Mary’s Hash House
Biscuit with Housemade Jam (Strawberry, Apple Butter)
Monte Cristo
Carrot Cake
Part of the local dining scene since 1994, long before San Diego import “Hash House A Go-Go” splashed down with gluttonous portions at no less than three separate spots, Mary’s Hash House on Decatur had always been a place I intended to go and yet for whatever reason it was not until I realized the owner hailed from my home state of Ohio that I finally committed to an early morning visit, a 6:05 am arrival finding a pair of regulars already present amidst the cozy confines as Mary and one other tended both kitchen and front of house in the most pleasant of manners. Perhaps the most homey of places I’ve found since relocating to Sin City with aged wood furniture beneath sturdy tables and papered walls decorated by assorted knick-knacks dotting the two rooms it was with hot coffee, medium or dark, plus a menu of farm fresh favorites that I was greeted and although nearly all of the hashes and griddled favorites sounded good it was to traditional favorites that I turned, the meal kicked off by a rustic slice of carrot cake with tangy cream cheese layered on just that morning as I awaited my main course. Truly ‘home-style’ with everything made in-house and to order including breads, jams, and jellies it would be perhaps twenty minutes and three coffee top-offs before my primary plate would arrive but proving the adage that good things come to those who wait it was with stunning results when the Monte Cristo was delivered; a true golden fried version with ham, turkey, and Swiss sealed inside ready to be gilded by maple syrup for a perfect sweet meets savory bite trumping any version of the classic sandwich that I’ve found in Las Vegas to date – a golden buttermilk biscuit with two of nearly a dozen types of jam offered as an alternative to homefries or potatoes no less impressive and briefly making me long for the Midwest…though certainly not for the February weather.
