Wednesday, April 13, 2005
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APPETIZERS: Tacone Global Grill offers menu with worldly influences

Tacone Global Grill offers menu with worldly influences

Tacone Global Grill features a brightly colored interior with an open kitchen, a flavor bar with a variety of sauces and seating for 40 in the dining area and outdoors. Photo by Clint Karlsen.

Tacone Global Grill, a gourmet quick-service sandwich shop in The District at Green Valley Ranch, 2265 Village Walk Drive, Henderson, offers an eclectic menu with flavors from Thailand, Mexico, China, Japan, Cuba and Jamaica.

Owned by Julie Pfeifer and operated by Kenny Blutman and Jeffry Pfeifer, area directors for Tacone's Nevada franchises, Tacone features a brightly colored interior with an open kitchen, a flavor bar with a variety of sauces and seating for 40 in the dining area and outdoors.

"We make virtually everything on the menu on the premises, including sauces and dressings," says Blutman, who helped open the chain's first Southern California locations in the mid-1990s. "We use the finest gourmet-quality ingredients. We roast our own turkey here, the steak we use is filet mignon, and we even make our own potato chips."

The Pfeifers and Blutman plan to open two additional shops from the Southern California-based chain by the end of the year, possibly in Desert Passage mall in the Aladdin and on West Sahara Avenue, with a total of six planned to be in operation by the end of 2006.

Tacone, which offers catering (643-9727), is open from 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and until 7 p.m. Sundays (368-2266).

• Soups and salads: A choice of soups (cup, $2.50; bowl, $3.50); Spa salad with grilled zucchini, yellow squash, red bell peppers, shredded carrots, feta cheese, tomatoes and toasted pumpkin seeds on romaine lettuce; Chinatown salad with Chinese chicken salad topped with cucumber, scallions, crispy won ton noodles and Mandarin oranges; and Fiesta salad featuring chicken fajita with mashed avocado, cheddar, corn, salsa and garlic tortilla strips (each $6.95; wrap, $6.25).

• Entrees: Gourmet wrapped sandwiches include the Malibu Melt with grilled or breaded chicken breast, melted Swiss cheese, avocado, tomato, lettuce and honey mustard ($6.50); the Thai Cone with grilled chicken, jasmine rice, spicy peanut sauce and Thai cucumber salad ($6.50); the Pilgrim with roasted turkey, avocado, tomato, Monterey Jack and romaine lettuce with ranch vinaigrette ($6.50); the Campfire with tangy barbecue chicken, crispy onions, corn and coleslaw ($6.50); and the Kingston with grilled marinated shrimp, Tacone rice and spinach with a citrus soy sauce ($6.95).

Veggie wrapped sandwiches include the Baja with black beans, Tacone rice, cilantro sauce, Monterey Jack and salsa ($4.75); the Perfect Ten featuring black beans, Tacone rice, sauteed peppers and onions, avocado, shredded cabbage, salsa, cilantro, cheddar and tangy tomato sour cream ($5.50); and the Spa with grilled zucchini, yellow squash and red bell peppers, shredded carrots, spinach and feta with balsamic vinaigrette ($6.25).

Grilled sandwiches, served on grilled ciabatta bread, include the Chick-a-Boom with grilled chicken breast, turkey bacon, romaine lettuce topped with roma tomatoes, creamy balsamic dressing and melted Monterey Jack ($6.25); the Great Gobbler with roasted turkey, Roma tomatoes, chopped cilantro, artichoke pesto spread and melted Monterey Jack cheese ($6.25); the Va-Va-Veggie with grilled red and green bell peppers, red onion, goat cheese and basil pesto spread with melted Monterey Jack ($6.25); and the United Steak of America with grilled filet mignon topped with romaine lettuce, rosemary-chili flake mayonnaise and melted Monterey Jack ($6.50).

• Extras: High-protein and low-carb Global Grill Platter with a choice of grilled chicken breast ($6.95), filet mignon ($7.95), shrimp ($7.95) or vegetables ($6.95), each with Spa salad and a choice of one side item; and sweet potato fries ($2.50).

• Desserts: Cookies (99 cents; three for $2.49).

Appetizers is a weekly informational column about new developments on the Las Vegas dining scene. Items should not be considered reviews or recommendations and none is a paid advertisement.