Springs Preserve’s Divine Cafe true to its name

No, the Springs Preserve doesn’t have to have a cafe. But, like the preserve itself, it sure makes life a lot nicer.

Nice for the residents and visitors who tour the preserve and want to stop in for a meal or a beverage. But nice, too, for anyone who finds himself or herself in central Las Vegas when such a break comes to mind. Locals like to complain that casino restaurants are hard to reach — something that’s been corrected in the newer properties — and that sort of thing apparently was in the mind of the designers of the preserve, because the cafe’s quick and easy to reach. You pull in off Valley View Boulevard near U.S. Highway 95 and park (or drop off passengers who don’t want to walk from the lot) and head for the elevator or nearby stairs. A whisk or a climb and you’re there.

And it’s definitely worth a whisk or a climb, if you haven’t been. The cafe has gone through a couple of changes in management in its comparatively short life, from a Wolfgang Puck-group restaurant that was excellent but apparently a money loser for the preserve, through at least one or two others. One thing that has been a constant is the place itself, which wisely has remained virtually unchanged. It’s on the second floor, over the gift shop, and windows that are tall and wide and a broad covered patio afford sweeping aspects of both the verdant preserve and the glitz of the neon metropolis beyond.

As for service, that’s in good shape these days. Everywhere we went, it seemed we were met by smiles and questions as to our satisfaction. This is, as it always has been, a counter-service place, the kind where you’re given a number on a stand (in this case, a witty representation of a potato masher with a slot in the handle for the card) to take to the table, which in the case of the patio’s farthest reaches involves a bit of a hike for the staff.

And then there’s the food. This is the kind of restaurant that has to serve a lot of masters, from on-site employees to other workers in the area to the families and others who come to tour the preserve, and to that end, it’s suitably varied, from all-day breakfast to sandwiches and pizzas and on and on.

We started with soup ($3.50 for a cup, $6 for a bowl), leek-potato that day, a cup that was sized like a bowl. No vichyssoise, this was a hot soup, much heavier on the potato than the leek, which seems to work better when it’s not chilled. I’m so used to soups being oversalted that I was truly gratified that this one was not, and it was creamy, just rich enough and overall a smashing success.

Pear and arugula pizza ($10) was built on a medium-thick stretchy crust, the pears and prosciutto cut into manageable pieces for biting (which is not always the case with this kind of pizza), the arugula added sufficiently late that it didn’t pick up any residual heat, its crisp austerity a pleasing contrast to the richness and softness beneath. And note that gluten-free crust also is available, $1.50 extra.

The hot ham and Brie ($8.50) was a heady combination, the good-quality, oh-so-smoky ham melding nicely with the cheese, a bit of whole-grain mustard and, again, some bitter greens for contrast, all of it on an eggy bun. Chips, a side salad or seasoned fries came with this one, and although the fries we had weren’t really what I’d consider “seasoned,” they were a good example of the fryer’s art, skin-on, crisp-edged and grease-free.

And for dessert, zeppole, which the menu spelled zappolis ($4) but which were, at any rate, crispy fried puffs of dough, sprinkled with powdered sugar and drizzled with a raspberry coulis sufficiently assertive to give life to the neutral dough.

So. Even if you’re not going to the Springs Preserve, if you’re in the neighborhood at lunch time, consider stopping in. It’s easy and relatively quick. And, right now — wait for it — just divine.

Las Vegas Review-Journal restaurant reviews are done anonymously at Review-Journal expense. Email Heidi Knapp Rinella at Hrinella@reviewjournal.com, or call 702-383-0474. Follow @HKRinella on Twitter.