Date Night at The Zeppelin

It’s finally here: date night. You’ve arranged a babysitter that is either your extended family that you’ve secured through begging and desperation, or it’s your Next-door neighbor acquired babysitter that comes complete with references, CPR training, and several comments agreeing that they are the best. In all reality, your babysitter is probably more officially qualified to be a babysitter than you are. But, your work is done – babysitter: acquired.

You’re ready – but, just like everything else in a mom’s life, our own activities (and sometimes health) comes after everyone else is taken care of. So, you’re ready to go – but you don’t know where. You want something new, but you don’t know what you want.

Thankfully, we have a new option in South Reno – that if you live in South Reno, you know we’ve been desperately eager for: The Loop’s Zeppelin. Zeppelin is one aspect of the larger Loop facility that opened late December 2018 and provides a 21+ experience for those adults looking to celebrate anything: whether that’s a potty-trained toddler, a qualified babysitter, or a Monday night, Zeppelin is a wonderfully classy restaurant to fit those guidelines (and more that I’m not thinking of because my son is showing me Power Rangers on my phone).

My husband and I met the CEO of The Loop/Zeppelin, AJ and his wife Trina, to talk about the vision they had for this restaurant. I’m going to preface this with a disclaimer: I love Reno. I’ve lived in major cities all over the United States (Portland, DC, Los Angeles), and small cities you’ve probably never heard of (Lancaster, Alamogordo, and Springfield). And I love Reno. I have a lot to compare it to, and it never fails me. But I say all this because when AJ told me his vision of Zeppelin – it wasn’t to bring these major cities to ours – it was to bring Reno into the restaurant, I felt my heart flutter just a bit. It’s a cosmopolitan mix of grandeur and simplicity, that captures aspects of our city, while mixing with a theme of the World’s Fairs. They built a place where you could hit the pause button before returning to the kids in an effort to focus on us as adults, instead of us as parents. It’s a quick moment to reconnect without the cacophony of kids. And don’t get me wrong – I love my kids. But I love my spouse – and I love a quick minute to reconnect with him, too.

But let’s get to the important things: like the wine menu. Oh, and the cocktail menu. Oh, And the dessert menu? First things first – this is for 21+ adults, but that doesn’t mean it’s not for non-alcohol drinking adults. AJ wanted there to be a drink for everyone, so for every cocktail on their menu, they have a non-alcoholic cocktail to match. I’ve got plenty of friends that don’t drink – and having been pregnant and feeling that isolation of wanting to join in but feeling left out, I can appreciate the mocktail fervor and the kind of statement that makes. The specialty cocktails were delicious (we had maybe one or two…or three). My favorite? An old fashioned…old fashion.

The food is done a little differently – they have shareable plates and full dinners. But my personal favorite? The charcuterie board (yes, I did have to look up how to spell that). The selections are custom to your preference – you can pick from a list of cheeses, meats, and accompaniments. No more charcuterie boards where avoid half the selections because of your specific tastes. Instead, you can select exactly what you want on the board, and let me tell you: you have options. I should also make the statement that I f*cking love cheese. I love cheese so much. So, a board that literally makes cheese the centerpiece? Sold.

We had several shareable plates to supplement our cheese (though, the cheese was still my favorite). Including lamb meatballs, and chicken skewers – both of which were eaten quickly because holy amazing batman, they were good.

Let’s get into some important details, though. There are some unique elements to Zeppelin that you should know.

• All the silverware in the restaurant was selected specifically to be easier for those with arthritis in mind. They did this intentionally because they want all individuals to feel comfortable in the restaurant, and it’s a great touch.
• They look at the service industry differently. They work together, as a family, and everyone pitches in to help the other. The waiters pool the tips and support each other throughout the night, and the bartenders aren’t bartenders – they are bar-owners. That means the bar-owners share in profits made from the bar. If you’ve worked in the bar industry before, you know this is a differentiator. I love supporting businesses that ultimately support their employees. And AJ has built something special.
• There’s more. They are building out an arcade, a bowling alley, a roller-skating rink (complete with 80s nights), and sports complex. There is so much more coming, and I cannot wait to see it.
• They don’t take reservations for small groups – but they are in the works and have solutions for large party group options if space allows.  The party options for large groups create the ambiance you would want, so call them for your next large group affair!
  

Have questions about Zeppelin? Get in touch through the Reno Moms Blog!