The Pub rebrands, still focuses on beer

The Brew Pub at Monte Carlo, 3770 Las Vegas Blvd. South, may have removed its microbrewery and rebranded as The Pub, but that doesn't mean beer is any less important.

The recently remodeled restaurant features more than 80 draft beers from across the country, says Rick Goldstein, the resort's vice president of food and beverage.

The microbrewery opened with the hotel in June 1996, brewing as many as seven of its own beers each year. The construction of CityCenter forced management to remove the brewing tanks to create more room, so they took the opportunity to make some changes, Goldstein says.

"The restaurant is kind of misunderstood," he says.

In addition to the 88 new draft handles, a 174-beer keg display was added to a wall in The Pub and the menu was revamped.

The focus is on burgers and beer, but the new menu features a variety of flatbreads, salads and "adult" milkshakes, including the Buzzing Banana Split with Absolut Vanilla Vodka and The Wake Up Call with Kahlua and Bailey's Irish Cream. Nonalcoholic milkshakes are available as well, Goldstein says.

The restaurant also makes its own french fries, such as the house fries with house dipping sauce and sweet potato fries with marshmallow dipping sauce.

The dining room seats 280 upstairs, 150 downstairs, with an additional 48 on the patio. Hours are from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays and 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Reservations are not required.

Specialties: Jumbo Buffalo wings, $10; sliders with homemade french fries, $12; The Pub flatbread of the day, $14

Starters: Pub Fry sampler with homemade house, mesquite and sweet potato fries and dipping sauces, $11; mango chicken quesadilla, $10; Lousiana crab cakes, $12

Soups and salads: Pub soup of the day, $6; Italian chopped salad, $11; Shanghai chicken salad, $12

Entrees: Rustico flatbread with fig jam, leeks, arugula, prosciutto and fennel, $13; The Pub burger with cheddar and secret sauce, $11; Lox 'en burger with smoked salmon, $14; fish and chips, $15

Desserts: Feed several people. Smores' tableside with graham crackers, chocolate and marshmallows, $12; The Pub sundae with ice cream and a variety of toppings, $10; Kentucky bourbon bread pudding, $10

Information: 730-7777

By SONYA PADGETT