Dining Guide: Casual American
Each week Neon spotlights a different cuisine in the Dining Guide, with casual American restaurants this week. Restaurants are rated on a letter-grade scale, from A to F. Opinions by R-J critic Heidi Knapp Rinella (H.K.R.) are indicated by initials. Price symbols are based on the cost of an average entree: $ = entrees less than $10; $$ = entrees $10 to $20; $$$ = entrees $20 to $30; and $$$$ = entrees more than $30.
BABYSTACKS CAFE
2400 N. Buffalo Drive; 541-6708
Red-velvet pancakes with cream-cheese syrup are a specialty of the house at Babystacks Cafe and, sweetness aside, they’re pretty good. But we liked even better the Portuguese sausage and eggs, Mexican omelet and buttermilk pancakes. And next time we’ll try the lemon-ricotta pancakes. (3/4/11 H.K.R.)
Overall: A-
$
BLACK BEAR DINER
6180 W. Tropicana Ave.; 368-1077
You might as well go big at Black Bear Diner, because the only alternative is to go home. But it’s worth it thanks to the charming atmosphere, solid service and good food, such as crispy-edged chicken-fried steak with creamy gravy, eggs and potatoes; housemade corned-beef hash — the meat shredded — with eggs and fried potatoes; and a flaky, cinnamon-rich bear claw that was, well, about as big as a real bear’s paw. (5/10/13 H.K.R.)
Overall: A
$
BON CHEF CAFE
10720 S. Eastern Ave., Henderson; 269-4700
Bon Chef Cafe impressed us with its ability to balance a huge party with us regular restaurant customers, but no less than it impressed us with its food and smooth service. We thoroughly enjoyed a Caprese salad with grilled eggplant tucked between the layers of tomato, mozzarella and basil, plus macaroni al forno with a velvety Bechamel sauce and the Mixed Grill Kebab, with chicken, lamb and beef, and an all-American piece of carrot cake for dessert. (8/9/13 H.K.R.)
Overall: A-
$$
BOULDER PIT STOP
802 Buchanan Blvd., Boulder City; 293-7080
The Boulder Pit Stop isn’t fancy — no doubt about that — but its kitchen makes a mean hamburger, filled with beefy flavor. We had the Double Pit Burger with its two-thirds pound patties and also liked the fries, which are served in mountain-sized portions, and the fish and chips, whose shatteringly golden crust cloaks the moist cod within. (9/2/11 H.K.R.)
Overall: B+
$
BREAD & BUTTER
10940 S. Eastern Ave., Henderson; 675-3300
The simple name of this breakfast-and-lunch spot belies its broad selection of excellent baked goods and such made-to-order delights as the huge waffle sandwich, in which a pile of creamy scrambled eggs plus cheese and ham rest between two delicate waffles, with an addictive Bechamel ladled atop. We also like the flatbread of the day, which on our day involved potatoes, asparagus and a creamy sauce, topped with a sunny-side egg. (9/21/12 H.K.R.)
Overall: A
$
BULDOGIS
2291 S. Fort Apache Road; 570-7560
Buldogis specializes in fusion food — that would be Korean flavor added to the classic American hot dog — and it works pretty well, as in the Banh Mi Dog, which comes with Vietnamese-inspired slaw and a slice of pork belly. Buldogis is breaking out into burgers, too, and the Bulgogi Burger successfully melded the two cuisines with bulgogi (Korean grilled beef), slaw and mayo. Fried pickle spears were pretty good, but we thought the Classic Buldogis fries needed a bit more seasoning. (11/16/12 H.K.R.)
Overall: B+
$
BURGER BAR
Mandalay Place, 3950 Las Vegas Blvd. South; 632-9364
Upscale-burger spots have been on the increase in this city and country, but Burger Bar is ground zero — where Chef Hubert Keller started it all. It has a casual, sports-bar atmosphere and casual but very serious food, including three types of beef plus lamb, turkey, seafood, veggie burgers and more. We liked our American-style Kobe with blue cheese and zucchini fries, and also the sliders, a trio of buffalo with caramelized onions, Black Angus with bacon and Ridgefield Farms beef with American cheese, with skinny fries on the side. (5/20/11 H.K.R.)
Overall: A-
$$
CARNEGIE DELI
The Mirage, 3400 Las Vegas Blvd. South; 791-7310
The Carnegie Deli’s prices are up there — no doubt about that — but so are its portions and the quality of its food. It’s been eons since we tasted sauerkraut as wonderfully pungent as that which topped our open-face Reuben with its tender pastrami and blanket of Swiss, or corned beef with as many layers of flavor as that which formed the foundation of our huge platter of hash. And borscht was a bracing, refreshing feast of textures and flavors. (5/11/12 H.K.R.)
