Wednesday, August 13, 2003
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

TRIED-AND-TRUE: The Comfort Zone

American food classics are landing on upscale restaurant menus throughout Las Vegas

Simon Kitchen and Bar pastry chef Justin Nilson serves cotton candy, above, and carmel corn, below, which are part of a comfort food menu. Photo by K.M. Cannon. Photo by K.M. Cannon. Gourmet comfort food can range from cheese fondue, above, at Nob Hill in the MGM Grand to macaroni and cheese, below, at Simon Kitchen and Bar in the Hard Rock Hotel. Photo by John Locher. Photo by K.M. Cannon. Lobster pot pie at Aqua in Bellagio. Photo by John Locher. Five different flavors of mashed potatoes come with every meal at Nob Hill in the MGM Grand. Photo by John Locher. Olives restaurant at the Bellagio features popcorn with chives and chocolate. Photo by Samantha Clemens/Review-Journal French fries get a special presentation at Simon Kitchen and Bar at the Hard Rock. Photo by K.M. Cannon. A rootbeer float may not be a typical beverage served in a fine seafood restaurant, but it's on the menu at Aqua in the Ballagio . Photo by John Locher.

Simon Kitchen at the Hard Rock hotel serves gourmet food, but you won't find any duck confit on the menu.

You will find pink cotton candy. And several other items that could best be classified as good ol' American comfort foods, those dishes that evoke fond memories and give you a warm, fuzzy feeling of contentment.

Though co-owner Elizabeth Blau says the Simon philosophy is to always serve food that is fun and comfortable, the restaurant isn't the only one in town putting comfort foods on the menu.

Once the purveyors of cutting-edge cuisine, fine restaurants around Las Vegas have wrapped their professional attention around the mundane world of comfort food, creating their own versions of popular dishes.

Spago at Caesers Palace, 3500 Las Vegas Blvd. South, has long offered meatloaf with mashed potatoes ($13); Aqua at the Bellagio, 3600 Las Vegas Blvd. South, has root beer floats ($12) and pot pies ($55). Nob Hill at the MGM Grand, 3799 Las Vegas Blvd. South, provides complimentary mashed potatoes with every entrée, while cheese fondue can be found on the appetizer menu ($9 per person). Olives at the Bellagio serves popcorn ($14); the banana splits at 3950 in Mandalay Bay, 3950 Las Vegas Blvd. South, are a big hit ($7), and diners can make their very own s'mores ($9) at N9NE Steakhouse at the Palms, 4321 W. Flamingo Road.

The trend started after the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, Blau says, when people turned to the familiar to soothe them during such a stressful time.

People hunkered down at home, says David Robbins, executive chef at Spago, and when they ate out, it was in neighborhood restaurants that served the foods they craved.

It's possible that gourmet restaurants picked up the comfort food trend as a way to entice customers to come back by offering them moderately priced, familiar items, adds Scott McCarter, executive chef at 3950.

"It's very comfortable. They know exactly what they're going to get, there's nothing scary about it," McCarter says, explaining the appeal of comfort foods.

Of course, while the names are ordinary, the dishes are anything but. The banana split at 3950 is made with three scoops of homemade ice cream, topped with caramelized sugar, hazelnut tuile, chocolate and raspberry sauces, fresh whipped cream, peanuts and macadamia nuts.

The popcorn at Olives is truffle-buttered and Aqua's pot pies are nothing like the frozen Swanson variety. They're stuffed with a 1 1/2-pound lobster, pearl onions, potatoes and corn in a creamy lobster sauce. The root beer float is made with sassafras ice cream and root beer sorbet. Nob Hill's mashed potatoes are infused with five different flavors that vary from day to day, including lobster, garlic, curry, leek, rosemary and more.

"What's funny is those dishes became signature items because of the familiarity to customers," says Aqua and Nob Hill celebrity chef Michael Mina. He started offering the root beer float at Aqua in San Francisco in 1992, getting a jump on what has become de rigueur in the industry.

Diners order these whimsical dishes because "it's just one of those things that people want to try to see what you've done with it," Mina adds. "I think people who go to upscale restaurants enjoy getting something they can relate to their past."

Eating cotton candy has always been a fond memory for Simon Kitchen's Blau. As a young girl, she would dine with her family at New York's Four Seasons restaurant, and always had the cotton candy.

"My grandfather told me they only made it for me," Blau remembers. "I've always had this thing for cotton candy. Just on a lark we decided to offer it. We didn't know it would become such a trademark."

It's the kind of thing one wouldn't expect to find at a high-end restaurant, so it makes a lasting impression with diners. The caramel popcorn, which is served as a complimentary snack at Simon's, has the same effect, Blau says.

Gourmet comfort foods give customers "conversational pieces for the table," Mina says, helping to create the ultimate dining experience.

Says Mina: "To me a great restaurant is one where I had a great time and enjoyed it."