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Back in my younger days, I served 8 years in the U.S. Navy, and left as a Petty Officer 2nd Class, which isn't too shabby considering the short time that I served in the navy. Although a U.S. Navy Chief Petty Officer is only two pay grades above a 2nd class, a chief is light years ahead, and chiefs are awarded privileges that are in many ways superior to the privileges that many commissioned officers enjoy. As a long-ago 2nd Class Petty Officer, imagine my surprise when my friend Brent, a retired Navy Chief Petty Officer, invited my friend Robert and I to join him at Sage and Sand CPO Club, at NAS, Fallon, NV, so I could be a "chief" for a day... As with all of reviews that I publish, I have no affiliation with the restaurant reviewed, and there is no monetary gain on my part, as I am simply a person who likes to eat, and I love to write-up, and publish my dining experiences.
Photo: Sage and Sand CPO Club is located withing NAS Fallon, NV, on Churchill Ave., and is open to all U.S. Navy Chief Petty Officers, retired chiefs, and their guests. During my 8-year stint with the Navy, I only advanced to 2nd Class Petty Officer, so imagine how amazed I was when Brent, a retired Chief Petty Officer, invited Robert and I join him for a beer drinking, pool playing, and dinner session at the club. You have to love the Navy ship anchors in front of the building, which from the size of them, look like they came off a destroyer. NAS Fallon is many miles from the ocean, but it's a "Top Gun" base, as it trains and supports the men and women who fly "top gun" for the Navy.
Photo: You enter the club through a dining room, and the first thing you see is the well-equipped, wrap-around bar, and friendly Val doing bartending duties. It's early Thursday evening, September 26, 2019, and after an enjoyable day at the local shooting range, we're in the mood for a beer or two, and a great "Shrimp Po' Boy" sandwich at NAS Fallon CPO Club.
Photo: Unless you want to buy a round of drinks for everybody at the bar, DO NOT WEAR YOUR HAT, or "cover," in Navy terms, into the CPO Club. There is a small sign posted above the enterence to the bar that lets you know what is expected of you if you enter, "covered." This small plaque is easy to miss, and if I'd been entering on my own, I surely would have missed it, but I was tipped off by my friend, Brent, who is a frequent visitor to this fine Navy establishment.
Photo: Just inside the building there is a convienient board where you can hang your "cover" and then you won't have to buy a round of drinks at the bar.
Photo: As you enter the main bar/dining room, you'll notice the full-circle bar, and the many television monitors that are playing a major league baseball game, on this eary Thursday evening. As in Las Vegas, there's a sign above the bar that announces "What's said in here stays in here," and that's truly the motto for most U.S. Navy Chief Petty Officers and their guests. As an aside, to enjoy Sage and Sand CPO Club, you must be a U.S. Navy Chief Petty Officer, a retired chief, or a guest of a current or former chief. Commissioned U.S. Navy officers CAN technically enter the chief's club, but you'll never see an officer, as they're both unwelcomed and not advised to enter. As a guest of a retired chief, I enjoyed the treatment that Navy Chief Petty Officers receive.
Photo: Outside the club, there's a shady patio that offers lots of relaxation, along with a barbecue pit, outdoor bar and cornhole games.
Photo: One of the many plaques that adorn the wall to let you know what the mission of this fine military restaurant/bar is all about.
Photo: My friend of 25+ years, Robert, who is a retired Air Force Master Sergeant, shoots a game of pool with Brent, in the pool room next to the bar.
Photo: The menu offers many varities of sandwiches, burgers and "pub grub." I was surprised that Sage and Sand CPO Club caters the food the menu offers, as their food is prepared from a nearby restaurant, who remained nameless to me.
Photo: Friendly bartender mixes a drink for Brent, as he performs a "portion check" as Rober looks on to check the quality and quantity of the drink.
Photo: Robert, your author, and Brent, who is a retired Navy Chief Petty Officer, and who invited us to the club, smile for the photo, as Brent's next door neighbor, Jimmy, snaps the photo. Thanks, Brent... I enjoyed being a "chief" for a few hours!
Photo: Upon Brent's recommendation, all three of us ordered the "Shrimp Po' Boy" sandwich from the "Burgers/Sandwiches" side of the menu. Since Brent is a retired U.S. Navy Chief Petty Officer, and a resident of Fallon, both Robert and I took his advice and order the "po' boy." Great choice! You get lots of deep fried, battered shrimp, mostly small, served on a fresh, hoagie roll. Along with the shrimp, the sandwich is garnished with shredded lettuce, sliced tomato, along with sweet and smoky aiouli sauce, and a small bottle of Tabasco sauce on the side. Along with all of that goodness comes a small cup of cocktail sauce, for your diping pleasure. Pass the ketchup!!! You get lots of perfectly seasoned and deep fried shrimp on your hoagie roll, along with the tangy aiouli sauce, with the diced lettuce and fresh tomato slices. With your sandwich comes a small "mountain" of perfectly deep fried fries, which are seasoned, and crispy golden on the outside, and chewy, tender white on the inside. Sage and Sand CPO Club caters a great "Shrimp Po' Boy" sandwich! I was discharged with honor from the Navy over 40 years ago as a 2nd Class Petty Officer, and today, I enjoyed the privileges of being a Navy Chief Petty Officer, at least for a few hours. Great beer, fun, games, company, food and more! Gee... I should have stayed in the Navy, and worked my way up the ladder to CPO... Sage and Sand CPO Club... where Navy Chief Petty Officers and their guests enjoy good food, and good times... NAS Fallon, NV. Sage and Sand CPO Club Copyright(c) 2019 eRench Productions. All rights reserved. We've been on the web since December 22, 2002.
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