Sugar Factory American Brasserie at Fashion Show Mall
White Gummi – Cruzan Peach Rum, Cruzan Raspberry Rum, Fresh Fruit Juice and Gummy Worms
Country Fried Chicken and Waffles – Buttermilk Fried Chicken, Two Classic Waffles, White Cheddar-Maple Mornay Sauce, Warm Maple Syrup and Butter
Fish Tacos – Three Corn Tortillas, Fried Fish, Iceberg Lettuce, Pico de Gallo, Cilantro and Creamy Chipotle Sauce
Sugar Factory Rainbow Sliders – Classic Sliders with American Cheese, Crispy Onions and Signature Sauce plus a Rubber Duck to take home
The Big Cheesy – Grass Fed Angus Beef, Creamy Mac & Cheese, Smoked Applewood Bacon, BBQ Sauce and a Toasted Brioche Bun
Giggles Snickers Milkshake – Cookies n’ Cream Ice Cream, Peanuts, Chocolate Chips, Caramel Waffle, Snickers, Whipped Cream in a Sprinkles, Snickers and Chocolate Covered Mug
Caramel Sugar Daddy Cheesecake Shake – Vanilla Ice Cream, Caramel Sauce, Whipped Cream, NY Style Cheesecake, Sugar Daddy Candy, Rainbow Lollipop in a Crushed Graham Cracker and Chocolate Covered Mug
Twinkie Dinkie Milkshake – Vanilla Ice Cream, Twinkie Chunks, Marshmallow Fluff, Rainbow Rock Candy, Whipped Cream, Sprinkles, Twinkie in a Gum Ball and White Chocolate Covered Mug
Caramel Brownie Bread Pudding – Brownie Bread Pudding, Caramel, Brownie Chunks, Vanilla Ice Cream, Orange Caramel Sauce, Whipped Cream
The Brownie – Gooey Fudge Brownies, Vanilla Ice Cream, Candied Walnuts, Hot Fudge Sauce
Rainbow Doughnut Ice Cream Sandwich – Rainbow Doughnut, Cookies n’ Cream Ice Cream, Chocolate Ice Cream, Fudge, Raspberry Sauce, Whipped Cream, Oreo Cookie Crumbs, Fresh Raspberries
Born out of Las Vegas and now identified as a place to sip gigantic bubbling drinks, eat fun food and spot celebrities from New York to Dubai, it would be hard to say Sugar Factory is not one of the most successful concepts to ever spawn from Sin City, owner Charissa Davidovici somehow managing to turn $30 Lollipops into high fashion frequently spotlighted in Social Media feeds of everyone from Drake and Shaq to a disproportionate number of Jenners and Kardashians.
Originally launched in 2010 where HeXx now resides, a second location at Town Square also opened and shuttered in the interim, Sugar Factory American Brasserie was recently re-introduced at Fashion Show Mall with a multi-million dollar overhaul and several ‘grand openings,’ a visit on Friday Night showing the space to be every bit as audacious as one might guess, both in terms of the eye-catching décor and the over-the-top menu executed in a kitchen led by Chef Bryan Ogden.
Without doubt a grand spectacle, the French Brasserie façade and giant Rubber Ducky quickly giving way to walls donned with “Dots” and photographs of Mike Tyson, The Backstreet Boys and Bill Goldberg as Rihanna ‘Shines bright like a Diamond’ at about eighty decibels overhead, it was with pleasant greetings that three guests were met at the hostess podium and led to a sizable six-top facing Las Vegas Boulevard, a young man named Erick providing great service throughout a nearly two-hour evening.
Focused as much on the concept and environment as the food, a ‘theme’ restaurant in many ways but in general ‘American’ as relates to the bill of fare, it was after a quick visit from Chef Ogden who was most recently seen at Boca Park’s Mixx Grill that a few items were ordered with a request for Bryan to ‘fill in the gaps’ family style, a brief wait spent watching the NBA Playoffs played on LCDs in back as sparkling candles zigzagged through the room as part of at least seven birthday celebrations.
