Cassandra Northwick is the executive chef for the small properties division at Station Casinos, which means she’s leading culinary operations for all 10 Wildfire Casino locations spread across the Valley, as well as Henderson spots Barley’s and The Greens. Those are mostly gaming-focused establishments, whereas the company’s familiar locals’ casinos offer an elevated overall experience.

With the new Seventy Six tavern brand—also under Northwick’s supervision—Station is moving in a new and different direction.

“We have everything from an ultra-lux resort with Durango to the local Wildfires, but we hadn’t really tapped into the local tavern,” she says. “For a lot of locals, you get off work and you want to go somewhere and have a drink and know your bartender, and have them know what you like. It gives you that relaxed, comfortable neighborhood feel.”

Valley residents certainly have an established level of comfort at their nearest Station Casinos property, but the intimacy of a neighborhood tavern is something else—a feeling that Seventy Six is trying to capture.

The first location made its debut earlier this month at Lamb and Centennial in North Las Vegas, open every day around the clock with happy hour specials offered twice daily, from 3 to 7 p.m. and 3 to 7 a.m. There are just 15 bar-top gaming machines, 20 beers on tap, hi-def TVs for Golden Knights and football games, and a variety of seating options for solo guests or big or small groups.

“We don’t have all the big fancy bells and whistles,” says Northwick, who’s been with Station for eight years. “But you can sit down and have a conversation … and we can really get to know you. You can sit down at a progressive machine with your friend or significant other and have an experience together with a group, but we also recognize this is more of a solo experience for a lot of people.”

And while you might not characterize the Seventy Six experience as flashy, the food is designed to wow you, even while hitting those familiar bar-food notes. Northwick boldly proclaims the tavern is serving “probably the best wings in the Valley,” never frozen, always fresh cooked in-house ($14). Tenders ($12), ahi tuna nachos ($16) on wonton chips with sriracha aoli and avocado, firecracker shrimp ($13) and fried chicken street tacos ($12) bolster the appetizer selection.

Burgers grab the spotlight on the main menu, which also includes salads, flatbreads, fish and chips ($16) and Philly-style ($14) or French dip-style ($16) steak sandwiches.

“Chef Danny Wilkins and I worked on this menu really hard. You’ll see the classics, but we twisted them a little in a lot of places,” Northwick says. “We have a Cowboy burger, but instead of onion rings, there are fried poblano rings on it, so it’s just a little bit different.”

That burger ($15) is also stuffed with cheddar cheese—and topped with crispy bacon and house-made barbecue aioli—which signifies another twisty trend on the menu. There’s a version of the suddenly prominent French onion burger ($15), and it’s similarly stuffed with Swiss cheese and caramelized onions. “When we did friends and family [preview dinners], that was one of the top three dishes. They just absolutely loved it,” she says.

Perhaps prioritized above the environment and the food and drinks is the customer service, always a hallmark of Station Casinos venues.

“It’s one of the things we hang our hat on,” Northwick says. “We all worked really hard to get to this level and that’s a big difference between us and a lot of local taverns, getting that local experience with Station guest service.”

The second location in Aliante is scheduled to open in early 2025, and locals can expect more expansion coming soon. “We’re just very excited about this venture and it’s been an amazing, fun experience,” Northwick says. “I’ve opened restaurants with the company … but none of us have done a tavern before, so we’re very excited to see how our locals respond.”

SEVENTY SIX 6345 N. Lamb Blvd., 702-631-7000, seventysixtaverns.com. Daily, 24 hours.

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