Guy Fieri’s Las Vegas Kitchen & Bar, Las Vegas NV

Guy Fieri’s Las Vegas Kitchen & Bar

Stumptown Roasters House Blend

Chicken Fried Bacon Biscuits & Gravy – freshly baked, giant buttermilk sage biscuit with crispy chicken-fried bacon, soft scrambled eggs & black pepper breakfast sausage gravy

Dragon’s Breath Chili Cornbread Benedict – sweet cornbread topped with Dragon’s Breath Chili, house white cheddar cheese sauce, scallions & two soft poached eggs

Shortbread Pancake & Berry “Pot Pie” -vanilla shortbread pancakes stuffed with a mixed berry compote & whipped cream

Maple Bacon French Toast -house baked brioche soaked in maple syrup custard & griddled in brown butter topped with dark maple syrup, candied bacon & brûléed banana

S’mores Monte Cristo -brioche, graham cracker butter, marshmallow & chocolate with chocolate & raspberry dipping sauces

In a city where the next big thing is always a week or two away and the majority of local ‘critics’ are essentially writing fluff-pieces based on comped meals arranged by the folks in marketing at major casinos I knew I needed to wait a while before visiting Guy Fieri’s Las Vegas Kitchen & Bar and with a new brunch menu launched on August 1st without a whole lot of hype the time finally seemed right, myself and two others sitting down for four of Chef Leitera’s newest creations plus one of Fieri’s outlandish desserts just after 10:00am on Saturday with the restaurant just under 3/4 filled. Not particularly a fan of the spiky haired celebrity but able to appreciate his place in pop-culture it was with an open mind that I approached the doors of the Linq-side locale and greeted by a hostess plus a surprising lack of ‘branding’ (compared to the likes of Ramsay, Puck, or even Batali) we were quickly led to a table, the service to follow effusively friendly and surprisingly efficient with questions she could not answer deferred to visits from the GM and chef himself. Every bit the lively scene one would expect of a ‘tatted-up’ venue spilling from indoors to out yet far less loud than many thanks to high ceilings, reclaimed woods, and plenty of glass it was with the first of several cups of Stumptown Coffee in hand that our morning began and with The Doors alternating to country tunes and 70s hits overhead it would not be long before our savory course arrived, each plate well-crafted with subtle nuances to be discovered amidst decidedly conspicuous portions as the biscuit proved amongst the best in Vegas while the chili walked a fine line between heat and sweet, the white cheddar lending a sharp salinity at the top of each bite. Always a sucker for sweets it was onward to the griddle that our meal progressed and again investing in a duo I was immediately impressed by the toothsome cornmeal pancakes enveloping a core of butter cookies and fresh fruit only to then be let down by the French Toast that was simply too ‘wet’ with custard to stand up to the heavily sugared bacon and sugar-torched fruit, the amalgam altogether too sweet and in need of some sort of textural variance – perhaps something along the lines of a trip to the deep-fryer in order to crisp the bread as was done in the case of a ‘Monte Cristo’ more than happy to eschew any façade of healthiness as smoky marshmallow fluff encased in golden brioche found balance in cinnamon spread and rich chocolate, the housemade raspberry preserves a nod to the classic adding a fruity finish that lingered long on the palate.

THREE STARS: Bearing in mind that my thoughts entail only breakfast/brunch and not the absurd later-day menu that does not contain a single item of interest to me save for the onion rings and dessert suffice it to say I walked out of Guy Fieri’s Las Vegas Kitchen well sated and with a smile on my face. Taking into consideration the legions of fans and backing from Caesars the restaurant could just as easily have ‘mailed in’ brunch like so many other Strip restaurants but instead they have opted to craft a whole new menu of innovative plates, turn down the noise, and serve it at a price-point befitting the location and quality of the cuisine…add in the choice to serve Stumptown with copious refills for $4 and the only thing preventing a return visit is the brevity of the menu, the remaining four brunch items not nearly as creative as those above.

RECOMMENDED: Chicken Fried Bacon Biscuits & Gravy, Shortbread Pancake & Berry “Pot Pie,” S’mores Monte Cristo

AVOID: Maple Bacon French Toast

TIP: Bottled Stumptown Coldbrew is available for $4 and considering the double-price policies at Starbucks on the Strip represents a veritable bargain for coffee, though the same could be said of the bottomless cup inside. With TVs tuned to sports I could actually see this being a decent place to catch Big10 Football given the 9am start times – perhaps something to suggest considering the restaurant offers an iPod based survey of the experience to each table at the end of the meal and thus seems interested in feedback.

WHAT THE STARS MEAN: 5 World Class, 4 Excellent, 3 Good, 2 Fair, 1 Poor

http://www.thequadlv.com/restaurants/guy-fieri.html