Small Plates: Dine out at Cafe Fiesta; stay in for Italian appetizer
Cafe Fiesta opened in April as Station Casinos re-established its own coffee shops in place of chain operations. It serves breakfast, lunch and dinner and recently introduced Asian Fiesta selections in response to guest requests. The menu is designed to be not only neighborhood-friendly but also pocketbook-friendly, with all menu items less than $10.
Here’s a sample of the menu:
Breakfast: cheese omelet, $7.99; corned beef-hash omelet, $7.99; buttermilk pancake short stack, $3.99; banana bread French toast, $7.99; steel-cut Irish oatmeal, $2.99; huevos rancheros, $7.99
Starters: Vegas shrimp cocktail, $3.99; boneless barbecue wings, $6.99; chili-cheese fries, $5.99; chicken noodle soup, fresh tomato bisque or Stations Signature Beef Chili, all $2.49 for a cup, $3.49 for a bowl
Salads: grilled chicken Cobb salad, $8.99; Caesar salad, $6.49 (add $2.99 for grilled chicken, $3.99 for shrimp)
Sandwiches: Reuben, $8.99; turkey club, $7.99; Philly cheese steak, $8.99; Tuscan turkey sandwich, $8.99; deli sandwich, $5.99; half deli sandwich and soup, $5.99; barbecue bacon burger with Tillamook cheddar, $7.99; black bean veggie burger, $7.99
Entrees: chicken-fried steak, $8.99; meatloaf, $8.99; mahi mahi, $9.99; New York steak and baked potato, $9.99; orange peel chicken, $9.99; Mongolian beef, $8.99
Cafe Fiesta is open 24/7. For more information, call 558-7000 or visit FiestaHenderson.SCLV.com.
NEW BOOKS FOR COOKS
ROASTED CHERRY TOMATOES WITH RICOTTA
4 cups assorted cherry tomatoes
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
¼ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
Four ¾-inch-thick slices country-style bread
1 fat garlic clove
¼ cup fresh ricotta
Freshly cracked black pepper
8 basil leaves
Flaky sea salt, such as Maldon
With a rack in the middle, preheat oven to 250 degrees. Toss the tomatoes with the olive oil and salt. Spread out on a small baking sheet; the tomatoes should just fit on the baking sheet without crowding. Roast for 2 hours.
Reduce the heat to 200 degrees and roast the tomatoes for 1½ hours longer, until shriveled and golden-edged. Cool the tomatoes completely on the baking sheet, then transfer, along with the oil from the pan, into a bowl.
Preheat the broiler. Drizzle one side of the bread slices with olive oil. Toast, oiled side up, until golden and crisp, 1 to 2 minutes. Rub the toasted side of the bread with the garlic.
Put the ricotta in a small bowl and season generously with salt and pepper. Spread 1 tablespoon of the ricotta on each toast. Lay 2 basil leaves on each one. Mound the tomatoes on the toasts. Season with sea salt and lots of pepper. Drizzle each toast with about 1 teaspoon of the roasted-tomato oil and serve.
Serves 4.
— Recipe from “Franny’s Simple Seasonal Italian” by Andrew Feinberg, Francine Stephens and Melissa Clark (Artisan, Books, $35)
— Heidi Knapp Rinella