Attempting to balance Air Conditioning with open doors, a tough task as Vegas neared 100°F for the first time in 2017, it was after a bit more perusal that the decision was made to invest in one of Sugar Factory’s $36 Goblets, the 60oz White Gummi featuring fresh-pressed Juice, dueling Cruzan Rums and a whole lot of Ice served bubbling at the tableside with Gummy Worms laced throughout a concoction that was at first quite sweet before unveiling a more spirit-heavy finish.
Making a low ceilinged first-floor look much bigger by way of crystal chandeliers and a lot of mirrors, the glass doors looking out towards Wynn and an open patio enough to keep the inside feeling secluded yet still accessible, it was after perhaps twenty minutes that savories came forth in back-to-back waves, the first two plates featuring Sugar Factory’s spin on Chicken and Waffles with a golden half-bird laid across two crisp waffles tinged in Chives plus a sidecar of Maple-Cheddar Mornay and Cinco de Mayo Fish Tacos flawed by cold Tortillas that fell apart almost the second one tried to pick them up, though the lightly battered Fish itself was quite good.
Not making any attempt to be a ‘serious’ restaurant, but rather a fun place for food and drinks in a City made for such things, round two saw Chef Ogden send out Sugar Factory’s recently launched “Rainbow Sliders” aligned in the same color-order as the restaurant’s signature signage as well as “The Big Cheesy,” a thick patty of Grass Fed Angus cooked medium-rare beneath crispy Bacon, house BBQ Sauce and a big scoop of Mac n’ Cheese – a delicious idea that really isn’t so weird when you think about the ingredients and without a doubt the definition of a ‘fork and knife’ Sandwich.
Delving into three “insane” Milkshakes, an idea that seems to be gaining a lot of traction recently as restaurateurs put stock in Instagram’s ability to drive short-term traffic, Sugar Factory goes all-in with three pages of choices, each seemingly more decadent than the next with the Twinkie Dinkie not dissimilar to drinking Birthday Cake in terms of its taste while the Giggles Snickers is essentially melt-resistant given the thickness created by Cookies, Peanuts, Chocolate Chips and Candybars, the “Caramel Sugar Daddy” further upping the ante by putting a whole wedge of Cheesecake on top of a Chocolate and Graham Cracker-coated mug full of the taste of a Sugar Daddy infusing a texture almost as smooth as Cannoli filling.
Fully aware that occupation and fascination were in conflict at this point, Sugar Factory proving as appropriate a name as any for a restaurant with an attached Candy shop and Chocolate Lounge upstairs, the meal came to an end by way of three desserts in two waves, items from the “Gourmet Ice Cream Sandwiches” section including two rich Brownies wrapped around Vanilla Ice Cream while a hemisected Doughnut was essentially a two-person Sundae with a duo of Sauces, Ice Cream, Fudge and Berries, the Caramel Brownie Bread Pudding served last a contrast of temperature, texture and flavor as the piping hot Brioche and Custard quickly melted Ice Cream and Whipped Cream into a pool around chunks of Fudge and Orange-Caramel Sauce that the youngster in the group likened to the taste of Fruity Pebbles.
THREE STARS: Say what you will about Sugar Factory, it fills a niche, and while ‘serious foodies’ may find items like the Rainbow Sliders or Insane Shakes absolutely ridiculous the majority of the food is as good, or better than it needs to be considering the target audience, the only major flaws from this diner’s standpoint being the Taco shells, poor temperature control and volumes that necessitate shouting to be heard.
RECOMMENDED: The Big Cheesy, Caramel Sugar Daddy Cheesecake Shake, Caramel Brownie Bread Pudding, Rainbow Doughnut Ice Cream Sandwich.
AVOID: Fish Tacos deserve a better shell and the White Meat portion of the Chicken and Waffles was too dry.
TIP: On the second floor diners will find the more elegant and Chef-driven “Chocolate Lounge” complete with a gazebo, more upscale drinks and a Tapas-style menu of unique items including several not found downstairs.
WHAT THE STARS MEAN: 5 World Class, 4 Excellent, 3 Good, 2 Fair, 1 Poor.
https://sugarfactory.com/location/fashion-show/
