Distill – A Local Bar
Mashed Potato Bites – Creamy House Made Mashed Potatoes with cheddar, pepper jack, and parmesan, spices. Served with chipotle sour cream and ranch.
Croque Madame – Swiss, Ham, Bechamel, Eggs, Hash Browns
Chicken and Waffles – Fried Chicken drizzled with caramel chipotle sauce, waffles
French Toast – Bread Pudding with Banana Foster Sauce
Coffee
Located just a mile from my front door, and recently offering brunch as only a 24/7 ‘Local Bar’ in Las Vegas can, it was just after 8am that I entered Distill and with the crew mopping floors as a few locals sat playing video slots beneath the echoes of KISS’s “Shout it Out Loud” it was to a Please Seat Yourself sign that I was greeted – a seat in the upper rim selected with a young woman named Chrissy interrupting her duties of setting up the Bloody Mary Bar to procure me a menu, water, and the first of several cups of surprisingly good coffee.
Offering a 24/7 menu of items ranging from snacks, sandwiches, and salads to entrees and even hearty breakfasts it was largely for the weekend-only 8a-2p brunch that I’d scheduled my first visit to Distill and ordering in two rounds with every item recommended as a good choice by both my server and Assistant GM Kristyne, who stopped by to chat no less than three times, the meal unfolded in four plates that all showed surprising creativity and execution one would generally see reserved for far more ‘fancy’ spots.
Beginning savory, it was with a paper-lined cone full of tender cheesy potatoes beneath a golden topcoat that the meal began, and paired with a duo of sauces from which the smoky sour cream was undoubtedly a standout the flavors were up front without a bit of the greasiness oft associated with fried potatoes – the hashbrowns served next to a competent croquet madame for example, though the sandwich itself was little more than ham, egg, and cheese on toast as the Bechamel was a touch too thick and unfortunately under-flavored.
Moving on to two more brunch-specific selections, as the soundtrack shifted briefly to Pink and copious coffee refills continued, round two saw the arrival of two substantially larger entrees and although the chicken tenders proved no better than the sort one would expect at a decent pub the waffle was executed beautifully with a crunchy exterior and springy crumb, the spicy sauce keeping sweet caramel in check – a sense of balance equally achieved by three thick slices of custard-soaked breaded seared crisp with sticky bananas foster finding its foil in a toasty layer of nuts.
THREE AND A HALF STARS: Far exceeding modest expectations in terms of food, scene, and customer service with prices trending far lower than several other spots in the city it is only a matter of time before I return to Distill and although I’m certainly not the bar’s target audience for booze and games I also look forward to seeing whether the quality carries over to Elixir and Remedy’s, the Henderson based members of their growing 24/7 family.
RECOMMENDED: Bread Pudding French Toast (weekends only,) and Mashed Potato Bites.
AVOID: While not ‘bad,’ the Croque was marred by mediocre Bechamel – though I credit Distill for trying such a thing when even places twice its price point cannot make a competent version.
TIP: With a soundtrack ranging from Led Zeppelin to Gn’R and The Doors plus no smoking aside from a few folks at the bar and free Wi-Fi a breakfast or brunch at Distill is perhaps the perfect alternative to similar 24/7 spots on the strip where a meal will set you back nearly 2-fold, not to mention the ‘resort fees’ and blasting Britney Spears.
WHAT THE STARS MEAN: 5 World Class, 4 Excellent, 3 Good, 2 Fair, 1 Poor
http://distillbar.com/
