Cascade Bar and Grill gets toes tapping

Why: Cascade Bar and Grill has been serving Clark County for 38 years, bringing food, drinks, karaoke, live music, and billiards to the 21 and older crowd. The establishment is open until 2 a.m. seven days a week.

What I tried: I tried the clam chowder with the Philly cheese wrap and french fries.

The clam chowder was New England style and deliciously smooth and creamy, with diced potatoes and an appetizing amount of clam pieces.

The french fries were standard, crinkle cut fries, deep fried to a golden crisp.

The flour tortilla wrap was filled with very thinly sliced steak, mozzarella, peppers, onion, lettuce, tomato, and horseradish mayo. The combination in the wrap was tasty but the meat was not very lean, which made it chewy. The wrap did not remind me of a Philly cheesesteak, in spite of its name. Overall, I enjoyed the chowder and the fries, but I would not order the wrap a second time.

Atmosphere: The karaoke and live band stage is at the south end of the building with tables and chairs filling in the floor for dining and viewing. Wood paneling covers many of the walls and balustrades used at the entry helps to separate the dining from the three pool tables that occupy the north end of the space. Seating is available at the bar. Neon, brand signs make up the bulk of the wall decor.

Menu highlights beyond what I tried: The menu offers a wide range of appetizers include nachos, buffalo wings, deep-fried mushrooms, mini corn dogs, grilled steak bites with fries or tots, egg rolls and pretzel sticks. Cold sandwiches may be constructed using corned beef, roast beef, or ham combined with Swiss or American cheese along with lettuce, tomato, and mayonnaise on sourdough, wheat, light rye or dark rye bread. Soup selections rotate daily; salads include a taco salad, chef’s salad, garden salad, buffalo chicken salad, and a Cobb salad. Burgers are made with one-third pound of fresh ground beef and include a chili burger served open-faced with cheese and onions, beef and chicken sliders, the Cascade Burger made with grilled ham, cheese, BBQ sauce and a fried egg, and a mushroom Swiss burger. Burgers are served with Lay’s potato chips, french fries, steak fries or tots. Hot sandwiches include a Philly steak sandwich, a French dip, a chicken club, a Reuben sandwich and a fish sandwich. New York steak and shrimp, chicken fried steak with country gravy, and meatloaf are among the dinner entrees. Jumbo hot dogs are on the menu and Juliano’s Pizza may be ordered as well. Hot chocolate, hot cider, coffee and tea, soda and juices are available in addition to alcoholic beverages.

Other observations: Live music and karaoke are consistent at Cascade. Special event nights are listed on the website and Facebook. The service was friendly and attentive and the atmosphere on the evening of my visit, before the live music started, was mellow and comfortable. The full menu is available until 12:45 a.m.

Cost: Appetizers range from $1.49 to $11.99. Cold sandwiches cost $5.99 for a half, $7.99 for a whole and $9.99 with fries. Pizzas are 12 inches and cost $12.99 and $13.99. Chili is $5.99 for a cup and $7.99 for a bowl. Soup and chowder costs $3.99 to $6.99. Salads are $4.99 to $10.99. Burgers are $5.99 to $10.99. Sandwiches cost $5.99 to $8.99. Dinner entrees cost $7.99 to $25.99. Hot dogs are $5.49 to $10.99.