Nicco's Happy Hour. Off-Strip

Nicco's is the steakhouse inside Durango Casino, the newer Station resort out on South Durango Drive in the southwest valley. Parking in the garage is free and the walk to the restaurant is short, which makes it an easy stop if you're already on this side of town. Happy hour runs Sunday through Thursday from 4 to 6pm, so aim for the front of that window when the bar is calm and seats are open.

The structured deal is straightforward: drinks start at $5 and Lite Bites start at $9. That's a reasonable entry point for a casino steakhouse, where the goal is to sample the room without committing to a full dinner. Pull up a bar stool, order a starter and a drink, and you get the polish of the space at a fraction of the dinner tab.

This works well as a pre-dinner stop, an after-work drink close to home for southwest locals, or a low-key way to check out a newer resort without the Strip markup. The setting is dressier than a neighborhood bar but the happy-hour pricing keeps it accessible. Note that the window is Sunday through Thursday only, so it isn't a weekend play. Confirm the current specials when you sit down, since steakhouse happy-hour menus rotate.