Squeeze In
Blind Dog Coffee
Buttermilk Biscuit
Jack Johnson Banana Walnut Pancakes – Buttermilk Pancakes with Walnuts Cooked inside, topped with Bananas sautéed in Butter and Honey
Queen Maggie – French Toast stuffed with Cream Cheese, crowned with Strawberries, Bananas, Cinnamon and Powdered Sugar
Open for just over a month on Fort Apache near Tropicana, an import originally from Truckee California but since expanding to Reno, Sparks, Redwood City and now Las Vegas, Squeeze In promotes itself as offering the “Best Omelettes on the Planet” and having bested Bobby Flay en route to franchising opportunities a first look at the concept shows a restaurant willing to have some fun while still taking the right steps to be successful.
Differentiating itself from the pack by way of design as well as offerings, the menu one of those multi-page affairs that at first makes experienced diners cringe but quickly reveals itself to be intelligently crafted to use a limited number of ingredients in creative manners in order to create hundreds of types of Omelettes and Sandwiches plus some Skillets, Griddles, Soups, Salads and more, the décor at Squeeze In is best described as a ramshackle array of hippie nostalgia, everything from records and bicycles hung amidst road signs with cutouts of Aliens displayed prominently as customers are also invited to scrawl their own art on the walls.
Open at 7am daily and reportedly packed to capacity from nine o’clock until closing on weekends thus far, it was just after 7:15 that entry was made to the place where 70s and 80s rock plays loudly overhead and greeted by a cheerful hostess before being handed off to a young man named Andrew the waitstaff was unexpectedly excellent, the restaurant apparently already generating regulars greeted by name while everyone who entered was treated to service with a smile and beverages frequently refilled.
Not afraid to brand itself and embrace social media, the Egghead Club and #squeezeinfun prominently promoted with “points” offered for dollars spent, surveys and online reviews, it was after lengthy perusal of the menu that an order was determined, a $5 welcoming coupon plus free beverage by way of Yelp! bringing the total to just $25 after tax and tip for a substantial amount of food.
Joking with customers in a jovial way while pouring cup after cup of good coffee roasted by Reno’s Blind Dog throughout the stay, it was perhaps fifteen minutes after ordering that plates arrived from the kitchen and with Free Wi-Fi available to pass the time as everything from Golden Earring to The Scorpions played first bites of the “Jack Johnson Pancakes” more than lived up to the billing as the Buttermilk four-stack was still fluffy despite a liberal dotting of Walnuts beneath a layer of melted Butter and Honey-kissed Bananas.
Having brought 100% Maple Syrup from home only to realize that Squeeze In steps up their game by offering their own at a supplementary cost, Queen Maggie French Toast proved a bit less impressive than it could have been since the quick sear had failed to melt Cream Cheese in more than half of the six slices, though the dish still remained a winner based on the Bread quality and the Eggy Custard in which it was soaked.
Finishing up with a respectable oversized biscuit, the somewhat flattened oval in no way indicating a lack of flavor, though a lack of layering sees it fall short of the Valley’s best, suffice it to say that leftovers are likely to follow most diners home from a breakfast at Squeeze In, an average family of four probably quite safe to share two entrees and be perfectly happy strolling out the door.
FOUR STARS: Already out-performing several of Las Vegas “best” breakfast spots in terms of scene, service and selections, Squeeze In enters an already busy scene with big aspirations that it seems ready to pursue with diligence, a few minor tweaks likely all it needs to see continuing lines and ongoing success.
RECOMMENDED: Jack Johnson Banana Walnut Pancakes, Blind Dog Coffee, Yelp! Check In receives a free cocktail or beverage.
AVOID: Jam is typical Smucker’s Packets and could use an upgrade, even if supplemental like the Syrup, and Specials listed on Social Media were not the same as those offered in-store.
TIP: Open 7am to 2pm daily, location #2 coming soon at 8826 South Eastern Ave near the 215.
WHAT THE STARS MEAN: 5 World Class, 4 Excellent, 3 Good, 2 Fair, 1 Poor.
http://www.squeezein.com/las-vegas-nv/