Overall: A
$$$
CHOCOLATE & SPICE BAKERY
7293 W. Sahara Ave.; 527-7772
Except for a slightly disappointing cannoli, everything we had at Chocolate & Spice reflected the meticulous attention to detail that owner Megan Romano has always brought to her pastries — and everything else. We loved the wedding soup, a grilled Brie sandwich, grilled Kalbi beef ribs and two choco-centric pastries, one with clouds of chocolate mousse, the other infused with coffee. (1/25/12 H.K.R.)
Overall: A-
$
THE CRACKED EGG
Four locations in the valley
The Cracked Egg lives up to its reputation as a great little breakfast place, serving such creations as an amazing banana-topped and macadamia-and-coconut-crusted French toast, a truly well crafted Bacon Cheeseburger Skillet and some amazing housemade corned-beef hash, all of which are much more than the sum of their parts. And the homemade coffee cake is worth the trip alone. (8/1/11 H.K.R.)
Overall: A
$
THE DAILY EGG
5255 S. Decatur Blvd.; 431-4714
Service at The Daily Egg was with a smile but without a sense of urgency, but the food was so good we decided to just relax and go with it. What made it all worthwhile was the Classic Gyro Omelet, the chicken Shawarma Breakfast Pita, crispy home fries, a big fluffy pancake and a cup of well-varied fresh fruit. (1/11/13 H.K.R.)
Overall: A-
$
EAT
707 Carson Ave.; 534-1515
Eat — one of the latest additions to the burgeoning Fremont East entertainment district — has a novel concept: simple food, kicked up a notch or two, served in streamlined but cozy surroundings. We had a few quibbles but really liked everything we had: green chile chicken posole; roast beef on ciabatta with blue cheese, sauteed mushrooms, pickled red onions and arugula; and the DWBLTA, a BLT with avocado and chipotle mayo on toasted sourdough. (11/30/12 H.K.R.)
Overall: A-
$$
THE EGG & I
4533 W. Sahara Ave.; 364-9686
A car-restaurant wreck this spring certainly hasn’t kept people away from The Egg & I, which was positively packed when we went late on a weekday morning. The draw, no doubt, is the simple American fare, kicked up a notch in dishes such as housemade shredded corned beef hash and eggs, a Sicilian Skillet with Italian sausage, marinara, peppers and onions and warm banana muffins rich enough to qualify as an indulgence. (6/21/13 H.K.R.)
Overall: A-
$
FIVE GUYS BURGERS AND FRIES
10271 S. Eastern Ave., Henderson (and other valley locations); 405-9555
We’ve discovered our new favorite burger — Five Guys’ bacon cheeseburger with lettuce, tomato, onions, mayonnaise and jalapenos, which is a big, juicy mouthful of flavor (and we try to ignore the nutritionals). Five Guys’ fries are justly lauded by its fans, whether they’re of the regular or Cajun-seasoned camp, and we also enjoyed a regular ol’ hamburger, made much less regular with the addition of complimentary pickles, tomatoes, grilled onions and barbecue sauce. (5/25/12 H.K.R.)
Overall: A-
$
GRILL 55
Renaissance Las Vegas, 3400 Paradise Road; 784-5700
Grill 55 is first and foremost a bar — the laid-back counterpart of the hotel’s Envy Steakhouse — so the atmosphere can get a little crazy during busy times at the adjacent Las Vegas Convention Center, but it serves nothing in the way of old-school bar food. We loved the Truffle Reggiano Fries, the Devil’s Eyes fried deviled eggs, the Signature 55 Burger and the barbecued chicken flatbread pizza. (11/9/12 H.K.R.)
Overall: A-
$$
THE GRIDDLE
9480 S. Eastern Ave. (and three other locations, one of which is called Mollie’s Kountry Kafe); 360-3636
Plate-sized pancakes that are light and fluffy but still substantial enough to hold together, porous enough to absorb the butter and syrup, can be somewhat of a challenge. But not at The Griddle, where they come off the griddle perfectly. We had them as part of a Lumberjack platter that also included a couple of eggs and bacon or link sausage. Also worthy of note: the crab cake Benedict, one of a long list of The Griddle’s Benedicts and one with a crab-centric base and a well-executed Hollandaise. (6/29/12 H.K.R.)
Overall: A-
$
GRITZ
1911 Stella Lake Drive; 255-4748
This tiny spot is very much in the no-frills category, but that just seems to fit with its simple theme, which is grits, grits and more grits. We liked the signature grits bowl with egg and cheese and an oh-so-fluffy biscuit, the Alabama among the “state plates,” which features thick-sliced bacon along with eggs and biscuits and grits, and a spirited and satisfying chicken gumbo soup of the day, although the peach cobbler was only OK. (5/12/11 H.K.R.)
