This weekly update covers noteworthy restaurant openings and closings, dining news, culinary events, and entertainment news.
Events
DW Bistro — June 30
DW Bistro is again offering monthly brunches dedicated to specific decades in recent American history on the last Sunday of each month, throughout the summer. Each will feature decade-specific tunes, brunch specials, and vibes (with costumes highly encouraged).
The June rendition will be a ‘70s-themed brunch from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Specials include the Lobster Benny ($32), Curry Shrimp Omelet ($26), DW Ceviche ($22), and Red Velvet Pancakes ($17).
Reservations are highly encouraged and can be made by visiting www.dwbistro.com.
Crossroads Kitchen — July 1
Crossroads Kitchen, the plant-based restaurant by Chef Tal Ronnen at Resorts World, will host “A Culinary Collaboration: A Pan-Asian Pop-up Dinner.” The dinner will be curated by Chef Tal Ronnen and celebrity chef couple Jet Tila and Ali Tila.
The six-course meal will include Mesclun Greens and Oroblanco with shiso, edamame, and yuzu vinaigrette; Tom Kha Gai (coconut lemongrass soup); Maki Sushi Roll with shiitake, avocado, crispy rice vegan eel sauce, and garlic soy crisp lion’s mane; Dim Sum with Impossible pork dumplings and spicy chili sauce; Drunken Noodles with rice noodles, tofu market vegetables, and Thai holy basil; and Green Matcha Sponge Cake and yuzu cream.
The dinner will be available from 5-10 p.m. and the cost is $85 per person, plus tax and tip. To purchase tickets click here.
Pick of the Week
Palate is now open in the Colorado building at 1301 S Main in the heart of the Arts District. The new eatery promises to redefine the culinary landscape of Downtown Las Vegas, offering a dining experience enriched with diverse cultural influences. After experiencing the brilliance of Chef Sterling Buckley, I’m a believer that Palate will prove to be an impetus in bringing more art to the District that bears its name, and a dining concept unlike any other in the area.
The first thing you’ll notice as you enter from Colorado Street is a feeling of elegance amid vibrant colors, with original artwork by local artists (all of which is for sale), crystal chandeliers, and a variety of regal hues (purple chairs, bright orange bar seats, and plush vivid red booths). There’s even one large table with eight oversized chairs to provide a kingly ambience.
The menu is the creation of Le Cordon Bleu Las Vegas graduate Sterling Buckley. The 38-year-old has been wowing me for more than 10 years as he helmed kitchens at La Cave, Honey Salt, Yardbird, and Gordon Ramsay Steak, but claims this is the first position where the menu is 100% his own.
Chef says, “It’s all me, my canvas, and it’s playful and fun stuff. The ownership put their trust in me to do my own thing, and what you get here is Sterling on a plate.”
As artistic as the space is, the culinary creations are also works of art, as each dish Chef Sterling sends out is awash in a variety of colors, textures, and imaginative presentation. While described as Modern Americana, the menu is a diverse fusion of soul food from various cultures. Examples are Soy Charred Short Ribs with gochujang glazed carrots and parsnip puree; Scallops “Tiger Style” with coconut leche de tigre, smoked trout roe, kumquats, and cucumber; Lady in Green Salad with Pink Lady Apples, house ricotta, cornbread croutons, and shishito vinaigrette; Shrimp Gnocchi with lobster truffle, mushrooms, shaved fennel, and chili cream; and Painter’s Beef Tartare mixed tableside on an artist palette with pickled red onions, furikake, and XO-frito served with foie cornbread.
Chef Sterling’s roots in southern food can be seen in a dish on the menu’s “Large Format” section called Southern Hospitality: Mary’s Free Range fried chicken with smoked mac and pickled carrots served with Buck Sauce (Chef’s hot sauce concoction) and shallot confit biscuits and jam. But the most artistic rendering of all may be The Hummingbird, a dessert play on a deconstructed hummingbird cake, with fried banana bread, candied pecans, and a pina sugar nest that looks exactly like a bird’s nest, and dehydrated pineapple made to look like yellow flowers.
The restaurant’s tagline is “The food is art.” And that also applies to the cocktails. One case in point is the Smokin’ Section — a play on an Old Fashioned made with whiskey that has been cured in-house with coconut, coffee, mushrooms, cinnamon raison syrup, and chocolate bitters. It’s smoked tableside and presented in an intricate glass box filled with greenery and flowers.
Bar-Kada Hospitality Managing Partners Rudy Aguas and Marisa Martino are to be commended for having the foresight to land a chef as talented as Sterling Buckley, and for designing a truly unique, aesthetically beautiful venue unlike any other in Las Vegas. For more info, complete menus, and the opening hours visit www.palatelv.com.
Dining News
Ortikia Mediterranean Grill Launches New Happy Hour
Ortikia Mediterranean Grill recently debuted at Green Valley Ranch, and is presenting authentic Greek dishes, all prepared on a traditional wood-fire grill.
The restaurant has launched its all-new Arazo Hour: a Greek-inspired reverse happy hour available Sunday through Thursday from 8:30 to 10 p.m., and Friday and Saturday from 9:30 to 11 p.m.
Offered in the bar and lounge, specials includes small bites that start at $12, Greek wines starting at $6, and a rotating roster of live DJs on the weekends.
Wineaux Hosting Wine Tasting Wednesdays
Wineaux, located at UnCommons in Southwest Las Vegas, is hosting themed Wine Tasting Wednesday events, on select Wednesdays from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. On July 3 the “wine market, bar and escape” will feature three wines from Oregon (which is home to over 900 wines and more than 1,000 vineyards). The cost is $42 per person, and includes tastes of all three wines as well as snack pairings at Wineaux’s communal table.
Entertainment News
Kathleen Dunbar & Friends at Ellis Island — July 5
The Front Yard at Ellis Island will host a night of laughter with Kathleen Dunbar & Friends. Dunbar’s comedy has been described as “edgy,” “honest,” and “hilarious,” with motherhood, aging, and family among the topics she tackles. Her resume includes starring in “Kathleen Dunbar’s Divas of Comedy” at the Sahara from 2003-2005, opening for Bill Maher and Arsenio Hall, and performing on the Vegas Strip at venues such as Brad Garrett’s Comedy Club and Laugh Factory.
Doors open at 9 p.m. and showtime is 9:30 p.m. Food and drinks will be available during the event and a 2-drink minimum will be enforced in addition to ticket purchase. Tickets are $20 and $35 for a bar upgrade with an open bar featuring beer, wine, and select cocktails. To purchase tickets click here.
