Proof Tavern at Lake Las Vegas finds niche with gaming, dining

American eatery Proof Tavern opened in April 2017 as the latest dining locale in Montelago Village. (Jon Littleton/Proof Tavern)

All guests must be 21 and over to enter the two-story tavern owned by former Golden Entertainment executive Sam Tibolt. (Jon Littleton/Proof Tavern)

Seating at proof tavern includes a main dining room and large patio, as well as a private event space on the second floor. (Jon Littleton/Proof Tavern)

The dirty, dirty chips include house-made kettle chips, bleu cheese, bacon, cheese sauce and green onions and cost $7. (Morgan Lieberman/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

The Proof burger comes with lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle and a choice of added cheese or bacon for an extra $1 on the $10 cost. (Morgan Lieberman/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

The BBQ flatbread is made up of barbecue sauce, mozzarella, grilled chicken, onion and bacon atop a thin flatbread for $12. (Morgan Lieberman/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

The eggplant parmesan is topped with mozzarella and tomato sauce and is served with linguini for $12. (Morgan Lieberman/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

MonteLago Village’s Proof Tavern, which opened in early April, is the first restaurant at Lake Las Vegas to offer gaming with dining.

Owned by UNLV alumnus and former Golden Entertainment executive Sam Tibolt, Proof offers breakfast, lunch and dinner and a full-service bar. The tavern boasts a spacious dining room, an outdoor patio and a private event area on a second floor. This is Tibolt’s first foray into the restaurant business.

Proof’s bar area has 15 video poker machines with a sign-up bonus offering $10 in free slot play.

“The idea was to bring a gaming tavern with food from a scratch kitchen and great customer service,” said executive chef Jon Littleton, who oversees the tavern’s 15 employees.

Littleton said Proof is the only restaurant in MonteLago Village to offer breakfast Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Its most popular dishes are the “dirty, dirty chips” — house-made kettle chips with blue cheese, bacon and green onions — as well as buffalo chicken sliders and a burger.

The menu mainly consists of upscale American cuisine but also features internationally inspired dishes such as an edamame appetizer and hummus.

Diners can look forward to healthier options premiering on the Proof menu shortly, as Littleton prepares to soon offer up courses for diet-restricted incomers.

Contact Alex Meyer at ameyer@viewnews.com or 702-383-0496. Follow @alxmey on Twitter.