There really is no major difference about the facility that I was able to spot. Granted, I didn't memorize the place but the basic concept and a bunch of the details are still the same.

It's a 33,000 square-foot, two-story complex with a big bar, restaurant space, several private dining rooms, and a dining/sports viewing area complete with recliners on the first floor and a game arcade on the second floor packed with amusements. Scattered throughout are bits of sports memorabilia and artwork, at least some of which is the same as in its previous incarnation. It's a big, rambling, comfortable facility and sports fans should absolutely love it - there are few places outside of casino sports books that are this good for viewing whatever big (or small) game you happen to be interested in on one of their 130 television screens.

The biggest difference is in the menu. It's still good-old-fashioned American pub-grub style stuff, but there seemed to be fewer things on there that stood out as interesting or original. The ESPN Zone menu was American pub-grub but it had some flair and moments of inspired whimsy - I still dream about the Krispy Kreme ice cream sundae they had for dessert.

Appetizers include wings, sliders, nachos, and quesadillas. There is an interesting red pepper hummus dish and a baked fontina option but other than that it's pretty much the same as you'd see in any similar restaurant.

There are pizzas, entree salads, lots of burgers and sandwiches, and a page full of entrees that provide lots of choices but not a lot of cohesion from a cuisine perspective. One person can have fish and chips while another can choose a steak while a third can do a pasta and your fourth can have ribs. It's a bit all over the place, which is fine, but again there's really nothing here that jumps off the page as being exciting.

We started with a spinach and artichoke dip, which was great on its own but the tortilla chips it was served with were a bit bland. A huge Mediterranean chopped salad was one of my dining companion's choices (loaded with veggies and feta cheese in a zesty lemon and garlic herb dressing), a plate of chicken fingers went to the second person, and I got a Philly cheese steak. The latter was packed with tender steak, onions, peppers, and cheese and while it was not really a true Philly cheese steak (where's the whiz?), it was still a satisfying sandwich.

Satisfying was our general impression of everything we tried. There's nothing wrong with satisfying - there are lots of places in Vegas that can't even do that - but there was nothing here that stood out or made us want to run and tell all of our friends about this fantastic meal we had.

Luckily satisfaction comes at a moderate price. Appetizers are $5-12, pizzas $12-15, salads $11-16, burgers and sandwiches $12-17, and entrees mostly under $20 except for the steaks and ribs, which are a few bucks more than that. If you're going to go here, do it at lunch so you can get out of there for under $25 per person.

Service was the one thing that stood out at The Sporting House. The staff was unfailingly friendly and our server was a hoot. She deserves a raise.

As theme restaurants go, you could do worse but you could also do better unless you are a die-hard sports fan and then it should probably be high on your list of places to visit.