Border Grill at Forum Shops
Coffee
Guava Cheese Empanada
Fruit Salad
Yucatan egg Benedict – Manchego cheese biscuit, Achiote roasted pork, avocado crema, hollandaise, pickled onions
Green corn Tamales – Sweet corn, salsa fresca, sour cream
Fried green Tomatillos – Triple cream brie, hominy grits, spicy romesco, smoked chile hollandaise, pepper bacon
Bacon jalapeño PBJ – Housemade peanut butter and grape jelly, crispy bacon, over easy egg, jalapeño
Chicken and waffle – Blue corn waffle, mango habanero coulis, spiced fried chicken, crème fraîche
Peruvian shrimp and grits – Aji panca salsa, roasted green chile, creamy parmesan grits
Red velvet Johnny cakes – Ancho chocolate shavings, candied pecans, wild berry syrup, vanilla crème fraîche
Egg white oysters Rockefeller – Seasonal tempura oyster, creamed spinach, crispy bacon, spicy tomato chutney
Huevos rancheros – Black bean panucho, ranchero salsa, sunny side egg, tomatillo relish, serrano Chantilly
Breakfast fries – Beer braised short rib, chipotle hollandaise, applewood smoked bacon, over easy egg
Churro tots – Dulce de leche infused churros, cinnamon sugar, cajeta
Capirotada French Toast – Bourbon maple syrup, walnuts, ancho cherry marmalade, goat cheese crema
Rice pudding – Shortbread cookie, brûléed banana slices
Fondly recalling a brunch at Mandalay Bay’s Border Grill just prior to relocating to Las Vegas there seemed no better place to kick off 2015 than at the new Caesars iteration, and meeting with one of my favorite dining buddies from the past 365 days with a seat looking out on the spiral escalators teeming with tourists an experience no less impressive unfolded over the course of two hours and a baker’s dozen plates.
Owned and operated by Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger, a pair of ‘Hot Tamales’ whose commitment to sustainable sourcing and top notch ingredients is well known to most, it was just after the restaurant’s 11 o’clock opening that we checked in with the smiling hostess and quickly seated at a roomy four-top on the restaurant’s mall-facing ‘patio’ it would not be long before freshly brewed coffee was flowing and our first round of plates from the all-you-can-eat brunch were requested – the service knowledgeable and efficient as General Manager Jennifer stopped by each table to make sure all was well.
Whimsically designed with Latin American themes played out everywhere from the walls to the plates as similarly themed music plays just loud enough to keep the space lively without being loud, it was just moments after orders were placed that a bowl of fresh fruit arrived alongside a duo of fruity cheese empanadas and soon in their wake came an equally impressive quartet – the housemade biscuits anchoring both the PBJ and Benedict better than almost any offered in Sin City and all the more impressive when accounting for toppings that came through with bold aromatics and plenty of balance, each one amongst the very best of the brunch.
At this point ordering one-to-two plates each over the course of three more rounds of items mostly-savory it was in gauging each other’s reaction that subsequent dishes were selected and with the exception of Johnny cakes that were thin while generally lacking in flavor and breakfast fries that fell flaccid beneath otherwise impressive accoutrements every other item sampled was a resounding success, the coulis tying the chicken and waffles together in a very unexpected manner while the creamy oyster in light tempura presented a perfect bite of smoke, acid, and brine…the sort of plate I’d have gladly ordered a dozen of were there not so much else to try.
Turning attention to dessert it was only here that an item from Border Grill’s a la carte menu was selected and flanked by delicate ‘churro tots’ that eat like hot cinnamon donuts as well as bread pudding style French Toast that works funky goat cheese into the mix with the flavors of maple and sour cherries it can only be said that the Rice Pudding is every bit as good as the rumors, a deep bowl for a mere $9 easily the best offered in Las Vegas and already an early contender for the 2015 best dessert list with “stick-a-spoon-up-straight” yet silky texture complimented by a lengthy shortbread topped in caramelized banana bites.
FOUR STARS: At first considered a bit redundant given the Mandalay Bay location just a few minutes away it will be interesting to see if both Border Grill locations can sustain in an environment ever prone to closure and reinvention and while not everything was ‘perfect’ the $34.99 menu still offers a high ratio of hits to misses while the full a la carte menu is also available to those looking for something more…or, depending on appetite, perhaps ‘less.’
RECOMMENDED: Rice Pudding, Bacon Jalapeno PBJ, Capirotada French toast, Yucatan Eggs Benedict
AVOID: Breakfast Fries, Red Velvet Johnny Cakes.
TIP: Brunch is offered in addition to the lunch, dessert, and ceviche menu on Saturdays and Sundays both, options from the later easily added to the brunch at a la carte cost.
WHAT THE STARS MEAN: 5 World Class, 4 Excellent, 3 Good, 2 Fair, 1 Poor
http://www.bordergrill.com/locations/los-angeles/bglvfs/
