Bar Code Burger Bar Catering
Fresh Cut Fries
Bangin’ Wings – House BBQ Seasoning, Housemade Wing Sauce, Bleu Cheese Dip, Carrots, Celery
Squid Vicious – Buttermilk Chili Brined Calamari, Light Breading, Code Sauce, Charred Lemon
The Don – House Burger Blend, Fried Mozzarella Cheese, Roast Red Pepper Marinara, Genoa Salami, Tomato, Sport Peppers
NZ Style Lamb Burger – Lamb, Goat Cheese, Harissa, Sundried Tomatoes, Cucumber, Lemony Arugula
Breakfast T.A.B.L.E. Sandwich – Tomato, Avocado, Maple Candied Bacon, Butter Lettuce, Fried Egg
Chicken n’ Waffle Sandwich – Buttermilk Fried Chicken, Waffle, House Blueberry Maple Syrup
Chocolate Chip “Crack” Cookies
Located at 1590 East Flamingo Road, and easy to miss given a low-slung frame along the busy street, Bar Code Burger Bar is probably best described as a 24/7 Gaming Tavern for classification purposes though anyone fortunate to have stepped inside will surely be aware that this isn’t your typical ‘grub’ served amidst smoky confines and much of that is thanks to a young man named Joe Valdez.
Having met Chef Valdez just over one year prior, an affable personality and plenty of hard work seeing him take over top toque at Bar Code after a short stint as Sous, it was during a particularly busy work-week that he and owner Lori were tasked with their very first catering opportunity and save for a few slightly smooshed Buns the event was a smash hit with staff as well as presenters.
Scheduled to arrive at 11:30 from across-Strip and besting that time by more than five minutes, logistical challenges of preparing and packaging two-dozen items for a half-hour drive managed more skillfully by first timers than some Restaurants featuring catering prominently on their websites, it was with each attendee’s name printed on containers that staff gathered their selection and loaded up with crispy hand-cut Fries plus dips including Ketchup, Ranch and housemade Code Sauce.
Afforded the ability to taste several items by way of sharing with others, communal containers of Panko-crusted Calamari dubbed “Squid Vicious” and Wings available to all quickly devoured with the former receiving high praise for being so light, it was after unpacking August’s Burger of the Month entitled “The Don” that things got substantially more hefty, Joe’s proprietary 70/30 blend of Brisket, Short Rib and Chuck forming a juicy backbone atop Brioche to wedges of Mozzarella, Genoa Salami and Roast Red Pepper Marinara further complimented by whole slices of its constituents.
Again impressed by the grind and juiciness of Bar Code’s Beef, a presenter from Pasadena who professed himself a “Burger junky” saying his selection was “cooked perfect and at least as good as Slater’s,” it was next that Chef Valdez’s Lamb Patty continued the trend by offering plenty of natural gaminess amidst lightly melted Goat Cheese and Sundried Tomatoes plus crisp Cucumbers and Greens, the Harissa adding just enough heat to know it was there without overwhelming anything else.
Recently switching up the menu a bit, a pair of items from Breakfast Bites offered 2a-10a offered next, those looking for “Avocado Toast” without getting ripped off would be well-advised to check out the “Breakfast T.A.B.L.E. Sandwich” that puts plenty of the healthy green stuff amidst fresh Tomato, Lettuce and a fried Egg plus several housemade Maple Bacon strips for just $9.95 while fans of Chicken and Waffles minus the Bones will no doubt enjoy one of the crispiest brined Breasts in Sin City nestled between crispy quarters and kissed with Blueberry Maple Syrup.
Not the sort of Chef or place to take shortcuts, everything save for the Buns made on-site from scratch, it was finally as a thank you that Lori sent several dozen family-recipe Chocolate Chip “Crack” Cookies, the light salinity and caramelized sugar plus what may have been Butterscotch absolutely lovely and perhaps something Bar Code may wish to toy with for a Skillet-prep or Ice Cream Sandwich…though knowing Chef Valdez this would probably require buying an Ice Cream maker and creating a recipe to make it in-house.
N/A: Making it blog policy to not ‘rate’ places based on catering alone this was nonetheless one heck of a showing for Bar Code’s first time and for those interested it should go without saying that the product is even better when eaten at the Restaurant, ideally with a football game playing in full sound on one of the many televisions.
RECOMMENDED: Chicken n’ Waffle Sandwich, The Don, NZ Style Lamb Burger, Breakfast T.A.B.L.E. Sandwich, Squid Vicious.
AVOID: Judging my photo of The Don too harshly as it took a spill while still in the container entirely of my own doing.
TIP: Open 24/7 but remember the Don won’t be around come September so get there quick.
WHAT THE STARS MEAN: 5 World Class, 4 Excellent, 3 Good, 2 Fair, 1 Poor.
www.barcodeburgerbar.com