Grade: B
$
LAYERS BAKERY CAFE
665 S. Green Valley Parkway, Henderson; 221-2253
Pastries and other bakery items are what made Layers Bakery Cafe’s reputation — the prevailing scent of butter is evidence of that — but the same quality and care are used in Layers’ bistro items. We loved not only the custard-filled and chocolate-topped eclair and lovely raspberry Linzer tart but also the quichelike bacon-and-egg pie and Wingnut chicken-salad sandwich. (8/12/11 H.K.R.)
Overall: A-
$
LOU’S DINER
415 S. Decatur Blvd.; 870-1876
Lou’s is the kind of diner you seldom find anymore — which is to say a good one. It’s clean and neat, and the service is prompt, and best of all the old-fashioned breakfast favorites are great. We liked the Country Combo, which was eggs, sausage and sausage gravy atop a split biscuit, eggy-edged sourdough French toast with a side of bacon, chicken-fried steak and a green-chili-and-cheese omelet with grits. (9/12/11 H.K.R.)
Overall: A-
$
MAC SHACK
8680 W. Warm Springs Road; 463-2433
One step from fast food, the counter-service Mac Shack offers economical, well-prepared pasta dishes in a sleek, casual atmosphere and seems to be of particular interest to busy families. We designed our own rigatoni dish with marinara, meatball and sun-dried tomatoes, and also liked the Farmhouse Pasta, farfalle with creamy sauce, ham and peas. But we’d advised skipping the oh-so-plain garlic loaves. (8/10/12 H.K.R.)
Overall: A-
$
THE MAPLE TREE
6000 W. Spring Mountain Road; 362-5151
Some of the things we had at The Maple Tree were excellent, like the housemade corned-beef hash with perfectly over-light eggs, a lovely chicken-noodle soup and a steak dip, while others appeared to have been cooked at too high a temperature. Still, we liked The Maple Tree, which has much in the way of neighborhood-breakfast-and-lunch-spot charm. (11/25/11 H.K.R.)
Overall: B+
$
SOUL FOOD CAFE
7320 S. Rainbow Blvd.; 998-9780
Perfectly fried chicken is more of an art than a science and the artists at Soul Food Cafe have perfected it, with juicy meat that fairly spurts when the golden-brown crust is breached by knife and fork. We also loved the hot-water cornbread that was served as a starter, the fried okra, black-eyed peas, hush puppies, grilled pork chops and yams and hated the fact that we were too full to even consider dessert. (2/22/13 H.K.R.)
Overall: A-
$$
SPICY PICKLE SANDWICH COMPANY
7271 Amigo St. (also at 9985 S. Eastern Ave.); 263-4350
We weren’t enamored of the soups at the Spicy Pickle but the sandwiches were just fine — the Yard Bird, with its strips of chicken with fresh spinach, apple, blue cheese and bacon, smeared with honey mustard and served on honey multigrain, and the Three-Cheesini, with Swiss, cheddar, provolone, tomato and red onion on grilled marble rye. We also liked the pasta salad served as a side and the fact that the sleek counter-service spot is a great place to grab a quick lunch. (3/16/12 H.K.R.)
Overall: B+
$
SUGAR FACTORY AMERICAN BRASSERIE
Paris Las Vegas, 3655 Las Vegas Blvd. South; 331-5100 (also at Miracle Mile Shops,
Sit outside or near the windows at Sugar Factory and you’ll have a great view of the Strip, and the opportunity to try some good dishes, including steak frites and fried macaroni and cheese pops. A Nicoise salad was overdressed and a turkey crepe overly bland, but milk and cookies provided a classic comfort-food finish. (9/16/11 H.K.R.)
Overall: B+
$$$
WILDBURGER
Wildfire Lanes, 4451 E. Sunset Road, Henderson (and three other locations); 685-2100
We weren’t crazy about the smoke in Wildfire Lanes that we had to plow through to get to Wildburger, but we were crazy about Wildburger — or at least its food. (11/2/12 H.K.R.)
Overall: B+
$
WINDY CITY BEEFS ‘N DOGS
7500 W. Lake Mead Blvd.; 410-5016
Two of the best things that ever came out of Chicago are hot dogs and Italian beef sandwiches, and both are done quite well at Windy City Beefs ‘n Dogs. We liked the authentic-Vienna-beef dog dressed up right. The Italian beef, served wet with cheese and peppers and giardinera, was a soggy mess but an excellent one, and the chili-cheese fries were the best we’ve had in ages. (4/22/11 H.K.R.)
Overall: A-
$
