Rooster Boy Café
Coffee
Blueberry Muffin
Cranberry Scone
Chocolate Almond Croissant
Mi Corazon – Homemade Chilaquiles, Red Salsa, Shredded Chicken, Avocado, Onion, Tomato, Crema
Dutch Oven Pancake – Souffléd Oven Baked Pancake, Creme Fraiche, Blueberries, Strawberries, Raspberries
The Natural – Buckwheat Pancakes, Flax Seeds, Chia Seeds, Grade A Maple Syrup
The Original Breakfast Bowl – Rolled Oats, Quinoa, Sesame Seeds, Sunflower Seeds, Pumpkin Seeds, Almonds, Pecans, Hazelnuts, Chia Seeds, Flax Seeds, Coconut Flake, Honey, Cranberries, Golden Raisins, Currants, Yogurt, Raspberries, Blueberries, Strawberries
Galette – Prosciutto, Figs, Caramelized Onions
Lemon Square
Almond Croissant
Although Desert Shores will likely always be best recognized as the home of Marche Bacchus it was at the end of August that Chef Sonia El-Nawal decided to set up shop nearby, a plethora of domestic and international experience including her recent dedication to Organic Granola yielding Rooster Boy Café in Suite 113 of 2620 Regatta Drive.
Established as a seven-day Breakfast and Lunch space but recently going dark on Mondays, the Summerlin community on Lake Jacqueline a notoriously tough sell, it was Saturday around 11:20am that six guests arrived to find Chef El-Nawal and her team at approximately 1/4 capacity, the counter-style service not immediately evident but quickly sorted out thanks to instructions on each table.
Offering indoor and al fresco seating, the former communal and outdoors shaded by umbrellas plus foliage, it was after greetings from staff that a menu of Bowls, Plates and Toasts was navigated, the young man at the register clearly green as he hunted and pecked for items before neglecting to provide Pastries from the counter, something only later found to be his duty as the group sat waiting at meal’s end.
Well designed and clearly a work of passion, everything from self-service beverage stations and staff’s matching uniforms creating a rustic atmosphere befitting Sonia’s local-market ingredients, it was after losing the first of two forks through holes in metal tables that three “complimentary” Pastries arrived, a nice gesture though one had actually been paid for with the $4 Scone a highlight thanks to plenty of Butter and tart Cranberries while the Blueberry Muffin unfortunately fell short thanks to a relative lack of Fruit and flavor.
Next finding diners divided on a Chocolate Almond Croissant not listed on Blackboard, the $5 Almond version actually requested arriving an hour later with equally polarizing results thanks to a thick and sticky center, it was turning attention to the menu itself that things improved, a plate titled Mi Corazon referencing El-Nawal’s time in Mexico by way of housemade Tortillas topped in Chicken, Avocado and Onions plus smoky Red Salsa.
Turning next to oft-praised Pancakes, the already-fallen Dutch Oven smaller than expected and fairly bland save for plump Berries, it was instead a dish titled “The Natural” which proved a highlight thanks to its finely ground Flour and nutty sponge which readily sopped up both Butter and pure Maple Syrup.
Not about to leave Rooster Boy Café without tasting the eponymous Granola, a wide-ranging blend of Nuts and Seeds well-matched to tangy Yogurt plus $2 of supplemental Berries, it was passing on the Lebanese “From Back Home” that Sonia’s time in France instead took center-stage, a rustic Galette rich with Onions and sweetened by Figs enjoyed equally by Children and Senior Citizens while a late-arriving $5 Lemon Square was questionable in terms of value but delicious just as well.
THREE STARS: Always happy to see a local Chef try something new, particularly in chain-heavy Summerlin, Rooster Boy Café shows plenty of potential to be great, but between service errors, Strip-priced Pastries and a few items that simply aren’t on par with other Breakfast spots it seems to still need more time before being worth going out of one’s way for.
RECOMMENDED: Lemon Square, The Natural, Prosciutto and Fig Galette.
AVOID: Blueberry Muffin, Dutch Oven, Almond Croissant “Filling” which is thankfully not sweet like Frangipane but far too thick and over-applied.
TIP: Open 7:30a-3:00p Tuesday through Sunday with menu updates coming soon per Chef El-Nawal.
WHAT THE STARS MEAN: 5 World Class, 4 Excellent, 3 Good, 2 Fair, 1 Poor.
www.roosterboycafe.com
