Published: October 01, 2009 11:03 pm      

Tavern Casino, Prime 44 West steakhouse beat odds, open on time at The Greenbrier

WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS — The breeze blowing through this resort town Thursday could have been the result of a collective sigh of relief by Greenbrier management and staff who had been waiting with bated breath for word from the state Lottery Commission that the Tavern Casino could open for business.

The commission’s OK arrived only about an hour before a scheduled media tour of the mini-casino and the adjacent Prime 44 West steakhouse in the resort’s Virginia Wing, both of which were slated to open at 6 p.m.

Standing in front of a bank of television cameras and journalists of all persuasions Thursday morning, jubilant Greenbrier owner Jim Justice announced, “We got our approval just a little while ago, and we open tonight.”

He added, “We worked on this day and night. The thing I’m most proud of is we said (the restaurant and mini-casino would open) Oct. 1, and here we are on Oct. 1.”

Todd Fishon, the resort’s vice president of casino operations, noted, “The Lottery Commission pointed us in the right direction, and our engineering team did a terrific job in executing the plan.”

The commission approved table games, including blackjack, roulette and three-card poker, to begin immediately in the 3,700-square-foot Tavern Casino. Slot machines, as well as video poker and low denominational video slots, will be operational on Oct. 16, Fishon said.

The mini-casino employs 70 people, a figure that includes security personnel.

“It’s important we protect our customers and ensure they have the best gaming experience possible,” Fishon explained.

Tavern Casino is open to overnight guests, members of The Greenbrier Sporting Club and The Greenbrier Golf and Tennis Club, in addition to registered event/convention attendees staying off-property when more than 400 rooms are sold.

Hours of operation are 11 a.m. to 3 a.m. Monday through Saturday, and 2 p.m. to 3 a.m. on Sunday.

When The Casino at The Greenbrier debuts in April, The Tavern Casino will be made available for private parties and groups.

The underground, full-size casino will offer nearly 40 table games, including blackjack, roulette, craps, mini baccarat, baccarat and poker variations such as three-card and pai gow. It will also have 320 slot machines featuring the latest technology, game types, denominations and even some vintage slot machines.

Asked if he was confident the casino would meet the owner’s goal of opening on April 1, Fishon said, “I never doubt Mr. Justice.”

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Up a flight of deeply carpeted stairs from the Tavern Casino, the steakhouse Prime 44 West also opened its doors Thursday evening.

Named in honor of legendary WVU and NBA player Jerry West, the restaurant welcomes patrons amid the largest public collection of West memorabilia in the world. The items hand-picked by “Mr. Clutch,” as West was widely known, include framed jerseys bearing the number 44 from his years with the Los Angeles Lakers, commemorative basketballs, plaques, a bronze bust, a framed cover of Sports Illustrated magazine and the Adidas Golden Shoe Award, recognizing West as only the third man in NBA history to score 25,000 career points.

Of all the memorabilia, West said Thursday, his favorite piece is the framed display containing his gold medal, jersey and team photograph from the 1960 Olympics.

“What you have to remember is, I was an amateur, playing with and against other amateurs, when I won that gold medal,” he said. “I have so much pride in receiving that medal as an amateur.”

The Prime 44 West steakhouse boasts an atmosphere that is at once sleek and warm, its rich, deep color scheme of burgundy, royal blue, chocolate and caramel creating a diners’ club feel in a surprisingly airy space.

“It’s a handsome place,” West said as he surveyed the restaurant.

John Loeffler, manager of the steakhouse, said the culinary staff plans to obtain as many ingredients as possible from West Virginia food purveyors, though that is difficult now with the local growing season winding down.

“I’ve eaten almost everything on the menu,” West said. “All the steaks are great, all prime and dry-aged, with a great flavor. And we have some great fish dishes that I really like, too.”

Prime 44 West’s featured steak is the “Nothing but Net” Jerry West 44-ounce Porterhouse, hand-carved tableside for one or two people, though Loeffler said it easily feeds three. It is the most expensive item on the menu at $130.

The smallest steak offered is the 8-ounce Snake River Farm wagyu tenderloin for $47. A 14-ounce New York strip, 22-ounce bone-in ribeye or Kansas City strip and a 24-ounce T-bone round out the beef offerings.

“All of our beef is dry-aged and hand-selected,” Loeffler noted. “The flavor, the juiciness, is off the charts.”

Other entrees include Elysian Fields double cut rack of lamb, Ashley Farm North Carolina roasted chicken, classic Dover sole, seared blue fin tuna and poached Maine lobster.

The menu also features a selection of appetizers and salads, a raw bar, side dishes and more than half-a-dozen decadent desserts, including “Karen’s Italian Cream Cake,” made from a recipe created by Karen West, Jerry West’s wife.

“Jerry and Karen put a lot into this,” Justice pointed out. “We had a lot of ideas and a lot of input from a lot of people.”

He estimated the renovation of the steakhouse’s dining room cost around $1.5 million, saying, “Everything costs money.”

The priceless component of the restaurant is Jerry West himself, Justice implied.

“Having a steakhouse here at The Greenbrier is wonderful,” Justice said. “Having Jerry West’s name on it — it’s off the chart, just off the chart.”

— E-mail: talvey@register-herald.com