Off-Strip Starboard Tack aimed at melding classic and new

By Katelyn Umholtz / Las Vegas Review-Journal

7 years ago

Starboard Tack is a bar and restaurant that specializes in rum cocktails, with over 200 rum options. (Katelyn Umholtz/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @kumh0ltz

The menu at the Starboard Tack offers craft cocktails, draft beer, bar snacks and full-sized meals at an inexpensive price. (Katelyn Umholtz/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @kumh0ltz

The new owners of Starboard Tack, Bryant Jane and Lyle Cervenka, kept some of the original bar’s decor, such as the stained-glass windows displaying aquatic themes. (Katelyn Umholtz/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @kumh0ltz

The Starboard Tack opened March 23, and the bar switched to offering 24-hour service in May. (Katelyn Umholtz/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @kumh0ltz

The bar at Starboard Tack offers craft cocktails, over 200 types of rum and craft beer on draft. (Katelyn Umholtz/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @kumh0ltz

The original Starboard Tack opened in 1971 and closed in the 90s. It became Gilligan’s Hideaway, which closed last year. (Katelyn Umholtz/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @kumh0ltz

The original Starboard Tack, which opened in 1971, had a popular crowd of Strip performers and employees, including the famous Tom Jones. (Katelyn Umholtz/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @kumh0ltz

Lyle Cervenka and Bryant Jane are the co-owners of Starboard Tack, which opened on March 23. (Katelyn Umholtz/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @kumh0ltz

Before opening the Starboard Tack, Bryant Jane and Lyle Cervenka worked together at Retroscena, an amaro bar behind Radio City Pizzeria. (Katelyn Umholtz/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @kumh0ltz

The fried chicken fried rice and the skewers are popular menu items at the Starboard Tack. (Katelyn Umholtz/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @kumh0ltz

The Starboard Tack offers four skewers, beef, chicken, shrimp and mushroom, and it comes with a bed of rice and sauce. (Katelyn Umholtz/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @kumh0ltz

The fried chicken fried rice comes with an egg on top of the dish, one of the popular items on the Starboard Tack’s menu. (Katelyn Umholtz/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @kumh0ltz

The name Starboard Tack might sound familiar.

The bar, which opened in the early 1970s, was known for a late-night crowd of Strip performers and workers because of its 24-hour service. It shut down in the ’90s and became Gilligan’s Hideaway, a sea-themed tavern that more closed last year.

Bryant Jane and Lyle Cervenka, veteran craft cocktail bartenders of the now-closed Retroscena, swooped in when the landlord let them know the property was vacant.

“Back in the ’70s when it opened up, it was the first off-the-Strip restaurant that was 24/7,” Jane said. “Our landlord’s father was one of the original owners, and that’s how we were able to get the name back.”

The Starboard Tack was given a second life March 23, but Jane and Cervenka kept it similar to the original in many ways: 24-hour service, video poker games and the same decor that existed over 40 years ago.

The menu is half alcohol, half food. The food is a toss-up between big meals and bar snacks.

The bar’s smaller bites include oysters and skewers.

“This neighborhood is on the up and up, and I just want this to go down as a true neighborhood joint that everyone can come to and have a good time,” Cervenka said.