A server brought us our ice water five minutes after we sat down. I was pleased to see that the menu had foods ranging from Mexican to Italian and, my favorite, Oriental.
The hostess told us our waiter would be right with us, but he showed up 25 minutes after we sat down. This was not a good sign. He took out his pad and asked if we were ready to order.
Michelle, my sister, ordered the spaghetti with Willie's meat sauce ($6.95). Her boyfriend ordered the chicken Caesar salad ($6.50). I had the build-your-own combination from the Oriental section of the menu. This is a great selection for those who can't decide what to eat. It is also for those who like appetizers with dinner.
The build-your-own combination comes with an appetizer of egg rolls, ribs and wantons with sweet and sour, hot mustard and cocktail sauces. With this selection, you can choose one of eight Oriental style entrees from the list. I went with the oyster beef. It is tender beef prepared in oyster sauce. It cost $7.50.
Our food was brought out 45 minutes later. I was upset with the delay and the fact that my appetizer was not served before the main course. I found out that my order was taken wrong.
 The dessert menu is a big attraction at Tivoli Gardens. Photo by Rhina Guidos |
The food, overall, was excellent. My sister's spaghetti was well prepared. It was sprinkled with Parmesan cheese, topped off with a green leaf.
Her boyfriend's chicken Caesar was a regular lunch-size salad, nothing spectacular. My oyster beef came on a silver platter with a side of fried rice on a small oval plate. It was mixed with wild mushroom and diced green onions.
I wanted to stay and order a sundae but because of time I ordered a white chocolate cake ($2.50)for take out.
Tivoli Gardens is well-known for its great selection of desserts. Before leaving the restaurantlook at the dessert booth located at the entrance. The desserts, ranging from pies to cake and pastries, are delicious. If you don't have time to eat it in, take the desserts home.
The total for the meal was $29.91. It is a good price the quality of food. Even though I was not pleased with the service, Tivoli Gardens is still one of my favorite restaurants.
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El Dorado Hotel and Casino 345 North Virginia 786-5700 |
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HOURS: Open
24 hours |
Posted March 8, 1999
Copyright 1999 Nevada Outpost