Comfort food reigns supreme in Las Vegas
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The weather is turning chilly, even in Las Vegas, and our cravings are once again turning to comfort foods that warm and soothe the soul as much as they satisfy our appetites.
There are many restaurants in Las Vegas that focus on seasonality and dedicate their service and cooking style to hitting the right spot at the right time of year. If that’s the experience you’re looking for right now, one of the best places to begin is a legendary dining room that only recently reopened after a long time away. Le Cirque (702.693.8100) at Bellagio is one of the most acclaimed restaurants in the city’s history, garnering Michelin stars, AAA Five Diamond awards and the Forbes Travel Guide five-star rating. Back open for dinner Thursday through Saturday with new chef Dameon Evers at the helm, the fine French favorite is offering pitch-perfect dishes like Hawaiian kampachi with pineapple mint and petit radishes, Hudson Valley foie gras and savory almond cake with duck confit and rose celery, and dry-aged Mishima ribeye with ruby red beets and caramelized onion jus. It’s incredible to see this place back in action again.
It’s also incredible to see everything from the beloved Top of the World (702.380.7711) restaurant at The STRAT, but while this destination is known for those views from above, the cuisine is always changing and improving. Its new fall and winter menu focuses on the flavors of the season, with dishes including roasted beet salad in brown sugar vinaigrette, braised lamb shoulder with cumin-scented yogurt, cauliflower au gratin layered with smoked gouda cream and Parmesan breadcrumbs, and Harris Ranch filet mignon with optional stuffed roasted lobster or butter-poached king crab.
For slightly more casual cuisine with soulful flair, dip into Yardbird Southern Table & Bar (702.297.6541) at The Venetian. The fabulous fried chicken is the foundation of this Southern-influenced hot spot, but other must-eats include oysters casino with andouille sausage and cornbread, truffle agnolotti topped with lemon ricotta, grilled and blackened salmon with basil pesto, and shrimp and grits that gets a kick from roasted tomato and Virginia ham. This bird has plenty of delicious tricks up its sleeve.
Neighborhood restaurants in Las Vegas are equally adept at fall foods. Spring Mountain Road’s acclaimed Sparrow + Wolf (702.790.2147) recently appointed up-and-comer Travis Schultz as its new executive chef, and his collaborations with chef/owner Brian Howard have yielded new dishes such as oxtail hummus with crispy chickpeas and curry oil, coal-fired Spanish octopus with chili-garlic crunch, and black pepper and honey pork served with foie gras and plantains.
In Summerlin, Hearthstone Kitchen & Cellar (702.797.7344) has it all right in the restaurant’s name; this is the place to gather with friends, get comfortable, and feast on oysters, pasta, steak and more. Among the most popular selections on this rustic yet refined menu are prime rib French dip, braised short rib and Calabrian chili pizza, and rotisserie chicken with arugula salad.
And in the scenic southwestern neighborhood of Mountain’s Edge, Italian spot Locale (702.330.0404) is bringing in locals and Vegas visitors for celebratory family meals to preempt the holidays. The gnocchi in Sunday sauce pork ragu and the butternut squash cavatelli with coffee-roasted pepita seeds and whipped ricotta scream autumn bliss, but you can stick with classics like chicken Parm and rigatoni alla vodka if that’s the right vibe.
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