Sunset Station
Ditch the Strip and check out the jewel of Las Vegas locals casinos

There’s a heck of a lot more to Las Vegas than meets the tourist’s eye. Even as billion-dollar megaresorts open or are announced on the Strip, the city continues its remarkable expansion in all directions, with shopping malls, housing developments, chain restaurants and auto dealerships rising from the desert floor in areas that only a few years ago were little more than sagebrush hinterlands.

The modern history of Las Vegas begins with the 1989 opening of The Mirage, the spark that fired an urban engine that has seen billions upon billions of investment dollars pour into what is arguably the most remote, uninhabitable city in the country. And while the big players like Mandalay Resort Group (formerly Circus Circus), Mirage Resorts and MGM Grand (now known collectively as MGM Mirage) carved their legacies in tourist palaces of glitz and granite, a group of savvy upstarts saw the untapped gaming potential of the burgeoning number of Vegas residents, and established a cottage industry known collectively as “locals casinos.”

In the decade-long period from Mirage to Venetian, the population base of Las Vegas soared from a few hundred thousand to well over a million. Taking advantage of the construction and service-related jobs created by the gaming industry, these new residents also sought out the same entertainment being enjoyed by tourists, but were reluctant to drive the distance to the Strip, or contend with the perpetual crowds of gamblers and gawkers. The locals casinos emerged as neighborhood alternatives to the Strip and Downtown, offering loose slots, cheap food and easy parking, all designed to appeal to a customer who would frequent the casino on a weekly, if not daily, basis.

And no company was more up to the task of catering to residents than Station Casinos, the brand-name kings of the Vegas locals market. Starting as a tiny casino and bingo hall in 1976 (known first as “The Casino,” and later as the “Bingo Palace”), it wasn’t until 1983 that the first property emerged as Palace Station, the Station name reflecting the Victorian-era railroad theme that has since become the company’s signature design element. It was here that Station Casinos tested ideas, developed promotions, and learned how to cater to the locals market—a market that today includes not only Las Vegas, but also Kansas City and St. Louis.

Flush with success, the company went public and opened Boulder Station in 1994 and Texas Station in 1995, each drawing immense crowds of nearby residents. But it was the 1997 opening of Sunset Station that proved Station Casinos could develop high-end gaming resorts easily on par with, or even better than, anything available on the Las Vegas Strip.

Located in the heart of Green Valley’s suburban sprawl, just across the street from the Galleria Mall, the 450-room Sunset Station is smack in the center of a diverse collection of strip mall superstores, restaurants and businesses. This location is a great asset to Sunset, underscoring not only Station’s commitment to the locals market, but insuring that countless thousands of residents at least drive by the casino on a daily basis, while heading to work, running errands, or simply going shopping. Sunset Station, with its movie theaters and restaurants, is as much a part of this landscape as J.C. Penney’s and Starbucks.

That’s not to say that the place is ordinary in any way. Far from it. With its inspired Mediterranean-Spanish theme, Sunset is a stunner. Even the exterior, with its golden turrets and Moorish towers, suggests a Spanish castle. Inside, the ceilings are painted in ruddy sunset colors, keeping the main gambling areas locked into a sort of perpetual dusk. The casino and restaurants are painstakingly decorated with facades that invoke a fishing village, or perhaps a Spanish market, with the use of iron balconies, weathered brick fronts, and rustic finishes.

At the center of the casino is the staggeringly beautiful Gaudi Bar, based on design elements created by Antoni Gaudi, Spain’s most renowned architect. The Gaudi is a surreal Disney underwater fantasy of jewel colors, swirling eddies and vivid feathery tendrils, the walls soft and curved as if polished by the sea. The stained glass, ceramic shards and gem-like crystals flow out in sprials over the table game pits, the whole of it reaching upward to the painted sky, creating the illusion of being in an undersea grotto. This is truly one of the most remarkable spots in the whole of Las Vegas.

The casino itself is one of the best in town, with about 2,200 slot and video poker machines and 50 table games. New multiline slots have been inching out standard reels and even video poker, the usual locals standby. It appears that Sunset has the fewest number of video poker machines of all the Station casinos, perhaps because Sunset attracts a significant number of out-of-towners. In fact, Sunset is usually among the first casinos in town to offer the newest multi-line video machines. All of the usual casino amenities are here, including a poker parlor, keno lounge, race and sports book and bingo hall.

Dining is exemplary at Sunset Station, with a full range of restaurants that includes an outstanding buffet, top-notch steakhouse, and several themed restaurants. While all of Station Casinos’ restaurants are above reproach, Sunset’s are obviously the most high-end of the group. Here’s a list of the most important ones:

Capri Ristorante: Good Italian in outdoor cafe setting, overlooking the crowds. Specializes in traditional fare, with a focus on chicken, veal and pasta.

Costa del Sol: This appealingly designed seafood restaurant specializes in Gulf Coast, Mexican and Yucatan-inspired preparations of fish and shellfish, but the real winner here is the oyster bar in front, which serves up wonderful soups, chowders and gumbos—all with a lovely waterfall and grotto area.

Feast Around the World: Widely considered the best buffet in the Station crown, a beautifully themed action buffet with several culinary hotspots, including great American barbecue, Italian (with several varieties of fresh wood-fired pizzas), Chinese, Mexican, salsa bar and a great dessert station that also features sugarless pastries.

Guadalajara Bar & Grille: Authentic Mexican (formerly Rosarita’s), with an extensive salsa bar. Station is well-known throughout Vegas for its accurate translations of Mexican, due in no small part to the large Mexican population in town.

Sonoma Cellar Steakhouse: Station goes way upscale with this stunning steakhouse, a real testament to Sunset Station’s higher-end clientele. Flawless presentation of fantastic steaks and chops, and a beautiful, modern design, with hardwood floors, wrought iron chandeliers and domed ceilings.

Sunset Brewing Co.: Originally opened as a Gordon Biersch Brewery, but now operated and managed by Station. Nothing seems to have been lost in the transition, and the fact that this is the only one of the Vegas microbreweries without exposed brick or warehouse design makes it a sophisticated option. The menu is an excellent mix of luscious satay snacks and comfort-food entrees, such as meatloaf and hangar steak, all prepared in an exhibition kitchen. Solo diners can eat at the bar.

There are other attractions at Sunset Station worth mentioning. Live entertainment is found at two venues: Club Madrid, which features nightly bands and seating for 600 (look for long-time local favorite Louie Louie), and the Sunset Amphitheater, which hosts special events in an outdoor stadium that seats 5,000. In addition to a 13-screen, THX state-of-the-art movie complex (another hallmark of the locals casino), there’s also a Kid’s Quest child-care facility, should you happen to be traveling with the under-21 set.

Finally, rooms are affordable, ranging from $50-$60 weekdays to highs of $140 on weekends. Suites are generally kept in reserve for high rollers (talk to a host to see if your play qualifies), but standard rooms are perfectly fine, and mini-suites are available most of the time. For reservations and availability, plus additional information about the property, check out their website at www.sunsetstation.com. •