New restaurants will get you out of the kitchen this summer

There are two types of summer dining: backyard barbecue or dining out. When the temperature is 108 outside, no one wants to turn on the oven to make roasted chicken . Therefore, the food is either cooked outside or plans are made to let someone else prepare the chicken.

A number of new restaurants are getting ready for their first Southern Nevada summer and anxious to show off menus that reflect the time of year when so many fruits and vegetables become available.

At Biscuits 2 Burgers, executive chef Joseph Giancaspro adds more salads to his menu and incorporates daily fish specials.

“Eating habits change during the summer,” Giancaspro said. “Our customers want a lighter breakfast or lunch and more fruit. It’s not a problem, as the fruits and vegetables coming out of California are plentiful and of top quality.

Below are several new restaurants where the ovens are turned on for your summer dining.

Biscuits 2 Burgers, 570-6877

9700 W. Tropicana Ave.

Tuesday–Sunday from 8 a.m.–2:30 p.m.

Closed Monday

The specialty of chef Giancaspro is his traditional Southern biscuits. They are baked fresh every morning and served with honey, butter and a hot cup of coffee. Customers can build a biscuit slider by selecting a biscuit (buttermilk, cheddar, jalapeno, herb) and then add meat, egg or cheese. Other breakfast items are whole grain or buttermilk pancakes, malted waffles, build-your-own-omelets, cheese blintzes with blueberry or apple topping, and homemade granola and yogurt. Sandwiches include turkey burger, Coney Island-style hot dog and 8-ounce Angus beef burgers, such as the New York with pastrami, Californian with avocado and tomato, Hawaiian with pineapple, onion and bacon, and South of the Border with chili, salsa, pepperjack cheese, lettuce and sour cream.

Greens & Proteins Healthy Kitchen, 541-6400

9809 W. Flamingo Road

Daily, 7 a.m.–10 p.m.

A good way to beat the summer heat is to start the day with a healthy breakfast. The house granola has rolled oats, oat bran, flax seeds, pecans, walnuts, coconut, raisins, maple syrup, cinnamon and nutmeg. There are multigrain protein pancakes, scrambled tofu and special drinks, such as V9, Antioxidant Chiller and Wellness, made with green grapes, green apple, pineapple, orange, lime, wheat grass, kale, spinach, collard greens, ginger, flax seed and agave. Smoothie favorites are made with almond or soy milk. Breakfast is served until 11 a.m., and then it’s time for to create your own meal by selecting a protein (salmon, filet mignon, ahi tuna, turkey breast), green (asparagus, avocado), grain (quinoa, couscous, white cannellini beans) and sauce (citrus barbecue, lemon vinaigrette).

Bon Chef Café, 269-4700

10720 S. Eastern Ave.
Sunday–Thursday, 8 a.m.–8 p.m.

Friday–Saturday, 8 a.m.–9 p.m.

Breakfast is served throughout the day here and includes a spinach omelet with mushrooms, onions and feta and a chicken-fried steak with country gravy. The flavorful matzo ball casserole is chicken soup with light, fluffy matzo dumplings. Half-pound hamburgers are grilled over mesquite, along with kebabs such as chicken, shrimp, beef and vegetable. Other sandwiches are turkey, club, pastrami and BLT. Featured entrees are chicken Marsala, marinated rotisserie chicken and seafood paella with shrimp, chicken, clams, mussels, fish, scallops and chorizo. A favorite salad is the Bon Chef with greens, provolone, cranberries, red onion, tomato, kalamata olives, garbanzo and mushrooms in raspberry vinaigrette. Desserts include tiramisu, chocolate mousse and cheese cake.

Meatball Spot, 641-7768

Town Square Las Vegas

Sunday–Wednesday, 11 a.m.–11 p.m.

Thursday, 11 a.m.–midnight

Friday–Saturday, 11 a.m.–2 a.m.

Everyone loves meatballs and depending on the recipe, making them can be time consuming. Thanks to chef Carla Pellegrino, all you need is the time to enjoy her beef, veal, chicken, turkey and vegetarian meatballs with sauce and French bread or the meatball burger on brioche bun. The chef, recognized by the James Beard Foundation, is also making Roman-style pizzas, risotto, spaghetti and rigatoni, gourmet ice cream sandwiches and salads, including chopped (tomatoes, red onion, roasted corn, cucumbers, avocado), tomato and cucumber, and The Garbage with mozzarella, provolone and avocado with herb vinaigrette. A white picket fence frames a patio where you can sit outside with a special house mojito.

Dos Caminos, 462-8800

10820 W. Charleston Blvd.

Sunday–Thursday, 4–11 p.m.

Friday–Saturday, 4 p.m.–midnight

Saturday–Sunday brunch, 10 a.m.–3 p.m.

