Esther’s Kitchen
2019 Di Paolo Pinot Noir
OUR HOUSEMADE SOURDOUGH BREAD – Butter, Olive Oil + ‘Nduja + Anchovy Butter, Capers, Parsley + Fegatini, Chicken Liver, Foie Gras, Saba, Strawberry
SQUASH BLOSSOMS – goat cheese, ricotta, romesco, saba
BEEF AND PORK MEATBALLS – basil ricotta, charred sourdough
SAUSAGE + SWEET PEPPERS Three Day Sourdough Pizza – pomodoro, orange fennel jam, smoked mozzarella
RICOTTA GNUDI – roasted beets, pistachio pesto, sorrel, basil
EGG PAPPARDELLE – lamb sugo, mint, pine nuts, ricotta salata
BACON + SHALLOT AGNOLOTTI – charred corn butter, chive, nueske’s bacon
BLUEFIN TUNA CRUDO – harissa farrotto
CHICKEN THIGH PRESSE – roasted tomato salad, pickled mushrooms, sherry jus
SPINACH RISOTTO – braised mushrooms, garlic chips, pine nuts
AMARO
BLACKBERRY PAVLOVA – candied lemon, whipped cream, blackberry jam, lemon curd , basil
BUTTERSCOTCH BUDINO – whiskey caramel, honeycomb, whipped cream
SORBET SAMPLER – Almond Cherry Sorbet, White Peach Sorbet, Lemon Sorbet
Last visited for Brunch in June Monday once again found Esther’s Kitchen firing on all cylinders, the frequently-changing menu filled with past favorites in addition to new plates executed at a fair price with exacting standards.
Now serving Las Vegas for over 5 years, every available superlative already used to describe James Trees’ Restaurant that revitalized the Art’s District, it was with a packed house that two guests sat near the pass with Italian Red Wine and Baker Dylan Jobsz’s city-best Sourdough starting things off.
Seasonal and rustic in a good way, fried Zucchini Blossoms filled with blended Cheeses and perked up by Saba plus Romesco, Meatballs remain the city’s best whether atop Noodles or on their own while Pizza sees a lengthy ferment yield crisp Dough with a moderate rise regardless of toppings.
Pasta-heavy as always, Ricotta Gnudi an icon of downtown for good reason, new items include ribbons of Pappardelle with Lamb and Agnolotti that tastes like Summer in the Midwest thanks to crispy Bacon and Sweet Corn.
Not forgetting Vegan Risotto, this time Spinach with a good bit of Garlic, a pair of off-menu specials showed what the kitchen is capable off-the-cuff as both the compressed Chicken Thigh and Farrotto with juxtaposing temperatures were on par with something one might find in Italy at a Michelin starred Restaurant.
A lot of Food for not a lot of cash, all of it rooted in technique but never compromising flavor for looks, Dessert consisted of Esther’s forever refining Butterscotch Budino plus a seasonal Pavlova and Sorbets as good as either gets in Sin City.
www.estherslv.com

