In this weekly update, food and beverage reporter Bob Barnes fills us in on noteworthy restaurant openings and closings, special dining news and events and culinary news about delicious bites worth knowing about.
Upcoming Events And Delicious Bites around Las Vegas
Honey Salt
September 16
Having recently returned from their annual summer family adventure to Cape Cod, Honey Salt owners/James Beard nominees Elizabeth Blau and Kim Canteenwalla will bring back the popular Farm Table Dinner series with the annual Cape Cod-inspired dinner in conjunction with the anniversary of their best-selling cookbook, Honey Salt Food & Drink – A Culinary Scrapbook.
The menu will include The Bog Margarita welcome cocktail with Código Rosa Tequila, fresh cranberry, Cointreau, lime juice and agave; Wellfleet oysters with smoked trout roe and gin & cucumber mignonette; baked stuffed clams with thick-cut bacon, peppadews, scallions and fennel; mini lobster roll with celery, lemon aioli and tarragon; New England clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl with fried Ipswich clam; seafood boil with lobster, shrimp, mussels, Linguica sausage, corn, red potatoes and jalapeño biscuits; and mixed summer berry cornmeal buckle with Secret Creamery cinnamon ice cream and “Dirt Bombs” (New England spiced sugar donuts).
The dinner will begin at 6 p.m. and tickets are required and available at www.honeysalt.com for $75 per person with an optional wine pairing for an additional $25. The cookbook will also be on sale for $29.95 and both Blau and Canteenwalla will be signing copies.
Grape Vine Café Wine Bar & Cellar
September 24
Grape Vine Café Wine Bar & Cellar will host a four-course wine dinner featuring Mollydooker Wines. Pairings are fresh fish ceviche with herbs and citrus paired with The Violinist Verdelho, grilled lamb chop with fennel slaw and spiced yogurt matched with Blue Eyed Boy Shiraz, slow-braised short ribs with mushroom risotto paired with Gigglepot Cabernet Sauvignon and chocolate temptation with berry coulis matched with Miss Molly Sparkling Shiraz (a Grape Vine exclusive). The dinner will be hosted by Mollydooker Wines global sales manager Luke Marquis, son of Mollydooker Wines owner and chief winemaker Sarah Marquis.
The dinner will begin at 6 p.m. and the cost is $125 per person plus tax and tip. To reserve, call 702-228-9463.
Life is Beautiful
September 24-26
The Life is Beautiful art, music, food and comedy festival will celebrate its 10th anniversary and will encompass 18 blocks within the heart of Downtown Las Vegas, with the festival entrance located at Fremont & 7th.
The general admission culinary component will consist of more than 50 food trucks and restaurateurs from across the city including Buddy V’s, Jersey Eats, Cousins Maine Lobster, Dragon Grille, Grouchy John’s, Night + Market, Shake Shack, Tacotarian, Toddy Shop and Yaqui Zen Kitchen.
VIP+ ticket holders will have access to bites by acclaimed chefs from China Poblano, Jaleo, Echo & Rig, Casa Playa and Main St. Provisions. All-In ticket holders will enjoy a medley of dishes from Sparrow and Wolf, Momofuku Las Vegas, La Strega, and Harlo Steakhouse and Bar. Good Pie owner chef Vincent Rotolo will curate The Pizzeria, featuring slices from some of Las Vegas’ best pizza joints.
As for the beverage program, there will be specialty cocktails crafted by expert mixologists made with fresh-squeezed juices that are batched on-site, craft cocktails, premium beer, and wine at bars throughout the festival grounds.
Pick of the Week
Galpao Gaucho Brazilian Steakhouse
Although it will celebrate its 3rd anniversary this October, I hadn’t discovered Galpao Gaucho Brazilian Steakhouse at the Fashion Show Mall till recently. The entrance is situated outside on the northeast side of the mall directly across the street from Wynn Las Vegas and this is the 8th location of the US chain that opened its first restaurant in 2015.
Be sure to come hungry, as the salad bar has a whopping 45 options (so even a non-meat eater can find plenty to fill up on), and gaucho servers continue to bring and carve tableside 17 cuts of beef, pork, chicken, lamb and fish until you give up and flip your card over from green to red.
Placed on your table are gluten-free cheese bread, fried banana, mashed potato and a tomato jalapeño sauce for dipping seafood and white meat and a chimichurri for the red meat. Like a true traditional rodizio restaurant, the meats are prepared by the gauchos serving it to you and are roasted hot and fast. My favorites are the spicy top sirloin, garlic picanha, filet mignon and ribeye.
There are desserts available for an additional cost if you somehow have some room left, of which I highly recommend the authentic Latin recipe Tres Leche Cake soaked in three different types of sweetened milk. It’s delicious yet light after indulging in your fill of juicy proteins. I also think the grilled pineapple cooked with brown sugar and cinnamon (included in the grilled meats menu) is scrumptious enough to satisfy your sweet tooth.
As the offerings are the same for lunch and dinner you can save some money by showing up during lunch hours, which are weekdays from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. for $48 for the full experience of roasted meats and salad bar. Otherwise, dinner begins at 4:30 p.m. on weekdays, 1 p.m. on Saturday, noon on Sunday and is $69. The salad bar-only option is $32 for both lunch and dinner. This month the restaurant is completing construction of a climate-controlled patio that will offer excellent views of the Strip. There are also two private dining rooms: one that seats 70 to 75 and another that can accommodate 30.
Cheeseburgers to Help You Celebrate National Cheeseburger Day
Since it’s National Cheeseburger Day on Sept. 18, here’s a brief rundown on some worthy contenders to help you celebrate the American staple’s big day.
CRUSH American Grill at MGM Grand presents elevated American classics, and one of its signature items is the 8-ounce certified Black Angus Beef Burger topped with crispy Applewood bacon and Vermont cheddar cheese, served with a side of golden potato wedge fries ($26).
La Cave Wine & Food Hideaway at Wynn Las Vegas serves a menu of delectable small-plate creations including its Mini Burger, a tender beef patty elevated with chipotle BBQ sauce, bacon onion marmalade and topped with cheese ($24).
Cabo Wabo Cantina, Sammy Hagar’s Strip-side restaurant in The Miracle Mile Shops, offers two unique cheeseburgers. The Wabolicious Cheeseburger is a juicy patty topped with melted pepper jack cheese, fresh house-made guacamole, grilled onions and jalapeños, lettuce and pickles, served with fries; and the Jack & Coke BBQ Bacon Cheeseburger features a juicy patty topped with house-made Jack & Coke BBQ sauce, cheddar cheese, crispy bacon, lettuce, tomato, fried onions and pickles on a toasted bun, served with fries.
Black Tap Las Vegas at The Venetian has a special Mexican-style burger to honor both Mexican Independence Day (Sept. 16) and National Cheeseburger Day (Sept.18). The Santa Maria Burger, available from Sept. 13-19, is a Prime beef patty on crispy fried dough topped with house pickled jalapeños, queso fresco, chipotle crema and cilantro ($23).
Tacos & Tequila Closing
Tacos & Tequila at Palace Station is closing after service on September 10. The restaurant opened in late April 2022 after moving from Luxor after more than a decade there and being replaced by Diablo’s Cantina. The restaurant was situated near the sportsbook in the space formerly occupied by Little Tony’s and was known for its roving mariachi band, vibrant murals, neon lighting and Alambre Tacos with filet mignon, apple-wood smoked bacon, Oaxaca cheese and poblano chiles. Palace Station has not commented on the restaurant’s replacement but issued a statement encouraging team members to apply for available positions at Station Casinos properties.