Just about all Mexican restaurants serve guacamole, but Dos Caminos’ guacamole is made to order at the table. It comes with a trio of salsas: tomatillo-serrano, roasted tomato chile del arbol and habanero diablo. The modern Mexican menu has smoked brisket enchiladas, grilled shrimp quesadillas and sesame-seared yellowfin tuna tacos. Other contemporary dishes are plantain empanadas; macaroni and chorizo; jumbo sea scallops with coconut jasmine rice; Mexican chopped salad with grilled corn, poblano chiles, apples, pinto beans, green olives and anejo cheese in toasted cumin vinaigrette; and El Mexicano hamburger with jalapenos and chili relleno. The weekend brunch has lemon-blueberry pancakes, spicy eggs Benedict and Mexican French toast with caramel-roasted bananas.

Veggie House, 431-5802

5115 Spring Mountain Road

Daily, 11:30 a.m.–9:30 p.m.

Vegetarians claim this place because it truly is all vegetarian. Vegans are also welcome. The beef in the spicy kung pao beef or orange beef is made with soy, as is the chicken in the sesame chicken. Other favorites are pad thai noodle, curry squid, mushroom chicken, pineapple duck, General Tso’s chicken and walnut shrimp. One of the more popular dishes is Buddha Delight with mushrooms, broccoli, snow peas, bok choy and tofu skin bean noodles. Other featured entrees include braised tofu with vegetables, mushroom squash pumpkin with soft tofu, shredded bean curd with baby bamboo and crispy fried seaweed.

Chocolate & Spice, 527-7772

7293 W. Sahara Ave.

Monday–Saturday, 7 a.m.–7 p.m.

Closed Sunday

Chef Megan Romano is in the kitchen every morning baking and creating her pastries and desserts including croissants, muffins, scones, cookies, brownies, bonbons and shortbread. “Chocolate & Spice is my vision of what a classic artisan bakery should be and how it should smell,” she said. That vision carries over to breakfast featuring BLT croissant, frittata with roasted vegetables and egg whites, and golden raisin French toast with caramelized bananas. Later in the day, enjoy tomato basil soup, tomato watermelon and cucumber gazpacho, heirloom tomato and mozzarella napoleon, chicken salad in spinach tortilla wrap with dried fruits and apple, and turkey meatball sub sandwich. Then there are the ice creams and sorbets starring red velvet, Nutella, honey cantaloupe and raspberry orange.

Bistro 57, 692-7777

Aliante , 7300 Aliante Parkway

Sunday–Thursday, 7 a.m.–9 p.m.

Friday–Saturday, 7 a.m.–10 p.m.

Chef George Jacquez has a multipurpose restaurant where the morning coffee shop (7–11 a.m.) becomes a handsome restaurant for lunch and dinner. Breakfast includes Belgium waffles, croissant French toast, scrambled lox and eggs, quiche, yogurt parfait and eggs Benedict with potato onion hash. Later, the Mediterranean-inspired menu features Moroccan hummus with pita chips, seafood risotto, angel hair with basil pomodoro sauce, calamari with spicy peppers, osso buco, seared ahi tuna and English shepherd’s pie. Several sandwiches — served with fruit, arugula salad or pommes frites — are artisanal grilled cheese and gourmet prime burgers with American, Roquefort, brie or Gruyere cheese. There are flatbreads, salads and soups .

Honey Salt, 445-6100

1031 S. Rampart Blvd.

Sunday–Thursday, 11:30 a.m.–10 p.m.

Friday–Saturday, 11:30 a.m.–11 p.m.

It was only a matter of time before chef Kim Canteenwalla and Elizabeth Blau, familiar names within the Las Vegas culinary scene, opened their own restaurant. The wait was worth it. They have brought their very best including Mary’s Free Range Brick Oven Chicken, Biloxi Buttermilk Fried Chicken with creamy slaw on brioche roll, Tuscan cannellini bean soup, My Wife’s Favorite Salad (duck confit, arugula, pine nuts, pomegranates, poached egg), bigeye tuna tartar, Nana’s Tiffin Chicken Curry, turkey meatballs, grass-fed filet mignon and Honey Salt Shrimp Cocktail with tomato horseradish jam. And dessert is a must starting with the ultrapremium McConnell’s ice cream from Santa Barbara, Calif., and the brown bag baked apple pie.

Top Notch Barbeque, 883-1555

9310 S. Eastern Ave.

Open daily, 11 a.m.–10 p.m.

For those who don’t want to barbecue, call chef Jimmy Cole and he’ll do it for you. He uses a special paprika-based dry rub on racks of ribs cooked over an open flame, along with chicken, brisket, pulled pork or tender rib tips. These pungent-flavored meats can be paired with sides such as baked beans, baked macaroni and cheese, Cincinnati chili cheese fries, sweet potato casserole, coleslaw, garlic-butter Texas toast, green beans, potato salad and seasoned fries. Several sandwiches are chili cheese beef hot links and pulled pork topped with chili or coleslaw.