ML - Vegas Magazine

Vegas - 2015 - Issue 4 - Summer - Art of the City - J.K. Russ

Vegas Magazine - Niche Media - There is a place beyond the crowds, beyond the ropes, where dreams are realized and success is celebrated. You are invited.

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photography by Christian thomas/www.Christianthomashynes.Com (food truCk); Courtesy of ribs & burgers (burger). opposite: Courtesy of yardbird southern table & bar (yardbird, ChiCken and waffles); brandon bourdages (wings); by edison graff (steak); Vox solid CommuniCations (poutine) American Fan Fare The newesT darlings of The Vegas food scene offer up classic, all-american hiTs—wiTh a TwisT, of course. by brock radke Ask 100 restaurant industry observers what the next great ethnic dining trend will be and you may get 100 different answers. But take a look around Vegas—one of the country's best foodie test markets—and the truth will be obvious: Summer is the season of all-American eating, and if it's familiar dishes from across the United States you're craving, you'll find them in spades at the Las Vegas Valley's newest eateries. Todd Harrington is a classically trained chef and a master of French cooking methods, a veteran of Strip fine-dining destinations and a former executive chef for culinary legend Michel Richard. But he found his dream gig at Yardbird Southern Table & Bar (Venetian, 702-297-6541; runchickenrun.com), the Southern-food emporium that's been selling thousands of pounds of fried chicken every week since opening in January. "People who dine here know this is craveable food," Harrington says, "but I think what's important is that this is one of those cuisines you don't have to be in the mood for." That's because we're always in the mood for Yardbird's food, whether tender beef short ribs with grits or fried catfish with charred okra or that perfect chicken drizzled with honey hot sauce atop a cheddar cheese waff le with bourbon maple syrup. "I eat this every day to make sure the quality is there, and I'm not tired of it at all," he says. "You think chefs would want any food other than what they serve, but I'm loving it." The main reason that Harrington loves Yardbird so much is that it's a real scratch kitchen, where everything is made in-house. "We don't buy bacon; we buy pork belly and make bacon," the chef explains. "We're smoking meats 20 hours a day. Unlike a lot of other [places in Las Vegas], this restaurant is built around the kitchen." That commitment to freshness and quality is easy for diners to recognize and one of the hallmarks of great American cooking. A trip to Summerlin transports your taste buds to the East Coast and another fast-rising restaurant, Andiron Steak & Sea (Downtown Summerlin, 702-685-8002; andiron steak.com), where local culinary power couple Elizabeth Blau and Kim Canteenwalla combine a convincingly summer-in-the- Hamptons vibe with their relaxed yet refined take on surf and turf. "We chal- lenged ourselves to create more contemporary vegetarian and seafood The owners of the Cousins Maine Lobster truck fed the sharks on Shark Tank and now they're feeding hungry Las Vegans. below: A Wagyu burger at Downtown Summerlin's Ribs & Burgers. taste Cuiscene 76  vegasmagazine.com

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