GOOD THINGS IN A SMALL PACKAGE

Maybe it's a sign of the tough economic times, but thin little sliders -- those miniature sandwiches that evoke memories of White Castle and Krystal and other tiny-burger chains of yore -- are threatening to pave Las Vegas with their Lilliputian buns.

But not just burgers anymore, today's sliders are made with steak, various types of fish or even crabcakes. And they're appearing everywhere from hot-dog joints to fine-dining establishments.

White Castle generally is credited with the creation of the slider -- originally trademarked slyder, and named for the way they slide down the throat -- sometime during the late 1920s or early 1930s. And for many, that chain still holds a great deal of nostalgia value.

"I grew up in New York, going to Yankees games all the time," said Brian Massie, corporate executive chef of the Light Group. "We were always going to White Castle on the way or on the way back. I'm kind of partial to them."

Ten years ago it was tough to find a slider in Las Vegas; about the only place on the Strip that served them was the Holy Cow! microbrewery, part of the Big Dog's Brewing Company group. Holy Cow! is history now, but Big Dog's is still sliding out the sliders.

"I think it's a comfort food," said Sergio Meza, the group's executive chef. "They're fun. Kids love them."

Meza pointed out that while most people think a plate of three sliders (the most common way of serving them) represents less meat than a regular burger, it's just as much or more.

"The average is 3 ounces apiece, so you're looking at 9 ounces," he said.

Big Dog's restaurants sell a trio of beef-tenderloin sliders for $9.50 and a trio of Angus chuck burger sliders with fries for $7.50.

Massie takes credit for bringing the slider to fine-dining restaurants in Las Vegas. Formerly with the N9NE Group, he said he's helped shepherd the segue of a portion of the fine-dining industry into "fun dining," which grew with Light's restaurants, of which there now are five in Las Vegas.

Of sliders, he said, "We've been doing them strong for five years. I'd say they're probably one of our No. 1 sellers."

The Light Group first served sliders at Fix at Bellagio, and ended up naming them after MGM-Mirage executive Bobby Baldwin, who then was head of the hotel.

"He came in and ordered them every day," Massie said. They sell for $25 for three, with spiced fries.

The group has since branched out, serving lamb sliders at the recent Aspen Food & Wine Classic ("I think we had the most popular booth") and crispy veal-cheek sliders with homemade brioche buns, which are $14 at Brand Steakhouse at the Monte Carlo.

"You're taking something that's familiar to people and you're making it more approachable for them," Massie said. "It's comfort food at a different level. You go to these steakhouses or contemporary restaurants, you don't know what you're ordering. People are making it almost intimidating."

Completely unintimidating are the classic sliders at Chicago Hot Dogs, 1078 N. Rancho Drive, where operator Kurtis Kallal has been serving them for about a month and a half for 79 cents apiece. Kallal said on the third day he served them, he sold 200.

"Everybody was coming in and trying one, then they'd come back and say, 'Boy, tastes like White Castle,' " he said. "And there's no White Castle out here, that's for sure."

Kallal said he thinks people like the versatility of sliders. He pointed out that a customer can come in and get a Chicago-style hot dog and add one slider for a little variety, or make a meal of sliders alone or sliders and fries.

"A lot of people are selling sliders right now," Kallal said.

Including Sammy's Woodfired Pizza, which has several locations in the valley. Sammy's calls its sliders mini-burgers, and sells them as kobe beef mini-burgers, $10.95 for three, or salmon or ahi tuna mini-burgers, $11.95 for three.

"There's a trend toward having plates that you can mix, sample and share," said Taylor McWethy, marketing manager at Sammy's corporate offices in San Diego. "That's where we were heading with these."

The new BLT Burger at The Mirage -- from Chef Laurent Tourondel -- serves, as the name implies, mostly burgers, but even a burger place is interested in serving sliders these days.

"The idea was to create some sort of an appetizer that would reflect the rest of the menu," said Liran Mezan, corporate chef. "We decided to dress it up, give it some choices."

The answer: The Kobe Slider Trio, which sells for $18. The trio is comprised of a miniature version of the restaurant's namesake BLT Burger -- which is to say it has bacon, lettuce and tomato, plus Russian dressing -- one with caramelized onions with barbecue sauce, and one with blue cheese.

Mezan said he thinks the very size of sliders makes them popular.

"I don't think the whole philosophy of 'bigger is always better' rules everybody's mentality," he said. "I think it's perfect as a bar-food item.."

Sliders also have shown up in a crabcake version, on the lunch menu at The Country Club: A New American Steakhouse at Wynn Las Vegas, where a trio and fries is $26.

