Craftkitchen
Brewed to Order Coffee from Colorado River Coffee Roasters
Kouign Amann with Housemade Mixed Berry Jam
Almond Croissant
Gluten Free Pumpkin Muffin
Pecan Sticky Bun
Oatmeal Brulee with Steel Cut Oats Caramelized with Sugar in the Raw, Dried Fruits, Nuts
Pear & Pomegranate & Burrata with Petit Greens, Caramelized Pecans, Pomegranate Vinaigrette
Red Velvet Cakes with short stack of Red Velvet Pancakes, Cream Cheese Icing, Fresh Berries
Chicken and What? With Buttermilk Fried Chicken, Waffles, Pickled Jalapeno Maple Syrup
Chorizo Shepherd’s Pie with Sauteed Chorizo, Whipped Potato Puree, Poached Cage Free Egg, Micro Cilantro
Pulled Turkey Benny with Charred Tomatoes, Avocado, Poached Egg, Citrus Hollandaise
Short Rib Hash with Braised Short Ribs, Smashed Potatoes, Roasted Sweet Onions, Peppers
Croque Monsieur Panini with Niman Ranch Ham, Gruyere Cheese, Bechamel, Tender Greens
Oatmeal Cookie
Chocolate Chip Cookie
Gluten Free Chocolate Brownie
Apple Tart
Red Velvet Cupcake
Carrot Bar
Green Apple, Chocolate, Pumpkin Macaron
Owned and operated by Jaret Blinn, a California native whose long history in Las Vegas has gone overlooked by many due to his time in corporate kitchens including work with Bradley Manchester at Red Rock, Henderson’s new craftKITCHEN stands to raise the curtain on the skills of another Chef who gave up a steady paycheck in favor of something more personal, a breakfast and lunch space offering “Local. Inspired. Eats.”
Part passion project, but also a choice made to assure more flexibility for a man with a wife and kids, craftKITCHEN fills a strip mall spot reimagined from a previous restaurant and with clean lines plus a subtle natural vibe imparted by cooking quotes and plantlife the experience starts with warm welcomes at the door, a 7 o’clock arrival finding the youthful team still stocking shelves as light tunes from local radio chimed overhead.
Immediately attuned to no less than two-dozen pastries, each crafted by Jaret starting at 2am with baking extending late into the day, it was admittedly having e-mailed to discuss the concept as well as the possibility of a ‘small plates’ sort of tasting that my arrival was expected, and although the Chef admitted some fatigue following a late night Grand Opening with friends and family neither he nor his staff could have been more accommodating, a total of eight demi-portions sampled with rarely a miss in quality or execution.
Taking time to do things right, everything from produce to coffee sourced as locally as one can, those who love the later will be happy to know beans are sourced from Colorado River Roasters and with each cup brewed to order the fruit flavors are robust with a smooth finish, each sip good on its own though all thebetter when paired to breakfast pastries offered warmed-to-order, each of four sampled far less sweet than others in the area with the moist pumpkin muffin particularly impressive while the kouign amann was slightly softened as a result of housemade mixed berry filling.
Allowed to select the menu, but taking input from the team as to which items were best, plates were rolled out mostly in pairs from the kitchen and starting light with well-timed progression round one consisted of a well-composed salad featuring creamy burrata set against pomegranate with an alternative plate as delicious as it was different, the toothsome oats perfectly cooked beneath a crackling caramelized top with an optional mix-in of dried fruit and nuts.
Again showing the palate of a chef willing to present his sweeter side with nuance as opposed to a sledgehammer of sugar, it was in silver-dollar flapjacks tinged in cocoa that tastebuds were next entrusted and, although better than the majority, the omnipresent plate seemed a bit too ‘safe’ to be worth too much stomach space, particularly when compared to juicy fried chicken atop crisp waffles kicked up by pickled peppers, let alone a Shepherd’s Pie replacing lamb with spicy chorizo that you won’t find anywhere else in town.
Not entirely sold on avocado toast, but willing to trust the chef that the ingredient was put to equally good use on the pulled turkey benedict, those looking for something ‘different’ would be well served to check out the brined breast atop an English muffin with a sidecar of lemony hollandaise while a taste even more savory can be sought in the short rib hash with pan seared spuds, peppers, and onions.
Overestimating my hunger when presenting the meal’s final savory, a whole ham and cheese sandwich with creamy Bechamel pressed between slices of housemade panini bread, the somewhat atypical croque was nonetheless every bit as good as the sum of its ingredients and taking half home along with a box of baked goods it was approximately six hours later when the tasting continued, the oatmeal cookie with fruits similar to that of the bruleed version a particular standout as was the fluffy gluten-free brownie, apple tart, and carrot bar that ratcheted up the experience with tangy cream cheese frosting anchoring candy ‘leaves’ and buttery toffee shards.
FOUR AND A HALF STARS: One-upping eat. in ingredient quality and out-thinking MTO Cafe in terms of creativity and menu design it would be difficult to name anyone outside of publicUS offering such a bounty of great products seven days a week throughout breakfast and lunch, the 25-minute drive from Summerlin notwithstanding there is no doubt craftKITCHEN is well worth a look for locals and tourists with a car alike.
RECOMMENDED: Pumpkin Muffin, Pear & Pomegranate & Burrata, Chicken and What?, Chorizo Shepherd’s Pie, Oatmeal Cookie, Carrot Bar.
AVOID: Salt Sensitive folks should probably think twice about the Short Rib Hash.
TIP: Pictures of plated items above represent 1/2 or 1/3 portions of all but the Oatmeal Brulee and Croque Monsieur, the full sized versions obviously plated differently for both the Chicken and What? as well as the Benny which were admittedly messy as offered. Open 7a-3p daily, baked goods warmed-to-order by convection oven for those arriving later in the day.
WHAT THE STARS MEAN: 5 World Class, 4 Excellent, 3 Good, 2 Fair, 1 Poor.
http://craftkitchenlv.com/