"Crabcakes are a big thing for lunch," said Rene Lenger, executive chef. "It was a really good crowd-pleaser."

"Our approach for lunch is it has to be comfort food in certain areas, fine dining in other areas," Lenger said. "We try to accommodate a big spectrum of clientele -- people on vacation, golfers, executives and business people from around town."

The crabcake sliders, he said, are "something you can present very elegantly without making it look too easy."

It doesn't get much more elegant than L'Atelier Joel Robuchon at the MGM Grand.

"We have a dish called 'Le Burger,' " which is essentially two sliders, said Alexandre Gaudelet, executive director of food and beverage for the resort. "That is a homemade brioche bun with sesame seeds on it. The beef is Kobe beef. It's served with a slice of seared foie gras, caramelized onion and red and green peppers, gastrique ginger sauce and homemade ketchup." With a side of fries and a small salad, the plate of 4-ounce sliders is $32, he said.

Gaudelet thinks the appeal is simple.

"I think everyone loves burgers," he said. "I think it's a fun way to start a dinner. Some people will order a plate of two or three sliders for the table. It's a lot more family-style. People like to be in a comfortable environment when they dine."

Want to create your own sliders?

"There's really nothing to it," Meza said. "We buy the best-quality ground chuck. Add whatever seasonings you like best; Big Dog's Seasoning has garlic powder, onion powder, celery salt, Lawry's Seasoned Salt and ground fresh pepper. Cook them and put them on the slider buns."

The tenderloin sliders are even more simple: Just season and cook the beef and pop onto the buns.

Last year, a reader of the Taste of the Town column suggested dinner rolls from Smith's for buns.

Contact reporter Heidi Knapp Rinella at hrinella@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0474.

BOBBY BALDWIN BURGERS
(as served at Fix)

2 pounds American Kobe chuck
1 pound certified Angus beef chuck
Sliced white cheddar cheese

Grind meat twice; mold into desired size. Season with salt and pepper and grill to desired temperature. Melt cheese on burger.

Serve on a toasted brioche bun with grilled red onions tossed with extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and salt and pepper; bread and butter pickles; and Louie sauce (recipe follows).

Louie sauce:
1 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon ketchup
Juice of half-lemon
1 tablespoon shallots, minced
1 tablespoon parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon green pepper, chopped
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper, to taste

Combine all ingredients, mixing until smooth. Makes about 1 1/4 cups.

-- Recipes from The Light Group

LE BURGER
(as served at L'Atelier Joel Robuchon)

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 cup ketchup (Heinz preferred)
1/4 cup fresh ginger, peeled and cut in small dice
1 red bell pepper, julienned
1 yellow bell pepper, julienned
Butter for sauteing
1/2 pound ground beef, divided in 8 portions
4 ounces foie gras, sliced into 8 portions
8 brioche buns, 3/4 ounce each
Watercress
3 onions, boiled and sliced
French fries

To make the ginger gastrique, mix the sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, ketchup and ginger and heat gently until caramelized, then strain through a fine-mesh strainer

Saute peppers lightly in a little butter.

Form beef into patties.

Melt a little butter in a skillet. Cook meat and foie gras until desired degree of doneness.

Cut brioche buns in half and toast lightly.

Place ginger gastrique and pepper on lower half of bun. Place burger patties and foie gras on top.

Top with watercress and sliced onion and cover with brioche top.

Serve with french fries.

Serves 4.

-- Recipe from L'Atelier Joel Robuchon

CRAB CAKE SLIDERS
(as served at The Country Club Restaurant

1 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup finely diced onions, peeled celery and carrots
25 ounces jumbo lump crabmeat
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon aioli or mayonnaise
1 tablespoon chopped herbs (parsley, chives and tarragon)
1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
Dash Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons Old Bay Seasoning
Salt, to taste
Bread crumbs for quoting
Butter for sauteing
Vegetable tartar sauce (see note)
Slider buns
Lettuce
Tomatoes

Saute onions, celery and carrots until translucent and refrigerate to cool.

Pick over crabmeat, removing all shells and cartilage, and place in a chilled bowl. Add egg yolk, aioli or mayonnaise, herbs, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, seasoning and onion mixture; mix thoroughly. Chill mixture for about 20 minutes before molding into 1-ounce crab cakes.

Dip cakes into bread crumbs, then saute in butter until golden brown.

Note: For the vegetable tartar sauce, combine very finely diced celery, carrots, cornichons and shallots with mayonnaise and season with Tabasco and lime zest.

Serve crab cakes on slider buns with Vegetable Tartar Sauce, lettuce and tomatoes.

Makes about 17.

-- Recipe from executive chef Rene Lenger